[Federal Register: August 30, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 168)]
[Notices]
[Page 51566-51567]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr30au06-39]
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Notices
Federal Register
________________________________________________________________________
This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules
or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings
and investigations, committee meetings, agency decisions and rulings,
delegations of authority, filing of petitions and applications and agency
statements of organization and functions are examples of documents
appearing in this section.
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[[Page 51566]]
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request
August 24, 2006.
The Department of Agriculture has submitted the following
information collection requirement(s) to OMB for review and clearance
under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13. Comments
regarding (a) Whether the collection of information is necessary for
the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including
whether the information will have practical utility; (b) the accuracy
of the agency's estimate of burden including the validity of the
methodology and assumptions used; (c) ways to enhance the quality,
utility and clarity of the information to be collected; (d) ways to
minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are
to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated,
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or
other forms of information technology should be addressed to: Desk
Officer for Agriculture, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs,
Office of Management and Budget (OMB), OIRA_Submission@OMB.EOP.GOV or
fax (202) 395-5806 and to Departmental Clearance Office, USDA, OCIO,
Mail Stop 7602, Washington, DC 20250-7602. Comments regarding these
information collections are best assured of having their full effect if
received within 30 days of this notification. Copies of the
submission(s) may be obtained by calling (202) 720-8958.
An agency may not conduct or sponsor a collection of information
unless the collection of information displays a currently valid OMB
control number and the agency informs potential persons who are to
respond to the collection of information that such persons are not
required to respond to the collection of information unless it displays
a currently valid OMB control number.
Office of Procurement and Property Management
Title: Procurement: Maximum Workweek--Construction Schedule.
OMB Control Number: 0505-0011.
Summary of Collection: In order to obtain goods or services such as
construction services, the United States Department of Agriculture
(USDA), like other Federal agencies, has established agency contracting
offices to enter into Federal contracts. These offices employ
contracting officers, who solicit bids or offers for work from
businesses in the private sector. When USDA contracts for construction
services, both the contracting officer and the contractor needs to
establish a schedule for the work. The contractor needs to ensure that
his weekly work schedule will not conflict with the time during which
USDA may allow him access to the work site. The contracting officer
needs to know when the contractor will be working in order to schedule
on-site conferences, to perform quality assurance inspections, and to
perform compliance checks required to enforce the Davis Bacon Act (40
U.S.C. 276a-276a-7). Such compliance checks are specifically required
by the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) to conduct employee
interviews, to check the type of work being performed, to verify the
number and pay classification of workers at the site, and to verify
that posters informing workers of their rights are displayed at the
site (FAR 22.406-7(b)). Contracting officers put the Maximum Workweek--
Construction Schedule clause in solicitations and contracts for
construction when the contractor's access to the work site may be
restricted to certain times of the day or week.
Need and Use of the Information: The Office of Procurement and
Property Management (OPPM) will collect information to determine when
government inspectors or representatives will be needed at the site,
and to schedule contractor access to the work site. The information is
not collected unless the contracting officer anticipates problems with
contractor access or scheduling government inspections. If the
information were not collected, contracting offices would be unable to
allocate contract administration resources efficiently.
Description of Respondents: Business or other for-profit.
Number of Respondents: 400.
Frequency of Responses: Reporting: On occasion.
Total Burden Hours: 100.
Office of Procurement and Property Management
Title: Procurement: Instructions for the Preparation of Technical
and Business Proposals.
Omb Control Number: 0505-0013.
Summary of Collection: In order to obtain goods or services, the
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), like other Federal
agencies, has established agency contracting offices to enter into
Federal contracts. These offices employ contracting officers, who use
various methods to award contracts for good or services. One method,
prescribed by Part 15 of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) (48
CFR) is contracting by negotiation. In contracting by negotiation,
contracting officers issue solicitations to request offers for required
products or services from businesses in the private sector. Together
with the solicitation document, the offeror's cost proposal and its
technical and business proposals constitute the offer submitted to the
contracting office for evaluation and acceptance. The technical
proposal, together with the offeror's pricing, is needed to select the
offeror who will be awarded a contract. The Agriculture Acquisition
Regulation (AGAR) (48 CFR ch.4) prescribes the provision titled
Instructions for the Preparation of Technical and Business Proposals
(48 CFR 452.215-71) helps an offeror preparing a proposal to address
the factors on which it will be evaluated.
Need and Use of the Information: The Office of Procurement and
Property Management (OPPM) will collect information to evaluate and
determine the feasibility of the offeror's management, technical
approach, and offered cost/price to provide the services and/or
supplies required, if awarded a contract. If the information were not
collected, OPPM would be unable to obtain goods and services required
for its daily operations.
Description of Respondents: Business or other for-profit; Not-for-
profit institutions; State, Local, or Tribal Government.
[[Page 51567]]
Number of Respondents: 2,100.
Frequency of Responses: Reporting: On occasion.
Total Burden Hours: 67,200.
Office of Procurement and Property Management
Title: Procurement: Brand Name or Equal Provision and Clause.
OMB Control Number: 0505-0014.
Summary of Collection: In order to obtain goods or services, the
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), like other Federal
agencies, has established agency contracting offices to enter into
Federal contracts. The Agriculture Acquisition Regulation (AGAR) (48
CFR ch. 4) and the (48 CFR 411.171), provision (48 CFR 452.211-70), and
a clause (48 452.211-71) permits the use of ``brand name or equal''
purchase descriptions to procure commercial products. Such descriptions
require the offeror on a supply procurement to identify the ``equal''
item being offered and to indicate how that item meets the salient
characteristics stated in the purchase description. The use of brand
name or equal descriptions eliminates the need for bidders or offerors
to read and interpret detailed specifications or purchase descriptions.
Need and Use of the Information: The Office of Procurement and
Property Management (OPPM) will collect information to determine from
the descriptive information furnished whether the offered ``equal''
item meet the salient characteristics of the Government's requirements.
If information were not collected, OPPM would spend more time
developing purchase descriptions and offerors would spend more time
reading and interpreting the purchase descriptions.
Description of Respondents: Business or other for-profit.
Number of Respondents: 26,678.
Frequency of Responses: Reporting: On occasion.
Total Burden Hours: 2,668.
Office of Procurement and Property Management
Title: Procurement: Key Personnel Clause.
OMB Control Number: 0505-0015.
Summary of Collection: In order to obtain goods or services, the
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), like other Federal
agencies, has established agency contracting offices to enter into
Federal contracts. These offices employ contracting officers, who issue
solicitations to request offers (proposals) for required products or
services from businesses in the private sector. When USDA wishes to
acquire research and development services (R&D), information technology
(IT) design or support services, or advisory and assistance services,
it must consider the capabilities of the personnel who the contractor
assigns to the job. The contributions of certain contractor employees
may be critical to the success of the work. Such employees are
designated as ``Key Personnel.'' The Agriculture Acquisition Regulation
(48 CFR ch.4) (48 CFR 437.110) and 48 CFR 452.237-74) prescribes the
Key Personnel clause to collect information about key contractor
personnel. The contracting officer uses the Key Personnel clause to
require the contractor to inform USDA, if a key person will no longer
be available to perform work on the contract. Contractors whose
contracts include the key personnel clause are required to notify the
contracting officer about proposed substitutions for key personnel
identified in the contract.
Need and Use of the Information: The Office of Procurement and
Property Management (OPPM) will collect information to determine
whether the departure of a key person from the contractor's staff could
jeopardize contract performance, and to determine what accommodations
or remedies may be taken. If the OPPM could not obtain information
about departing key personnel, it could not ensure that qualified
personnel continue to perform contract work.
Description of Respondents: Business or other for-profit; Non-for-
profit institutions; State, Local, or Tribal Government.
Number of Respondents: 300.
Frequency of Responses: Reporting: On occasion.
Total Burden Hours: 300.
Office of Procurement and Property Management
Title: Procurement: Progress Reporting Clause.
OMB Control Number: 0505-0016.
Summary of Collection: In order to obtain goods or services, the
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), like other Federal
agencies, has established agency contracting offices to enter into
Federal contracts. These offices employ contracting officers, who
request bids or offers for work from businesses in the private sector
using solicitations. In order to administer contracts for research and
development services (R&D), or for advisory and assistance services
(AAS), contracting officers need information about contractor progress
in performing the contracts. The Agriculture Acquisition Regulation
(AGAR) (48 CFR ch.4) (48 CFR 437.270(a)) and (48 CFR 452.237-76)
prescribe the Progress Reporting Clause to collect information about
contractor progress. Contracting officers include the Progress
Reporting Clause in R&D and AAS contracts to obtain information from
the contractors about their performance.
Need and Use of the Information: The Office of Procurement and
Property Management (OPPM) will collect information to compare actual
progress and expenditures to anticipated performance and contractor
representations on which the award was based. The information alerts
the agency of technical problems; the need for additional staff
resources or finding; and the probability of timely completion within
the contract cost or price. If the contracting officers could not
obtain progress report information, they would have to physically
monitor the contractor's operation on a day to day basis throughout the
performance period.
Description of Respondents: Business or other for-profit; Non-for-
profit institutions; State, Local, or Tribal Government.
Number of Respondents: 300.
Frequency of Responses: Reporting: Quarterly; Monthly.
Total Burden Hours: 5,400.
Ruth Brown,
Departmental Information Collection Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. E6-14367 Filed 8-29-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-96-P