2018-15523. Submission for OMB Review; Combating Trafficking in Persons

AGENCY:

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

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

Under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act, the Regulatory Secretariat Division (MVCB) will be submitting to the Office of Management and Budget a request and an extension of existing OMB Clearances concerning combating trafficking in persons.

DATES:

Submit comments on or before August 20, 2018.

ADDRESSES:

Submit comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden to: Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs of OMB, Attention: Desk Officer for GSA, Room 10236, NEOB, Washington, DC 20503. Additionally submit a copy to GSA 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 9000-0188. Select the link “Comment Now” that corresponds with “Information Collection 9000-0188, Combating Trafficking in Persons.” Follow the instructions provided on the screen. Please include your name, company name (if any), and “Information Collection 9000-0188, Combating Trafficking in Persons,” on your attached document.
• Mail: General Services Administration, Regulatory Secretariat Division (MVCB), 1800 F Street NW, Washington, DC 20405. ATTN: Ms. Mandell/IC 9000-0188, Combating Trafficking in Persons.

Instructions: Please submit comments only and cite Information Collection 9000-0188, Combating Trafficking in Persons, in all correspondence related to this collection. Comments received generally will be posted without change to regulations.gov, including any personal and/or business confidential information provided. To confirm receipt of your comment(s), please check regulations.gov, approximately two-to-three business days after submission to verify posting (except allow 30 days for posting of comments submitted by mail).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Ms. Cecelia L. Davis, Procurement Analyst, Acquistion Policy Division, via telephone [phone], or via email [e-mail].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

A. Purpose

This is a requirement for a revision and renewal of OMB control number 9000-0188, Combating Trafficking in Persons.

Executive Order (E.O.) 13627, entitled Strengthening Protections Against Trafficking in Persons in Federal Contracts, dated September 25, 2012 (77 FR 60029, October 2, 2012) and Title XVII of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013 (Pub. L. 112-239, enacted January 2, 2013) strengthen the long standing zero-tolerance policy of the United States regarding Government employees and contractor personnel engaging in any form of trafficking in persons.

Contractors are required to inform the contracting officer and the agency Inspector General of any credible information it receives from any source that alleges a contractor employee, subcontractor, or subcontractor employee, or their agent has engaged in conduct that violates the policy in paragraph (b) of the clause 52.222-50. This requirement flows down to all subcontractors.

Additional protections are required where the estimated value of the supplies (other than commercially available off-the-shelf (COTS) items) to be acquired outside the United States or the services to be performed, outside the United States has an estimated value that exceeds $500,000. These protections include the following: (a) The contractor is required to implement and maintain a compliance plan during the performance of the contract that includes an awareness program, a process for employees to report activity inconsistent with the zero-tolerance policy, a recruitment and wage plan, a housing plan, and procedures to prevent subcontractors from engaging in trafficking in persons; and (b) The contractor is required to submit a certification to the contracting officer prior to receiving an award, and annually thereafter, asserting that it has the required compliance plan in place and that there have been no abuses, or that appropriate actions have been taken if abuses have been found. The compliance plan must be provided to the contracting officer upon request, and relevant portions of it must be posted at the workplace and on the contractor's website. Additionally, contractors are required to flow these requirements down to any subcontracts where the estimated value of the supplies acquired or the services required to be performed outside the United States exceeds $500,000.

B. Annual Reporting Burden

Title, Associated Form, and OMB Number: Ending Trafficking in Persons, FAR 22.1705 and FAR 52.222-50 and 52.222-56; OMB Control Number 9000-0188.

Adjustment: This information collection is revised to include appropriate burden hours for reporting that was initially published in FAR Case 2013-001 (78 FR 59317 and 80 FR 4967) for FAR clause 52.222-50, Combating Trafficking in Persons, and provision 52.222-56, Certification Regarding Trafficing in Persons Compliance Plan. The full burden associated with this FAR Case was inadvertently omitted in the Paperwork Reduction Act notice published on August 20, 2014 (78 FR 59317). The following represents current burdens associated with the FAR clause and provision that were published in the proposed and final rules.

Affected Public: Businesses and other for-profit entities.

Respondent's Obligation: Required to obtain or retain benefits.

Type of Request: Revision of a currently approved collection.

Reporting Frequency: On occasion.

Respondents: 5,909.

Responses per Respondent: 3.

Annual Responses: 17,727.

Hours per Response: 12.

Total Burden Hours: 212,724.

C. Public Comment

A notice was published in the Federal Register at 83 FR 12950, on March 26, 2018. No comments were received.

Obtaining Copies of Proposals: Requesters may obtain a copy of the information collection documents from the General Services Administration, Regulatory Secretariat Division (MVCB), 1800 F Street NW, Washington, DC 20405, telephone [phone]. Please cite OMB Control No. 9000-0188, Combating Trafficking in Persons, in all correspondence.

Dated: July 17, 2018.

William Clark,

Director, Office of Governmentwide Acquisition Policy, Office of Acquisition Policy, Office of Governmentwide Policy.