Clover Imaging Blog

Federal Government Updates

Written by Clover Imaging | Jul 20, 2022 6:46:28 PM

 

On July 1st, 2022, the list of Mandatory Buy AbilityOne Skilcraft remanufactured laser toner supplies expanded to 215 National Stock Numbers (NSN’s). All 215 NSNs have been loaded by The National Industries For the Blind (NIB) into the Procurement List Information Management System (PLIMS).

They were also loaded to AbilityOne.com, and were made available through the four Authorized AbilityOne Wholesalers: Essendant, SP Richards, Arlington and LCI.   These NSN’s can also be purchased directly from Tri Industries and Alabama Institute for the Deaf and Blind. As the manufacturer of all 215 NSNs, Clover Imaging Group proudly supports the mission, but Authorized AbilityOne Distributors (Dealers) cannot buy AbilityOne Skilcraft brand directly from Clover.

According to AbilityOne Commission Policy 51 541, the Federal Government is required to purchase these NSN’s instead of Essentially The Same (ETS) skus that have the same “form, fit and function.” According to AbilityOne Policy 51 540, Authorized AbilityOne Distributors are expected to exercise best efforts to sell the product portfolio. This includes featuring all 215 NSN’s on their GSA Schedule.

Transition to “One Brand, One Box”

Previously, AbilityOne remanufactured toners have gone to market under multiple brands and box designs. Today, new uniform box designs for the combined brand of AbilityOne Skilcraft are being phased in through a rolling transition. Toners will be shipped in the new box, and images reflecting the new design will be provided for Dealers to use on their GSA Advantage listings.

In the next two weeks, Clover will publish a GSA SIP Content file for all 215 NSNs that will include accurate Product Titles, Downloadable JPEG Images, and Image URLs (for those dealers loading content via EDI).

We Encourage Authorized AbilityOne Distributors to:

  • Satisfy your contractual obligation to AbilityOne Policy 51 540. Use our GSA SIP Content File to Load all 215 NSNs to your GSA Schedule.
  • Uniformly standardize the Manufacturer name of all 215 NSNs to Tri Industries or Alabama Institute for the Deaf and Blind, per our forthcoming SIP Content File.
  • Remove the term Compatible from your Product Titles, per our Blog on approved GSA naming conventions.
  • Identify any product listed on the AbilityOne ETS File or, if it has the same “form, fit and function,” pro-actively remove those ETS skus.

Additional Resources

  1. Please mark your calendar, and register to attend our July 28 Webinar: "Using Sustainability as a Competitive Advantage"at 1:00 pm CST.
  2. To stay current on key industry issues and topics, bookmark these two sites:
  • www.I-ITC.org - The Int’l ITC promotes educational and social interaction among member companies.
  • www.IOPFDA.org - Register to receive the monthly IOPFDA newsletter. 
  1. After years in development and significant investment, a successful October 15, 2021 Phase 1 launch of the Verified Product Portal (VPP), and an ongoing robo-removal campaign – the community is excited for the August 1 launch of Phase 2 of the VPP.

 SIP will eventually be eclipsed by the Verified Product Portal.

 

If you have questions, contact the Clover Federal Team:

 

 
View full post