This attached pdf is regarding the CRS Report for Congress dated Jul;y 13, 2007. submitted by;
Nathan James
Analyst in Social Legislation
Domestic Social Policy Division
This document shows corporate entities, UNICOR and FEDERAL PRISON INDUSTRIES Inc;
page 2 ..
"........UNICOR, the trade name for Federal Prison Industries, Inc. (FPI), is a
government-owned corporation that employs offenders incarcerated in correctional
facilities under the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP). UNICOR manufactures
products and provides services that are sold to executive agencies in the federal
government. FPI was created to serve as a means for managing, training, and
rehabilitating inmates in the federal prison system through employment in one of its
industries........."
page 15 of this report
".............Legislation in the 110th Congress
Two bills introduced in the 109th Congress (the Federal Prison Industries
Competition in Contracting Act of 2005, H.R. 2965 and S. 749) would have, in
essence, permanently eliminated FPI’s mandatory source clause. See Appendix A
for a brief discussion of both bills. Three bills introduced in the 110th Congress, S.
705, S. 1547, and S. 1548, would modify FPI’s mandatory source clause in some
manner. S. 705 would require all government agencies to use competitive procedures
when procuring products from FPI. Section 824 of both S. 1547 and S. 1548 would
modify the way in which DOD procures products from FPI.
S. 705. S. 705 would amend the Office of Federal Procurement Policy Act (41
U.S.C. §403 et seq.) to establish a government-wide requirement that government
agencies use competitive procedures when procuring products that are authorized to
be sold by FPI. The bill would require the head of an executive agency to notify FPI
of the procurement at the same time as other possible bidders and to consider an offer
from FPI in the same manner as other offers. The bill would not allow an executive
agency to purchase products or services from FPI unless it is determined that the
product or service is comparable to products or services offered by the private sector.
The head of the executive agency would have to ensure that FPI performs its
contractual obligations to the same extent as any other contractor.
S. 705 would provide for some exceptions to the government-wide requirement
for using competitive procurement procedures. It would allow an executive agency
to use non-competitive procedures to enter into a contract with FPI only if:
! The Attorney General determines within 30 days after FPI has been
notified of the procurement opportunity that (1) FPI cannot
reasonably expect fair consideration in a competitive competition
for the contract; and (2) the award of the contract to FPI is necessary
to maintain work opportunities not otherwise available at a
correctional facility, and the loss of such work opportunities could
create circumstances that would significantly endanger the safe and
effective administration of the facility.
! The product is only available from FPI.
! The head of the executive agency determines that the product would
be produced, in whole or in significant part, by prison labor outside
the U.S......."
