2012-28067. Federal Acquisition Regulation; Information Collection; Summary Subcontract Report

AGENCY:

Department of Defense (DOD), General Services Administration (GSA), and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

ACTION:

Notice of request for comments regarding an extension to an existing OMB clearance.

SUMMARY:

Under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act, the Regulatory Secretariat will be submitting to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) a request to review and approve an extension of a previously approved information collection requirement concerning summary subcontract report.

Public comments are particularly invited on: Whether this collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of functions of the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR), and whether it will have practical utility; whether our estimate of the public burden of this collection of information is accurate, and based on valid assumptions and methodology; ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and ways in which we can minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are to respond, through the use of appropriate technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology.

DATES:

Submit comments on or before January 18, 2013.

ADDRESSES:

Submit comments identified by Information Collection 9000-0007, Summary Subcontract Report, by any of the following methods:

• Regulations.gov: http://www.regulations.gov. Submit comments via the Federal eRulemaking portal by searching the OMB control number. Select the link “Submit a Comment” that corresponds with “Information Collection 9000-0007, Summary Subcontract Report”. Follow the instructions provided at the “Submit a Comment” screen. Please include your name, company name (if any), and “Information Collection 9000-0007, Summary Subcontract Report”, on your attached document.
• Fax: [phone].
• Mail: General Services Administration, Regulatory Secretariat (MVCB), 1275 First Street NE., Washington, DC 20417. ATTN: Hada Flowers/IC 9000-0007, Summary Subcontract Report.

Instructions: Please submit comments only and cite Information Collection 9000-0007, Summary Subcontract Report, in all correspondence related to this collection. All comments received will be posted without change to http://www.regulations.gov,, including any personal and/or business confidential information provided.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Mr. Karlos Morgan, Procurement Analyst, Office of Governmentwide Acquisition Policy, GSA, [phone] or via email at [e-mail].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Purpose

In accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation 19.702, any contractor receiving a contract for more than the simplified acquisition threshold must agree in the contract that small business, small disadvantaged business, historically underutilized business zone (HUBZone) small business, veteran-owned small business, service-disabled veteran-owned small business, and women-owned small business concerns will have the maximum practicable opportunity to participate in contract performance consistent with its efficient performance. Further, contractors receiving a contract or a modification to a contract expected to exceed $650,000 ($1,500,000 for construction) must submit a subcontracting plan that provides maximum practicable opportunities for the above named concerns. Specific elements required to be included in the plan are specified in section 8(d) of the Small Business Act and are implemented in FAR Subpart 19.7.

In conjunction with the subcontracting plan requirements, contractors must submit an annual summary (semi-annual for DOD and NASA) of subcontracts awarded by prime and subcontractors for a specific Federal Government agency that required an Individual Subcontracting plan for the previous fiscal year. This is accomplished through the use of the Standard Form 295, Summary Subcontract Report, or the Summary Subcontract Report (SSR), the electronic equivalent of the of the Standard Form 295, submitted through the Electronic Subcontracting Reporting System (eSRS).

Contractors must use the SSR in lieu of the SF 295, with the exception of those contracts noted in FAR 4.606(c)(5) which requires that actions, pursuant to other authority, will not be entered in Federal Procurement Data System (e.g., reporting of the information would compromise national security). Those contract actions noted in FAR 4.606(c)(5) will continue to use the Standard Form 295.

II. Annual Reporting Burden

Based on information from eSRS and an estimate of the use of eSRS, an upward adjustment is being made to the number of respondents, but a downward adjustment is being made to the average burden hours for reporting and recordkeeping per response. As a result, a downward adjustment is being made to the estimated annual reporting burden since the notice regarding an extension to this clearance published in the Federal Register at 75 FR 9603, on March 3, 2010.

Respondents: 129,009.

Responses per Respondent: 1.

Total Responses: 129,009.

Average Burden Hours per Response: 9.0.

Total Burden Hours: 1,161,081.

Obtaining Copies of Proposals: Requesters may obtain a copy of the information collection documents from the General Services Administration, Regulatory Secretariat (MVCB), 1275 First Street NE., Washington, DC 20417, telephone [phone]. Please cite OMB Control Number 9000-0007, Summary Subcontract Report, in all correspondence.

Dated: November 8, 2012.

William Clark,

Acting Director, Federal Acquisition Policy Division, Office of Governmentwide Acquisition Policy, Office of Acquisition Policy, Office of Governmentwide Policy.