2024-06923. Information Collection: US NRC Acquisition Regulation

AGENCY:

Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION:

Renewal of existing information collection; request for comment.

SUMMARY:

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) invites public comment on the renewal of Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval for an existing collection of information. The information collection is entitled, “US NRC Acquisition Regulation.”

DATES:

Submit comments by June 3, 2024. Comments received after this date will be considered if it is practical to do so, but the Commission is able to ensure consideration only for comments received on or before this date.

ADDRESSES:

You may submit comments by any of the following methods; however, the NRC encourages electronic comment submission through the Federal Rulemaking Website:

• Federal Rulemaking Website: Go to https://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2023-0199. Address questions about Docket IDs in Regulations.gov to Stacy Schumann; telephone: [phone]; email: [e-mail]. For technical questions, contact the individual listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of this document.

• Mail comments to: David Cullison, Office of the Chief Information Officer, Mail Stop: T-6 A10M, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001.

For additional direction on obtaining information and submitting comments, see “Obtaining Information and Submitting Comments” in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this document.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

David Cullison, Office of the Chief Information Officer, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001; telephone: [phone]; email: [e-mail].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Obtaining Information and Submitting Comments

A. Obtaining Information

Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2023-0199 when contacting the NRC about the availability of information for this action. You may obtain publicly available information related to this action by any of the following methods:

• Federal Rulemaking Website: Go to https://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2023-0199. A copy of the collection of information and related instructions may be obtained without charge by accessing Docket ID NRC-2023-0199 on this website.

• NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS): You may obtain publicly available documents online in the ADAMS Public Documents collection at https://www.nrc.gov/​reading-rm/​adams.html. To begin the search, select “Begin Web-based ADAMS Search.” For problems with ADAMS, please contact the NRC's Public Document Room (PDR) reference staff at 1-800-397-4209, at 301-415-4737, or by email to [e-mail]. The supporting statement and burden spreadsheet are available in ADAMS under Accession Nos. ML24061A106 and ML24061A108.

• NRC's PDR: The PDR, where you may examine and order copies of publicly available documents, is open by appointment. To make an appointment to visit the PDR, please send an email to [e-mail] or call 1-800-397-4209 or 301-415-4737, between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. eastern time (ET), Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.

• NRC's Clearance Officer: A copy of the collection of information and related instructions may be obtained without charge by contacting the NRC's Clearance Officer, David Cullison, Office of the Chief Information Officer, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001; telephone: [phone]; email: [e-mail].

B. Submitting Comments

The NRC encourages electronic comment submission through the Federal Rulemaking Website ( https://www.regulations.gov). Please include Docket ID NRC-2023-0199, in your comment submission.

The NRC cautions you not to include identifying or contact information in comment submissions that you do not want to be publicly disclosed in your comment submission. All comment submissions are posted at https://www.regulations.gov and entered into ADAMS. Comment submissions are not routinely edited to remove identifying or contact information.

If you are requesting or aggregating comments from other persons for submission to the NRC, then you should inform those persons not to include identifying or contact information that they do not want to be publicly disclosed in their comment submission. Your request should state that comment submissions are not routinely edited to remove such information before making the comment submissions available to the public or entering the comment into ADAMS.

II. Background

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35), the NRC is requesting public comment on its intention to request the OMB's approval for the information collection summarized below.

1. The title of the information collection: US NRC Acquisition Regulation.

2. OMB approval number: 3150-0169.

3. Type of submission: Extension.

4. The form number, if applicable: Not applicable.

5. How often the collection is required or requested: Monthly, once (at time of award), and on occasion (when changes occur).

6. Who will be required or asked to respond: Contractors and bidders.

7. The estimated number of annual responses: 6,258 (6,112 reporting responses + 146 recordkeepers).

8. The estimated number of annual respondents: 428.

9. The estimated number of hours needed annually to comply with the information collection requirement or request: 17,412 (14,834 reporting + 2,578 recordkeeping).

10. Abstract: The mandatory requirements of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission Acquisition Regulation (NRCAR) implement and supplement the government-wide Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and ensure that the regulations governing the procurement of goods and services with the NRC satisfy the needs of the agency. This includes reports and recordkeeping requirements for certain contractors or offerors to submit a monthly progress report that summarizes work performed during the previous month, and/or retain records of equipment, payroll, inspection and quality control records, as applicable. Because of differing statutory authorities among Federal agencies, the FAR permits agencies to issue a regulation to implement FAR policies and procedures internally to satisfy the specific need of the agency. The NRCAR includes policies, procedures, solicitation provisions and contract clauses needed to ensure effective and efficient evaluation, negotiation, and administration of agency acquisitions. Certain reports, such as reports of contractor organizational conflicts of interest or changes in key personnel are collected from contractors on as needed basis as changes occur whether at the time award or throughout the life of the contract. Some reports are required to be submitted monthly such as the Financial Status report and Technical Progress Report. There are also some reports that bidders are required to submit upon request, such as responses to pre-award questions that demonstrate their ability to meet minimum standards set forth in the Federal Acquisition Regulations.

III. Specific Requests for Comments

The NRC is seeking comments that address the following questions:

1. Is the proposed collection of information necessary for the NRC to properly perform its functions? Does the information have practical utility? Please explain your answer.

2. Is the estimate of the burden of the information collection accurate? Please explain your answer.

3. Is there a way to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected?

4. How can the burden of the information collection on respondents be minimized, including the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology?

Dated: March 28, 2024.

For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

David Cullison,

NRC Clearance Officer, Office of the Chief Information Officer.