GSA removes 244 Chinese products from procurement list

The General Services Administration recently removed 244 Chinese products from a government procurement list in a “first wave of action, with more to come in the future,” according to a GSA official familiar with the matter.

The move comes after the GSA called for an audit of AbilityOne, a mandatory procurement list designed to create jobs for people with disabilities. GSA specifically asked the U.S. AbilityOne Commission to verify country-of-origin claims on the list after it found Chinese products such as flash drives, docking ports and portable charging packs contained within it. 

GSA gave the commission a Nov. 12 deadline to ensure all products are listed with the correct country-of-origin and documentation on how it plans to complete continuous reviews.

“GSA intends to remove all of AbilityOne’s Chinese product offerings from its catalogues. While each product’s time on the market varies, many have been present for 10-15 years,” the GSA official told Nextgov/FCW.

Under the Javits-Wagner-O'Day Act, agencies must source AbilityOne products before turning to those from other companies.

“Because GSA controls government-wide buying platforms, removal of Chinese products from our catalogues will help every agency phase these products out,” the official said. 

That official could not speak to whether or how agencies are planning to remove Chinese products. They also did not disclose a list of the 244 Chinese products.

Fox News first reported that GSA had banned the federal purchase of around 240 Chinese products.

GSA’s crackdown on Chinese products seeks to address the “truthful advertising” and fraud-busting executive orders signed by President Donald Trump in March, according to the agency.