Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 167 / Thursday, August 28, 2014 / Proposed Rules 51293 

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 

Defense Acquisition Regulations 

System 

48 CFR Part 252 

RIN 0750–AI25 

Defense Federal Acquisition 

Regulation Supplement: Electronic 

Submission of Technical Reports 

(DFARS Case 2014–D001) 

AGENCY: Defense Acquisition 

Regulations System, Department of 

Defense (DoD). 

ACTION: Proposed rule. 

SUMMARY: DoD is proposing to amend 

the Defense Federal Acquisition 

Regulation Supplement (DFARS) to 

require scientific and technical reports 

be submitted in electronic format. 

DATES: Comment date: Comments on the 

proposed rule should be submitted in 

writing to the address shown below on 

or before October 27, 2014, to be 

considered in the formation of a final 

rule. 

ADDRESSES: Submit comments 

identified by DFARS Case 2014–D001, 

using any of the following methods: 

Æ Regulations.gov: http://

www.regulations.gov. Submit comments 

via the Federal eRulemaking portal by 

entering ‘‘DFARS Case 2014–D001’’ 

under the heading ‘‘Enter keyword or 

ID’’ and selecting ‘‘Search.’’ Select the 

link ‘‘Submit a Comment’’ that 

corresponds with ‘‘DFARS Case 2014– 

D001.’’ Follow the instructions provided 

at the ‘‘Submit a Comment’’ screen. 

Please include your name, company 

name (if any), and ‘‘DFARS Case 2014– 

D001’’ on your attached document. 

Æ Email: osd.dfars@osd.mil. Include 

DFARS Case 2014–D001 in the subject 

line of the message. 

Æ Fax: 571–372–6094. 

Æ Mail: Defense Acquisition 

Regulations System, Attn: Ms. Veronica 

Fallon, OUSD (AT&L) DPAP/DARS, 

Room 3B941, 3060 Defense Pentagon, 

Washington, DC 20301–3060. 

Comments received generally will be 

posted without change to http://

www.regulations.gov, including any 

personal information provided. To 

confirm receipt of your comment(s), 

please check www.regulations.gov, 

approximately two to three days after 

submission to verify posting (except 

allow 30 days for posting of comments 

submitted by mail). 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Veronica Fallon, Defense Acquisition 

Regulations System, OUSD (AT&L) 

DPAP/DARS, Room 3B941, 3060 

Defense Pentagon, Washington, DC 

20301–3060. Telephone 571–372–6098. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background 

DoD is proposing to revise the DFARS 

to implement a policy that requires 

submission of scientific and technical 

reports in electronic media. Reports 

would be submitted online to the 

Defense Technical Information Center. 

II. Discussion and Analysis 

This proposed rule will revise DFARS 

clause 252.235–7011, Final Scientific or 

Technical Report, by requiring the 

contractor to submit an electronic copy 

of the approved final scientific or 

technical report. This change will lend 

efficiency to the submission process by 

no longer requiring the electronically 

initiated report to be printed for 

submission. It will also allow the report 

to be submitted in the same format as it 

was created. 

III. Executive Orders 12866 and 13563 

Executive Orders (E.O.s) 12866 and 

13563 direct agencies to assess all costs 

and benefits of available regulatory 

alternatives and, if regulation is 

necessary, to select regulatory 

approaches that maximize net benefits 

(including potential economic, 

environmental, public health and safety 

effects, distributive impacts, and 

equity). E.O. 13563 emphasizes the 

importance of quantifying both costs 

and benefits, of reducing costs, of 

harmonizing rules, and of promoting 

flexibility. This is not a significant 

regulatory action and, therefore, was not 

subject to review under section 6(b) of 

E.O. 12866, Regulatory Planning and 

Review, dated September 30, 1993. This 

rule is not a major rule under 5 U.S.C. 

804. 

IV. Regulatory Flexibility Act 

DoD does not expect this proposed 

rule to have a significant economic 

impact on a substantial number of small 

entities within the meaning of the 

Regulatory Flexibility Act, 5 U.S.C. 601, 

et seq., because the rule is merely 

updating the means of submitting an 

existing requirement to the Government. 

However, an initial regulatory flexibility 

analysis has been performed and is 

summarized as follows: 

This proposed rule is being issued to 

require the submission of final scientific 

or technical reports by electronic means 

in lieu of paper documents. Electronic 

submission of the report is required by 

DoD Instruction 3200.12, DoD Scientific 

and Technical Information Program. 

The proposed rule will revise DFARS 

252.235–7011, Final Scientific or 

Technical Report, by requiring the 

contractor to submit an electronic copy 

of the approved final scientific or 

technical report. This change will lend 

efficiency to the submission process by 

no longer requiring the electronically 

initiated report to be printed for 

submission. It will also allow the report 

to be submitted in the same format as it 

was created, thereby streamlining and 

modernizing the report submission 

process. 

According to the Federal Procurement 

Data System (FPDS), in Fiscal Year 2013 

DoD made approximately 469,593 

contract awards (excluding 

modifications) to small businesses, of 

which approximately 4,143 (less than 

1%) (excluding modifications), were 

awarded as Research, Development, 

Test and Evaluation (RDT&E) contracts. 

It is unknown as to how many of these 

RDT&E contracts required the 

submission of scientific or technical 

reports, since that level of detail is not 

contained in the FPDS data. However, 

DoD does not expect this proposed rule 

to have a significant economic impact 

on a substantial number of small entities 

because it is not revising any report 

submission requirements, it is only 

modernizing the submission process. 

This rule does not duplicate, overlap, 

or conflict with any other Federal rules. 

DoD did not identify any alternatives 

to this rule that would reduce burdens 

on small entities and meet the objective 

of the rule. This rule does not impose 

any new burdens on small entities, and 

since the rule only changes the mode of 

submission of the reports from paper to 

electronic means, this change is 

expected to have only a negligible 

impact. DoD invites comments from 

small business concerns and other 

interested parties on the expected 

impact of this rule on small entities. 

DoD will also consider comments 

from small entities concerning the 

existing regulations in subparts affected 

by this rule in accordance with 5 U.S.C. 

610. Interested parties must submit such 

comments separately and should cite 5 

U.S.C. 610 (DFARS Case 2014–D001), in 

correspondence. 

V. Paperwork Reduction Act 

The Paperwork Reduction Act (44 

U.S.C chapter 35) does apply; however, 

these changes to the DFARS do not 

impose additional information 

collection requirements to the 

paperwork burden previously approved 

under OMB Control Number 0704–0188, 

entitled ASSIST Database, which 

expires on August 31, 2016. 


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51294 Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 167 / Thursday, August 28, 2014 / Proposed Rules 

List of Subjects in 48 CFR Part 252 

Government procurement. 

Manuel Quinones, 

Editor, Defense Acquisition Regulations 

System. 

Therefore, 48 CFR part 252 is 

proposed to be amended as follows: 

PART 252—SOLICITATION 

PROVISIONS AND CONTRACT 

CLAUSES 

■ 1. The authority citation for 48 CFR 

part 252 continues to read as follows: 

Authority: 41 U.S.C. 1303 and 48 CFR 

chapter 1. 

■ 2. Section 252.235.7011 is revised to 

read as follows: 

252.235–7011 Final Scientific or Technical 

Report. 

As prescribed in 235.072(d), use the 

following clause: 

Final Scientific or Technical Report (Date) 

The Contractor shall— 

(a) Submit an electronic copy of the 

approved final scientific or technical report, 

not a summary, delivered under this contract 

to the Defense Technical Information Center 

(DTIC) through the web-based input system 

at http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/submit/ as 

required under DoD Instruction 3200.12. 

Include a completed Standard Form 298, 

Report Documentation Page, in the 

document, or complete the web based SF 

298. 

(b) For instructions on submitting multimedia reports, follow the instructions at 

http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/submit. 

(c) Email classified reports (up to Secret) to 

TR@DTIC.SMIL.MIL. If a SIPRNET email 

capability is not available, follow the 

classified submission instructions at http://

www.dtic.mil/dtic/submit/. 

(End of clause) 

[FR Doc. 2014–20526 Filed 8–27–14; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 5001–06–P 


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