The Lighthouse For The Blind

The Lighthouse For The Blind, a non-profit AbilityOne organization headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, manufactures and supplies medical equipment, surgical instruments, tree marking paint, first aid kits, and related goods to federal agencies as a prime contractor across a portfolio of over $1 billion in combined potential value. The organization operates without set-aside designations, competing on full and open basis across 4,925 prime awards (99.9% of recent activity) and holding a $241.6 million indefinite delivery contract with the Department of the Army Medical Command as its anchor vehicle.

The Lighthouse For The Blind's customer base is heavily concentrated in defense medical supply. The Department of the Army Medical Command dominates both award frequency and dollar potential—261 awards carrying $698.6 million in combined potential value, anchored by the SKO procurement and assembly IDIQ running through September 2029. The Defense Health Agency contributes 33 awards valued at $231.2 million, primarily delivery orders for medical equipment sets, kits, and outfits under the USAMMA Sets Kits and Outfit Assemblages vehicle. These two customers account for roughly 95% of the combined potential value across all awards. The Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support Medical places 162 awards ($11.8 million) for surgical knife blades, first aid kits, and related medical supplies. Outside defense medicine, the Department of Agriculture Forest Service—split across eight regional offices—places over 600 orders for tree marking paint, accounting for roughly $20 million combined potential value. The top five customer agencies by potential value span defense medicine (Army Medical Command, Defense Health Agency, Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery), defense logistics (DLA Troop Support Medical), and civilian forestry (Army general).

The vendor's federal portfolio is distributed across five principal parent vehicles. The Army Medical Command's multiple-award Indefinite Delivery Contract (DAMD1703D0011) for Sets, Kits, and Outfits carries 121 task orders valued at $41.5 million. The USAMMA Sets Kits and Outfit Assemblages IDIQ holds 101 delivery orders totaling $20.3 million, supporting tactical combat medical care, ground ambulance, chemical agent decontamination, and air ambulance configurations. A Basic Ordering Agreement (V797P2057) with the Defense Logistics Agency accounts for 1,878 task orders, though the combined potential value is modest at $810 thousand, indicating high-frequency, low-dollar routine medical supply orders. The Blanket Purchase Agreement GS06F73591 with the U.S. Forest Service covers 491 purchase orders for tree marking paint totaling $98 thousand. A Federal Supply Schedule position (GS07F5916P) carries 76 task orders valued at $404 thousand. These vehicles enable The Lighthouse For The Blind to execute routine replenishment orders without full competition while maintaining prime status across civilian and defense customers.

The vendor's capability portfolio centers on two distinct product lines: medical equipment manufacturing and forestry supplies. In medical equipment, the organization procures, assembles, labels, and packages medical sets, kits, and outfits into approved configurations for Army medical units serving domestic and international locations—work performed at its Olivette, Missouri facility. Representative orders include a $780.2 thousand delivery order from the Defense Health Agency for Holistic Health and Fitness medical equipment sets (physical therapy, occupational therapy, registered dietitian configurations); a $165.8 thousand order for 269C Tactical Combat Medical Care kits; and recurring $3,650 to $200,000 purchase orders for surgical knife blades, utility first aid kits, and decontamination sets. In forestry supplies, the organization manufactures tree marking paint in quantities supporting U.S. Forest Service timber management and restoration projects across regions 1, 3, 5, 6, and 9, with individual orders ranging from $11,000 to $138,000. Recent secondary products include enamel ($67,000 to $169,000 orders from DLA Construction and Equipment) and corrosion preventive supplies ($27,000 to $80,000).

Activity has declined modestly year over year—41 awards in 2022, 36 in 2023, 34 in 2024, and 13 in 2025. Only 2 awards face ultimate completion within the next twenty-four months with combined potential value of $7 thousand, indicating low near-term recompete exposure. The recompete cliff is minimal; the $241.6 million Army Medical Command IDIQ does not expire until September 2029.

The vendor subcontracts as a medical-surgical equipment supplier to Cardinal Health 200, LLC, with six sub-awards since 2022 spanning medical-surgical items, infusion systems, and regional procurement support. These engagements are modest relative to prime volume and represent secondary revenue channels.

As an AbilityOne non-profit, The Lighthouse For The Blind's statutory mission is to create employment for individuals who are legally blind while competing for federal contracts on commercial terms. The organization holds no SBA certifications (8(a), HUBZone, SDVOSB, WOSB) and does not pursue set-asides, instead leveraging its AbilityOne status to secure awards under full and open competition. The top five NAICS categories by award count reflect the manufacturing footprint: Surgical Appliance and Supplies Manufacturing (1,886 awards), Hand and Edge Tool Manufacturing (492), Paint and Coating Manufacturing (360), and related supply and wholesale distribution classes. The top PSC codes align: Hospital Furniture, Equipment, Utensils, and Supplies (1,376 awards), Medical and Surgical Instruments (858), and Paints, Dopes, Varnishes (854).