Essentially the Same (ETS)

U.S. AbilityOne Commission Policy 51.541 - Requirement to Purchase Products on the Procurement List Instead of “Essentially the Same (ETS)” Items. Please see the full policy: Commission Policy 51.500 and related policies.

ETS Files

The reference files provided below identify the commercial items available from the authorized AbilityOne wholesalers that have been determined to be “Essentially the Same” (ETS) as items provided through the AbilityOne Program. The ETS commercial items should not be placed on any Federal contracts or Blanket Purchase Agreements (BPAs). In addition, many of the ETS commercial items must be blocked from sale to Federal customers in an automated fashion through your order-entry system. This is not a comprehensive list of ETS items. Other commercial items not available from the authorized AbilityOne wholesalers may be considered ETS.

ETS Challenges

In accordance with Commission Policy 51.541, Requirement to Purchase Products on the Procurement List Instead of “Essentially The Same (ETS)” Items, Section 7,(b) Exception to Policy, the Commission will accept and review challenges to commercial products that have been designated as ETS. Please review the entire policy at www.abilityone.gov/laws,_regulations_and_policy/commission_policy_51_500.html. The form for the challenge is below.

Download Distributor ETS Challenge Form (DOCX)

Note: For automatic spreadsheet links to populate you need JavaScript enabled. You may also find the latest ETS spreadsheets directly at /distributors/independent.html.