04-17436. Small Business Size Standards: Waiver of the Nonmanufacturer Rule

AGENCY:

U.S. Small Business Administration.

ACTION:

Notice of intent to waive the Nonmanufacturer Rule for Sporting and Athletic Goods Manufacturing.

SUMMARY:

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is considering granting a waiver of the Nonmanufacturer Rule for Sporting and Athletic Goods Manufacturing. The basis for waivers is that no small business manufacturers are supplying these classes of products to the Federal government. The effect of a waiver would be to allow otherwise qualified regular dealers to supply the products of any domestic manufacturer on a Federal contract set aside for small businesses or awarded through the SBA's 8(a) Business Development Program.

DATES:

Comments and sources must be submitted on or before August 13, 2004.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Edith Butler, Program Analyst, by telephone at [phone]; by FAX at [phone]; or by e-mail at [e-mail].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Section 8(a)(17) of the Small Business Act, (Act)15 U.S.C. 637(a)(17), requires that recipients of Federal contracts set aside for small businesses or SBA's 8(a) Business Development Program provide the product of a small business manufacturer or processor, if the recipient is other than the actual manufacturer or processor of the product. This requirement is commonly referred to as the Nonmanufacturer Rule. The SBA regulations imposing this requirement are found at 13 CFR 121.406(b). Section 8(a)(17)(b)(iv) of the Act authorizes SBA to waive the Nonmanufacturer Rule for any “class of products” for which there are no small business manufacturers or processors available to participate in the Federal market.

As implemented in SBA's regulations at 13 CFR 121.1204, in order to be considered available to participate in the Federal market for a class of products, a small business manufacturer must have submitted a proposal for a contract solicitation or received a contract from the Federal government within the last 24 months. The SBA defines “class of products” based on six digit coding systems. The first coding system is the Office of Management and Budget North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). The second is the Product and Service Code established by the Federal Procurement Data System.

The SBA received a request on June 29, 2004 to waive the Nonmanufacturer Rule for Sporting and Athletic Goods Manufacturing. In response, SBA is currently processing a request to waive the Nonmanufacturer Rule for Sporting and Athletic Goods Manufacturing, North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) 339920. The public is invited to comment or provide source information to SBA on the proposed waiver of the nonmanufacturer rule for this NAICS code.

Authority: 15 U.S.C. 637(a)(17).

Dated: July 22, 2004.

Barry S. Meltz,

Acting Associate Administrator for Government Contracting.