In 2024, several additional AbilityOne Base Supply Centers® (BSCs) opened, bringing the total number to 162 nationwide.
The AbilityOne BSC program harnesses the resources of a nation-wide network of providers to offer thousands of quality products to government and military customers. Located on military bases and federal installations across the country, BSCs offer one-stop shopping to military personnel and federal employees. Convenient locations allow personnel to walk in, select needed supplies and, in most cases, have them delivered on-base or in the office that same day.
BSCs offer a wide range of SKILCRAFT® products, as well as mission-essential equipment and supplies, and select commercial items ranging from discount office supplies to office furniture and janitorial supplies. They are open to those who hold a government supply card.
The BSC locations that came online or held celebrations this year are as follows.
Lakehurst Contractor Operated Parts Store (COPARS), operated by Bestwork Industries for the Blind, was added to the Procurement List in January and had its first sale in June 2024.
In February, the United States Naval Academy BSC held a soft opening event. The official grand opening of the IFB Solutions-operated facility was held August 8, with NIB President and CEO Soraya Correa in attendance. In June, she attended a celebration for the BSC at Fort Detrick honoring 15 years of service to that community.
Pictured during the Fort Detrick 15th anniversary celebration are, from left, Mike Jewett, senior interagency liaison associate director for Program Integration NIAID/NIH; Soraya Correa; Tim Selby, IBVI’s Ft. Detrick BSC store manager, and Luis Lebron, NIB’s director of Base Supply Center Programs.
In August, the Altus Air Force Base Contractor Operated Civil Engineer Supply Store (COCESS) came online. While no grand opening is planned at this time, an official hand-off of operations from South Texas Lighthouse for the Blind’s subsidiary company to an AbilityOne contractor will take place in October.
In late September, a contract for Navy Ship Stores Resupply and Warehousing will take effect and begin an incremental rollout of services, beginning initially in Hawaii. Five additional regions will receive service by late February 2025. South Texas Lighthouse for the Blind will serve as the prime contractor with Virginia Industries for the Blind and The Lighthouse for the Blind as subcontractors.
The Hanscom Air Force Base COCESS, operated by Industries for the Blind and Visually Impaired, is slated to hold a grand opening event in Spring 2025.
To learn more about what BSCs offer, or to find the BSC location nearest you, visit https://nib.org/products/base-supply-centers/