[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 75 (Friday, April 18, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Page 19247]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-9537]



[[Page 19247]]

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SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION


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 Overhead 
Fiber Optic Groundwire and Ancillary Hardware Components.

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SUMMARY: The U. S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is considering 
granting a waiver of the Nonmanufacturer Rule for Overhead Fiber Optic 
Groundwire and Ancillary Hardware Components. 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 8(a) Program. The purpose of this 
notice is to solicit comments and potential source information from 
interested parties.

DATES: Comments and sources must be submitted on or before April 28, 
2003.
    Address comments to: Edith Butler, Program Analyst, U.S. Small 
Business Administration, 409 3rd Street, SW., Washington DC, 20416, 
Tel: (202) 619-0422.

FOR FUTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Edith Butler, Program Analyst, (202) 
619-0422 FAX (202) 205-7280.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Public Law 100-656, enacted on November 15, 
1988, incorporated into the Small Business Act the previously existing 
regulation that recipients of Federal contracts set aside for small 
businesses or SBA 8(a) Program procurement must provide the product of 
a small business manufacturer or processor, if the recipient is other 
than the actual manufacturer or processor. 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 303(h) of the 
law provides for waiver of this requirement by SBA for any ``class of 
products'' for which there are no small business manufacturers or 
processors in the Federal market.
    To be considered available to participate in the Federal market on 
these classes 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 U.S. Small Business Administration is currently processing a 
request to waive the Nonmanufacturer Rule for Overhead Fiber Optic 
Groundwire, NAICS 335921 and Ancillary Hardware Components, NAICS 
334417. The public is invited to comment or provide source information 
to SBA on the proposed waiver of the nonmanufacturer rule for this 
NAICS code.

Linda G. Williams,
Associate Administrator for Government Contracting.
[FR Doc. 03-9537 Filed 4-17-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8025-01-P