Army Improperly Disfavored Blind Workers for Hawaii Contract

Hawaii state agency Ho’opono showed that the US Army failed to properly prioritize blind vendors in the 2016 bidding process for vending facilities services at Schofield Barracks and Wheeler Army Airfield in Honolulu, the Ninth Circuit ruled Tuesday.

The Randolph-Sheppard Act gives dining contract priority to state licensing agencies with blind workers. Ho’opono, which had been providing the services, sued when the Army reclassified its facilities and sought services under a small business set-aside, which excluded Ho’opono. The Army changed the services from Full Food Service to Dining Facility Attendant—which includes maintenance and custodial functions.

A district court upheld an ...