Washington, DC--Nov. 25, 2002--A precedent-setting agreement between the General Services Administration (GSA), Public Buildings Service (PBS); the Committee for Purchase From People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled (the Committee) and NISH, formerly National Industries for the Severely Handicapped, was signed this month at the Committee offices in Arlington, Va. NISH, through the Javits-Wagner-O'Day (JWOD) Program and its affiliated community-based, nonprofit agencies, seeks to create employment for people who are blind or severely disabled.

Under the agreement, GSA will offer the JWOD Program, through NISH, all new contracts for custodial services. According to its standard practice, the Committee will take into account severe adverse impact on an incumbent small business when reviewing or adding a new GSA contract to the government's procurement list.

The agreement establishes a strategic alliance for long-term mutual benefit that delivers improved processes for contracting, recognizes the JWOD Program as the vendor of choice for PBS and values market-pricing, job creation, ease of process, flexibility, quality, and industry innovation.

The goals of the agreement are to:
· Increase the number of new and diverse employment opportunities;
· Employ industry best practices at the best value for taxpayers;
· Ensure the new agreement will not have an adverse impact on small and
minority business contractors.

"This is a win-win situation for all parties involved," says NISH president and chief executive E. Robert Chamberlin. "We are very excited about the long-term impact of the alliance and the new employment opportunities it will provide for people who are blind or severely disabled. Individuals with disabilities face an unemployment rate of 70 percent. Through the JWOD Program and alliances like these, people who are blind or severely disabled are able to gain employment and become more independent."

In attendance at the signing ceremony were representatives from all the agencies involved in establishing this alliance. Chamberlin, Leon A. Wilson, executive director, the Committee, and F. Joseph Moravec, commissioner, Public Buildings Service signed the agreement along with the 11 PBS assistant regional administrators and NISH's six regional directors. The new agreement was developed by the GSA/JWOD Working Group, which comprises representatives from GSA, the Committee, NISH, and NISH-affiliated community-based, nonprofit agencies that hire and train individuals with severe disabilities who work on contracts such as those with GSA.

About Public Buildings Service
PBS is the largest public real estate organization in the United States, maintaining more than 339 million sf of workspace for more than one million Federal employees in over 1,600 American communities. This inventory of 1,800 government-owned buildings and 6,500 leased locations comprises 40 percent of Federal office spaces. PBS leases space to its federal customer agencies, and repairs, alters and renovates existing facilities. PBS maintains ten presidential libraries, more than 400 historic properties and over 113 childcare centers. PBS provides security for its buildings, disposes of property, practices energy conservation, builds green, and recycles. Eleven regional GSA offices located in major metropolitan centers across the country deliver comprehensive real estate services. PBS's mission is to help federal agencies better serve the public by offering, at best value, superior workplaces, expert solutions, acquisition services, and management policies.

About NISH
NISH, formerly the National Industries for the Severely Handicapped (creating employment opportunities for people with severe disabilities), is a national nonprofit organization whose mission is to create employment opportunities for people with severe disabilities by securing federal contracts through the JWOD Program. NISH has a network of more than 500 community rehabilitation programs, employing over 33,000 people with severe disabilities on JWOD contracts, which produce quality products and provide a variety of services to federal customers nationwide. NISH is headquartered in Vienna, Va. For more information, visit www.nish.org.

About The Committee for Purchase From People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled
The Committee for Purchase From People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled (the Committee) is an independent federal agency that administers the JWOD Program. The Committee's mission is to create employment opportunities for people who are blind or have other severe disabilities by determining which products and services are suitable for provision by nonprofit agencies across the country employing such individuals, and by requiring federal agencies to purchase those products and services. The Committee is headquartered in Arlington, Va. For more information, visit www.jwod.gov.