[Federal Register: December 5, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 232)]
[Notices]
[Page 72429-72430]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr05de05-39]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION
Proposed Collection of Information; Comment Request--Procurement
of Goods and Services
AGENCY: Consumer Product Safety Commission.
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: As required by the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. Chapter
35), the Consumer Product Safety Commission requests comments on a
proposed extension of approval for a period of three years from the
date of approval of a collection of information associated with the
procurement of goods and services. Forms used by the
[[Page 72430]]
Commission for procurement of goods and services request persons who
quote, propose, or bid on contracts to provide information needed to
evaluate quotes, proposals, and bids in accordance with applicable laws
and regulations.
The Commission will consider all comments received in response to
this notice before requesting extension of approval of this collection
of information from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).
DATES: The Office of the Secretary must receive comments not later than
February 3, 2006.
ADDRESSES: Written comments should be captioned ``Procurement of Goods
and Services; Paperwork Reduction Act,'' and sent by e-mail to
cpsc-os@cpsc.gov. Written comments may also be sent to the Office of the
Secretary by facsimile at (301) 504-0127, or by mail to the Office of
the Secretary, Consumer Product Safety Commission, Washington, DC
20207, or delivered to the Office of the Secretary, Room 502, 4330
East-West Highway, Bethesda, Maryland 20814.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information about the proposed
collection of information call or write Linda L. Glatz, Management and
Program Analyst, Office of Planning and Evaluation, Consumer Product
Safety Commission, Washington, DC 20207; (301) 504-7671.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Commission's procurement of goods and
services is governed by the Federal Property and Administrative
Services Act of 1949, as amended (41 U.S.C. 253 et seq.). That law
requires the Commission to procure goods and services under conditions
most advantageous to the government, considering cost and other
factors.
A. Information Required by Procurement Forms
The Commission requires persons and firms to submit quotations,
proposals, and bids for contracts to provide goods and services on
standardized forms. These forms request information from offerors about
costs or prices of goods and services to be supplied; specifications of
goods and descriptions of services to be delivered; competence of the
offeror to provide the goods or services; and other information about
the offeror such as the size of the firm and whether it is minority
owned. The Commission uses the information provided by offerors to
determine the reasonableness of prices and costs and the responsiveness
of potential contractors to undertake the work involved so that all
bids may be awarded in accordance with Federal procurement laws.
OMB approved the collection of information requirements in the
procurement forms used by the Commission under control number 3041-
0059. OMB's most recent extension of approval will expire on January
31, 2006. The CPSC now proposes to request extension of approval for
the information collection requirements in the forms used for
procurement of goods and services. The Commission plans to use the
Internet and the General Services Administration's (GSA) GSA Advantage
System for delivery order purchasing. The Internet provides small
businesses access to information about the Commission's current needs
for goods and services.
B. Information Collection Burden
During fiscal year 2004, approximately 870 firms spent about 17,658
hours responding to all Requests for Quotations (RFQs), and Requests
for Proposals (RFPs) issued by the Commission. The time required by
vendors to respond ranged from as little as 15 minutes per firm for a
simple telephone, e-mail, fax, or Internet response concerning the
purchase of a standard item or service, to as much as 120 hours per
firm for a complex written offer prepared in response to technically
complex RFQs and RFPs. Based on the number of procurements, details of
actions reported by the Federal Procurement Data System, and the
procurement staff's experience with the sales and technical functions
of various vendors, we believe firms spent an estimated 368 hours
responding to oral, electronic, and written RFQs and RFPs and
approximately 17,290 hours preparing quotes and proposals in response
to more complex RFQs and RFPs.
The cost of preparing a response to an oral, electronic, or written
RFQ or RFP for regular sales staff and high level sales staff with
advanced technical expertise for more complex procurements averaged
$41.03 per hour. The cost of preparing a response to more complicated
and highly complex FRQs or RFPs for high level sales and proposal
response staff with advanced technical expertise and experience
averaged $52.70 per hour. The salary estimates are based on web
research from careerjournal.com, salary.com and monster.com. The
annualized cost to all firms for responding to all RFQs and RFPs issued
by the Commission is estimated to be $926,282.04 (368 hours x $41.03/hr
+ 17,290 hours x $52.70/hr = $926,282.04).
The total cost to the government for all collections of information
by the Commission related to procurement of goods and services is
estimated to be about $830,447 a year. This estimate was made by
reviewing the Commission's procurement activities in fiscal year 2004.
C. Request for Comments
The Commission solicits written comments from all interested
persons about the proposed collection of information. The Commission
specifically solicits information relevant to the following topics:
--Whether the collection of information described above is necessary
for the proper performance of the Commission's functions, including
whether the information would have practical utility;
--Whether the estimated burden of the proposed collection of
information is accurate;
--Whether the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be
collected could be enhanced; and
--Whether the burden imposed by the collection of information could be
minimized by use of automated, electronic or other technological
collection techniques, or other forms of information technology.
Dated: November 29, 2005.
Todd A. Stevenson,
Secretary, Consumer Product Safety Commission.
[FR Doc. E5-6801 Filed 12-2-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6355-01-P