37118 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 114 / Tuesday, June 13, 2000 / Notices

Docket Number: 00–014. Applicant:

Washington University, Department of

Anesthesiology Research Unit, 660 S.

Euclid, Campus Box 8054, St. Louis,

MO 63110. Instrument: XY Shifting

Table, Model 240 with Accessories.

Manufacturer: Luigs and Neuman,

Germany. Intended Use: The instrument

is intended to be used to search neurons

and synapses to determine the electrical

properties of a synapse in the auditory

system in the rat. Application accepted

by Commissioner of Customs: May 15,

2000.

Docket Number: 00–015. Applicant:

University of California, San Diego,

Department of Neurosciences, 9500

Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093–0608.

Instrument: Electron Microscope, Model

JEM–3100. Manufacturer: JEOL Ltd.,

Japan. Intended Use: The instrument is

intended to be used for electron

microscopic studies of cells and tissues

from a variety of biological specimens

used in biomedical and basic biology

experiments. Specifically, the

instrument will be used to determine 3D

structure of cells and tissues in

relatively thick sections using the

technique of energy filtering microscopy

and electron tomography. In addition,

the instrument will be used for

educational purposes in the course

‘‘Introduction to Light and Electron

Microscopy.’’ Application accepted by

Commissioner of Customs: March 19,

2000.

Frank W. Creel,

Director, Statutory Import Programs Staff.

[FR Doc. 00–14894 Filed 6–12–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–DS–P

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

[Docket No. 000531162–0168–02; I.D.

040400B]

RIN 0648–AN49

New England Fishery Management

Council; Notice and Request for Sea

Scallop Research Proposals

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of solicitation for

applications.

SUMMARY: NMFS issues this document

to describe how you, the researcher,

may be selected to perform sea scallop

research projects funded by a 1-percent

set aside of the scallop total allowable

catch (TAC) under Framework

Adjustment 13 to the New England

Fishery Management Council’s

(Council’s) Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery

Management Plan (FMP) and

Framework Adjustment 34 to the

Council’s Northeast Multispecies FMP

(Frameworks 13/34) and how NOAA

and the Council will determine whether

to select your proposal. Framework 13/

34 proposes to allow scallop vessels

temporary access to the groundfish

closed areas on Georges Bank and

Nantucket Shoals to harvest sea scallops

and will allow selected vessels to land

scallops in excess of the trip limit or

take additional trips and use the

proceeds of the catch or additional trips

to offset the costs of the research

proposals submitted in response to this

notification. Pending approval by

NOAA, certain scallop vessels during

the 2000 scallop fishing year will be

allowed in Closed Area II, the Nantucket

Lightship Area, and Closed Area I for

periods of time to be specified in the

final rule implementing the framework

action. Frameworks 13 and 34, if

approved by NOAA, would allow for

three trips per vessel in Closed Area II,

one trip per vessel in the Nantucket

Lightship Area, and two trips per vessel

in Closed Area I, unless modified by

action taken by the Regional

Administrator, Northeast Region, NMFS

(Regional Administrator).

In anticipation of final approval of

these framework adjustments, NOAA, in

cooperation with the Council, is

soliciting proposals for sea scallop

research activities. Vessels participating

in an approved project and fishing in

the closed areas would be authorized by

the Regional Administrator to take

additional trips into the closed areas

and/or to land scallops in excess of the

10,000-lb (4,536-kg) trip limit allowed

for all closed area trips.

DATES: All research proposals to be

conducted with TAC set aside funds

from Closed Area II must be received

between June 13, 2000 and no later than

5:00 p.m., local time, on June 28, 2000,

in the office listed in the ADDRESSES

section of this document. Postmarks

will not be sufficient. Facsimile

applications will not be accepted.

For further information related to the

timeframe for review and selection of

proposals to be conducted with TAC set

aside funds from Closed Area II and for

information related to the TAC set aside

for research proposals for Closed Area I

and the Nantucket Lightship Closed

Area, see Section A, Background, under

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION of this

document.

ADDRESSES: Proposals must be

submitted to Patricia A. Kurkul,

Regional Administrator, NMFS,

Northeast Regional Office, 1 Blackburn

Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930. Marked

‘‘Attention—Sea Scallop Research

Proposals.’’

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Patricia M. Fiorelli, New England

Fishery Management Council, (978)

465–0492 or David Gouveia, National

Marine Fisheries Service, (978) 281–

9280.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

A. Background

All research proposals to be

conducted with TAC set aside funds

from Closed Area II must be received

during the period identified in the

DATES section of this document. Prior

to selection, applications may be

reviewed and evaluated by the Council

at the request of NOAA and become

subject to public review as part of an

open public comment process at the

Council meeting. If it is determined that

the Council should evaluate the

proposals in a public meeting, the

Council anticipates that the review will

occur on or about June 30, 2000.

Subsequently, the Council will provide

its recommendations to NOAA no later

than July 7, 2000. Researchers may

submit proposals for sea scallop

research to be conducted with TAC setaside funds from the Nantucket

Lightship Closed Area and Closed Area

I during the June 13, 2000 to June 28,

2000 submission period; however, a

second Request for Proposal will be

published in the Federal Register

concerning the harvest of research set

aside scallops from these areas at a later

date. All proposals received for TAC setaside funds from the Nantucket

Lightship Closed Area and Closed Area

I will be kept on file and reviewed

against other proposals received as a

result of a future notice. Researchers

may amend proposals submitted under

this notice for TAC set-aside funds from

the Nantucket Lightship Closed Area

and Closed Area I during the request for

proposal period specified in a future

notice.

The TAC set-aside for sea scallop

research would total 191,000 lb

(86,637.6 kg) of scallops and have an

estimated value of $955,000. The TAC

for the sea scallop research by area

would be as follows: Closed Area II,

66,000 lb (29,937.6 kg); the Nantucket

Lightship Area, 55,000 lb (24,948 kg);

and Closed Area I, 70,000 lb (31,752 kg).

B. Authority

Issuing grants is consistent with

§§ 402(e), 303(b)(11), 304(e), and 404(c)

Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 114 / Tuesday, June 13, 2000 / Notices 37119

of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery

Conservation and Management Act.

C. Catalog of Federal Domestic

Assistance (CFDA)

11.454, Unallied Management Projects

D. Funding Instrument and Project

Period

We will award a grant through the

NOAA grant award process to

successful applicants. The project

period for sea scallop research is June

15, 2000, through June 15, 2001.

E. Funding Availability

No Federal funds are provided for sea

scallop research under this notification.

The Federal Government’s contribution

to the project will be a Letter of

Authorization that will provide special

fishing privileges in response to sea

scallop research proposals selected to

participate in this program. The Federal

Government shall not be liable for any

costs incurred in the conduct of the

project. The funds generated from the

additional landings authorized in the

Letter of Authorization shall be used to

cover the cost of the sea scallop

research, including vessel costs, and to

compensate vessel owners for expenses

incurred. Therefore, the owner of each

fishing vessel selected to land scallops

in excess of the trip limit or from

additional authorized trips must use the

proceeds of the sale of the excess catch

to compensate the researcher for costs

associated with the research activities

and use of the vessel. Any additional

funds above the cost of the research

activities (or excess program income)

shall be retained by the vessel owner as

compensation for the use of his/her

vessel.

F. Scope of Sea Scallop Research

Projects funded under the sea scallop

TAC set aside program should enhance

understanding of the scallop resource or

contribute to the body of information on

which management decisions are made.

Sea scallop research may be conducted

in or outside of a closed area, within or

outside of the Sea Scallop Exemption

Program timeframe, and onboard a

fishing or other type of vessel. Sea

scallop research conducted with these

TAC set-aside funds also may or may

not involve the harvest of scallops.

Funds generated from the set-aside

landings shall be used to cover the cost

of the research activities, including

vessel costs, and to compensate boats

for expenses incurred during the

collection of set-aside scallops. For

example, they could be used to pay for

gear modifications, monitoring

equipment, additional provisions (e.g.,

fuel, ice, food for scientists) or the

salaries of research personnel. The

Federal Government is not liable for any

costs incurred by the researcher or

vessel owner should the sale of the

excess catch not fully reimburse the

researcher or vessel owner for their

expenses.

G. Eligibility Criteria

All for-profit and non-profit

institutions; state, local or tribal

governments; educational institutions;

institutions of higher education; and

individuals are eligible to apply

provided that all proposal requirements

are satisfied and the proposal is

received by the date specified in this

notice.

Pursuant to Executive Orders 12876,

12900, and 13021, the Department of

Commerce, National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (DOC/

NOAA) is strongly committed to

broadening the participation of

Historically Black Colleges and

Universities, Hispanic Serving

Institutions and Tribal Colleges and

Universities in its educational and

research programs. The DOC/NOAA

vision, mission and goals are to achieve

full participation by Minority Serving

Institutions (MSIs) in order to advance

the development of human potential, to

strengthen the nation’s capacity to

provide high-quality education, and to

increase opportunities for MSIs to

participate in, and benefit from, Federal

Financial Assistance programs. DOC/

NOAA encourages all applicants to

include meaningful participation of

MSIs.

H. Proposal Requirements

Proposals must be submitted to

NOAA and must identify the sea scallop

research to be conducted and the total

amount of scallops requested for the

project, including their approximate

cash value. Additionally, each proposal

must identify the requirements for the

participating vessel(s) that would make

a closed area trip to collect the scallop

set aside. The vessel selected by the

applicant should be listed in the

proposal, if possible, or specifically

identified prior to final approval by

NOAA. Proposals may request that the

scallop set-aside be collected separately

from the sea scallop research trip or

other related research trip. The separate

sea scallop research compensation trips

do not necessarily have to be conducted

by the same vessel. The Council or

NMFS contact person may provide

assistance to researchers who are

seeking vessels to participate in the

collection of set aside scallops or

directly in research projects. The

Council or NMFS may publish a list of

those vessel owners willing to

participate through their respective

homepages.

The researcher’s proposal must state

the amount of funds required to support

the research project, as well as the

amount required to compensate the

vessel owner either for the collection of

set aside scallops or for participation in

the research project, or both. The

proposal must also include the

agreement between the vessel owner

and researcher that shows exactly how

the research activity is to be paid for, if

possible, or provided prior to final

approval by NOAA.

I. Project Evaluation and Approval

As stated earlier, applications may be

reviewed and evaluated by the Council

at the request of NOAA and become

subject to public review as part of an

open public comment process at the

Council meeting. In the event that an

application contains information or data

which the applicant does not want

disclosed prior to award for purposes

other than the evaluation of the

application, the applicant should mark

each page containing such information

or data with the words

‘‘Privileged Information/Confidential/

Commercial or Financial Information—

Limited Use’’ at the top of the page to

assist NOAA in making disclosure

determinations when submitting

information to the Council for review.

DOC regulations implementing the

Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) are

found at 15 CFR Part 4, ‘‘Public

Information,’’ which sets forth rules for

DOC to make requested materials,

information, and records publicly

available under the FOIA. To the extent

permitted under the FOIA, the contents

of applications and proposals submitted

by successful applicants may be

released in response to FOIA requests.

J. Project Funding Priorities

Sea scallop research projects that

identify and evaluate gear to reduce

groundfish bycatch and habitat impacts

and that provide improved information

concerning scallop abundance estimates

are considered high priority by the

Council. Sea scallop research that

involves evaluating the distribution,

size composition, and density of

scallops in the closed areas prior to the

open periods also will be considered

high priority. Other research needs are

described in this section (not listed in

order of priority) and also will be

considered by the Council and NOAA.

1. Evaluation of ways to control

predation on scallops;

37120 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 114 / Tuesday, June 13, 2000 / Notices

2. Sea scallop research to actively

manage spat collection and seeding;

3. Social and economic impacts and

consequences of closing areas to

enhance productivity and improve yield

for scallops and other species;

4. High resolution surveys that

include distribution, recruitment,

mortality and growth rate information;

5. Estimation of factors affecting

fishing power for each limited access

vessel;

6. Demonstration projects to identify

ways to reduce discard mortality,

increase efficiency without increasing

fishing power (e.g., decreasing

processing time with sorters) and

improve safety;

7. Sea scallop research to identify

scallop habitat and ecological

relationships that affect reproduction,

recruitment mortality and growth,

including those enhanced/impeded by

area closures;

8. Quantification of fishing costs

related to fishing in specific areas (e.g.,

fishing gear modification, steaming

time, and opportunity cost);

9. Experimental designs with control

areas using alternative management

strategies, such as area licensing and

rotational closures (projects should

include an analysis of yield

improvement, habitat impacts and

social impacts, including conflict

resolution across fisheries);

10. Identification of fishermen’s

perceptions about area-based

management and alternative strategies;

11. Processing and analyzing of data

that will be collected or that have

already been collected;

12. Broader investigations of

variability in dredging efficiency across

habitats (substrates, current velocities,

etc.) times, areas, and gear designs; and

13. Sea scallop research that provides

more detailed scallop life history

information (especially on age-and-area

specific natural mortality and growth)

and to identify stock-recruitment

relationships.

K. Evaluation Criteria

Independent technical experts may be

asked to participate in the evaluation

process. Proposals will be evaluated

based on the assigned score for each of

the following criteria:

1. A clear definition of the problem,

need, issue or hypothesis to be

addressed (10 points);

2. A clear definition of the approach

to be used, including theoretical studies,

laboratory analyses, and/or field work

(15 points);

3. Adequate justification as to how the

project is likely to achieve its stated

objectives (20 points);

4. Identification of anticipated

benefits, potential users and methods of

disseminating results (10 points);

5. Relevance of the project to the

research needs identified by the Council

(20 points);

6. Demonstration of support,

cooperation and/or collaboration with

the fishing industry (15 points); and

7. Cost-effectiveness of the project (10

points).

L. Selection Procedures

If the Council participates in the

selection process, the Council’s

Research Steering Committee will

evaluate each research proposal based

on the criteria identified in this

notification and make recommendations

for selection to the Council. The Council

will then make its recommendations to

the Regional Administrator based on the

Research Steering Committee

recommendations. NOAA must then

consider the Council’s

recommendations, provide final

approval of the projects and authorize

selected vessel(s) to exceed the

possession limit, take additional trips or

be exempt from other regulations

specified in the Sea Scallop FMP

through written notification to the

applicant. Because NOAA will take into

account program policy factors such as

time of year the research activities are

to be conducted, administrative

functions including evaluations of

proposals through the Experimental

Fishery Procedures contained in 50 CFR

600.745 and 648.12, and logistic

concerns, projects may not be selected

in the order recommended by the

Council.

If the Council does not participate in

the evaluation of the proposals, NOAA

will convene a review panel to evaluate

the proposals using the same criteria

and scoring process. Based on the

recommendation of the members of this

panel and program policy factors

identified in this notification, NOAA

would provide final approval and

authorize vessels to participate in the

sea scallop research projects. All sea

scallop research must be conducted in

accordance with provisions approved by

NOAA and provided in a Letter of

Authorization issued by NMFS.

M. Proposal Format

Proposals should be limited to 6

pages, excluding item 5. The format may

vary but must include:

1. A project summary;

2. A narrative project description to

include: (a) Project goals and objectives;

(b) the relationship of the proposed

project to management needs or

priorities identified by the New England

Fishery Management Council; (c) a

statement of work (project design and

management—who is responsible,

expected products, participants other

than applicant); and (d) a summary of

the existing state of knowledge related

to project and contribution and

relevance of the proposed work;

3. A description of all funding sources

(including revenues derived from the

sale of scallops harvested under the

research TAC set aside) and funding

needs; this element of the proposal must

include the amount of scallop TAC set

aside requested and the expected funds

to be generated by the sale of those

scallops; also the expected percentage of

funds to be allocated to the researcher

and any involved fishing vessel;

4. A budget that includes a

breakdown of costs (permit costs,

equipment, supplies, overhead);

applicants must submit a Standard

Form 424 ‘‘Application for Federal

Assistance’’ including a detailed budget

using Standard Form 424A, ‘‘Budget

Information— Non-Construction

Programs,’’ Standard Form 424B,

‘‘Assurances—Non-Construction

Programs,’’ and Commerce Department

Form CD–511, ‘‘Certifications Regarding

Debarment, Suspension and Other

Responsibility Matters: Drug Free

Workplace Requirements and

Lobbying.’’ Copies of these Standard

Forms may be found on the Internet in

a PDF (Portable Document Format)

version at http://www.whitehouse.gov/

OMB/grants/index.html under the title

‘‘Grants Management Forms,’’ or by

contacting the New England Fishery

Management Council office; and

5. Supporting documents (resumes,

cooperative research agreements,

contracts, etc.).

N. Final Reports

NOAA or the Council will require

project researchers to submit an interim

and/or final report describing their

research project results, or other

acceptable deliverable(s), in a timeframe

that is specific to the type of research

conducted. The format of the final

report may vary, but must contain:

1. A brief summary of the final report;

2. A description of the issue/problem

that was addressed;

3. A detailed description of methods

of data collection and analyses;

4. A discussion of results and any

relevant conclusions presented in a

format that is understandable to a nontechnical audience; this should include

benefits and/or contributions to

management decision-making;

5. A list of entities, firms or

organizations that actually performed

Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 114 / Tuesday, June 13, 2000 / Notices 37121

the work and a description of how that

was accomplished; and

6. A detailed final accounting of all

funds used to conduct sea scallop

research, and including those provided

through the research set-aside. The

financial information must be submitted

on Office of Management and Budget

Standard Form-269. Copies of this

Standard Form may be found on the

Internet in a PDF (Portable Document

Format) version at http://

www.whitehouse.gov/OMB/grants/

index.html under the title AGrants

Management Forms,@ or by contacting

the New England Fishery Management

Council office.

O. Other Requirements

Evaluations of the impacts of sea

scallop research, which involve

exemptions to the current fishing

regulations, other than those stated in

Sea Scallop FMP, will be made by

NMFS. Vessels conducting certain types

of sea scallop research requiring relief

from fishery regulations may be

required to obtain an Exempted Fishing

Permit (EFP). To apply for an EFP,

interested parties must submit an

application to NMFS at least 60 days

before the effective date of the EFP.

Additional time could be necessary for

NMFS to make a determination about

the need for an Environmental

Assessment. If required, preparation of

this document may be the responsibility

of the researcher.

P. Other Requirements of Recipients

1. Federal Policies and Procedures

Recipients and subrecipients are

subject to all Federal laws and Federal

and DOC policies, regulations, and

procedures applicable to Federal

financial assistance awards.

2. Past Performance

Unsatisfactory performance under

prior Federal awards may result in a

proposal not being selected.

3. Delinquent Federal Debt

A proposal submitted by an applicant

who has an outstanding delinquent

Federal debt is not eligible for selection

until either:

i. The delinquent account is paid in

full,

ii. A negotiated repayment schedule is

established and at least one payment is

received, or

iii. Other arrangements satisfactory to

DOC are made.

4. Name Check Review

All non-profit and for-profit

applicants are subject to a name check

review process. Name checks are

intended to reveal if any key individuals

associated with the applicant have been

convicted of or are presently facing

criminal charges such as fraud, theft,

perjury, or other matters which

significantly reflect on the applicant’s

management honesty or financial

integrity.

5. Primary Applicant Certifications

All primary applicants must submit a

completed Form CD–511,

‘‘Certifications Regarding Debarment,

Suspension and Other Responsibility

Matters; Drug-Free Workplace

Requirements and Lobbying,’’ and the

following explanations are hereby

provided:

i. Nonprocurement Debarment and

Suspension. Prospective participants (as

defined at 15 CFR 26.105) are subject to

15 CFR part 26, ‘‘Nonprocurement

Debarment and Suspension’’ and the

related section of the certification form

prescribed above applies;

ii. Drug-Free Workplace. Grantees (as

defined at 15 CFR 26.605) are subject to

15 CFR part 26, subpart F,

‘‘Governmentwide Requirements for

Drug-Free Workplace (Grants)’’ and the

related section of the certification form

prescribed above applies;

iii. Anti-Lobbying. Persons (as defined

at 15 CFR 28.105) are subject to the

lobbying provisions of 31 U.S.C. 1352,

‘‘Limitation on use of appropriated

funds to influence certain Federal

contracting and financial transactions,’’

and the lobbying section of the

certification form prescribed above

applies to applications/bids for grants,

cooperative agreements, and contracts

for more than $100,000, and loans and

loan guarantees for more than $150,000;

and

iv. Anti-Lobbying Disclosures. Any

applicant that has paid or will pay for

lobbying using any funds must submit

an SF–LLL, ‘‘Disclosure of Lobbying

Activities,’’ as required under 15 CFR

part 28, appendix B.

6. Lower Tier Certifications

Recipients shall require applicants/

bidders for subgrants, contracts,

subcontracts, or other lower tier covered

transactions at any tier under the award

to submit, if applicable, a completed

Form CD–512, ‘‘Certifications Regarding

Debarment, Suspension, Ineligibility

and Voluntary Exclusion-Lower Tier

Covered Transactions and Lobbying’’

and disclosure form, SF–LLL,

‘‘Disclosure of Lobbying Activities.’’

Form CD–512 is intended for the use of

recipients and should not be transmitted

to DOC. SF–LLL submitted by any tier

recipient or subrecipient should be

submitted to DOC in accordance with

the instructions contained in the award

document.

7. False Statements

A false statement on an application is

grounds for denial or termination of

funds and grounds for possible

punishment by a fine or imprisonment

as provided in 18 U.S.C. 1001.

8. Preaward Activities

If you incur any costs prior to

receiving an award agreement signed by

an authorized NOAA official, you do so

solely at your own risk of these costs not

being included under the award.

Notwithstanding any verbal or written

assurance that you may have received,

preaward costs are not allowed under

the award unless the grants officer

approves them in accordance with 15

CFR 14.28.

9. Future Awards

If we select your application to

perform sea scallop research to be

conducted with the scallop TAC set

aside, we have no obligation to provide

any additional TAC set-aside obligations

in connection with that award.

Classification

Prior notice and opportunity for

public comments are not required by the

Administrative Procedure Act or any

other law for this notice concerning

grants, benefits, and contracts.

Because a general notice of proposed

rulemaking as specified in 5 U.S.C. 533,

or any other law, was not required for

this action, the analytical requirements

of the Regulatory Flexibility Act, 5

U.S.C. 601 et seq., are not applicable.

This document contains collection of

information requirements subject to the

Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA). The

standard application forms have been

approved by the Office of Management

and Budget (OMB) under control

numbers 0348–0043 and 0348–0044.

Notwithstanding any other provision of

law, no person is required to respond to,

nor shall any person be subject to a

penalty for failure to comply with, a

collection of information subject to the

PRA, unless that collection displays a

currently valid OMB control number.

Applications under this program are

subject to Executive Order 12372,

‘‘Intergovernmental Review of Federal

Programs.’’

This action has been determined to be

not significant for purposes of E.O.

12866.

37122 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 114 / Tuesday, June 13, 2000 / Notices

Dated: June 7, 2000.

William Fox,

Acting Assistant Administrator for Fisheries,

National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 00–14856 Filed 6–8–00; 2:59 pm]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–F

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

GENERAL SERVICES

ADMINISTRATION

NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND

SPACE ADMINISTRATION

[OMB Control No. 9000–0132]

Submission for OMB Review;

Comment Request Entitled

Contractors’ Purchasing Systems

Reviews

AGENCIES: Department of Defense (DOD),

General Services Administration (GSA),

and National Aeronautics and Space

Administration (NASA).

ACTION: Notice of request for an

extension to an existing OMB clearance

(9000–0132).

SUMMARY: Under the provisions of the

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44

U.S.C. Chapter 35), the Federal

Acquisition Regulation (FAR)

Secretariat has submitted to the Office

of Management and Budget (OMB) a

request to review and approve an

extension of a currently approved

information collection requirement

concerning Contractors’ Purchasing

Systems Reviews. A request for public

comments was published at 65 FR

17490, April 3, 2000. No comments

were received.

Public comments are particularly

invited on: Whether this collection of

information is necessary for the proper

performance of functions of the FAR,

and whether it will have practical

utility; whether our estimate of the

public burden of this collection of

information is accurate, and based on

valid assumptions and methodology;

ways to enhance the quality, utility, and

clarity of the information to be

collected; and ways in which we can

minimize the burden of the collection of

information on those who are to

respond, through the use of appropriate

technological collection techniques or

other forms of information technology.

DATES: Comments may be submitted on

or before July 13, 2000.

ADDRESSES: Comments, including

suggestions for reducing this burden,

should be submitted to: FAR Desk

Officer, OMB, Room 10102, NEOB,

Washington, DC 20503, and a copy to

the General Services Administration,

FAR Secretariat (MVRS), 1800 F Street,

NW, Room 4035, Washington, DC

20405.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Linda Klein, Office of Federal

Acquisition Policy, GSA (202) 501–

3755.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

A. Purpose

The objective of a contractor

purchasing system review (CPSR), as

discussed in Part 44 of the FAR, is to

evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness

with which the contractor spends

Government funds and complies with

Government policy when

subcontracting. The review provides the

administrative contracting officer a basis

for granting, withholding, or

withdrawing approval of the

contractor’s purchasing system.

B. Annual Reporting Burden

Number of Respondents: 1,580.

Responses Per Respondent: 1.

Total Responses: 1,580.

Average Burden Per Response: 17.

Total Burden Hours: 26,860.

Obtaining Copies of Proposals:

Requester may obtain a copy of the

proposal from the General Services

Administration, FAR Secretariat

(MVRS), 1800 F Street, NW, Room 4035,

Washington, DC 20405, telephone (202)

208–5997. Please cite OMB Control No.

9000–0132, Contractors’ Purchasing

Systems Reviews, in all correspondence.

Dated: June 8, 2000.

Edward C. Loeb,

Director, Federal Acquisition Policy Division.

[FR Doc. 00–14877 Filed 6–12–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6820–34–P

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Navy

Notice of Availability of Inventions for

Licensing; Government-Owned

Inventions

AGENCY: Department of the Navy, DOD.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: The invention listed below is

assigned to the United States

Government as represented by the

Secretary of the Navy and are available

for licensing by the Department of Navy.

U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 09/

563,740 entitled, ‘‘ELECTRONIC

DEVICES WITH DIFFUSION BARRIER

AND PROCESS FOR MAKING SAME,’’

filing date: May 3, 2000, Navy Case No.

82111.

ADDRESSES: Requests for copies of the

patent application cited should be

directed to the Naval Surface Warfare

Center, Dahlgren Laboratory, Code

CD222, 17320 Dahlgren Road, Building

183, Room 015, Dahlgren, VA 22448–

5100, and must include the Navy Case

number. Interested parties will be

required to sign a Confidentiality, NonDisclosure and Non-Use Agreement

before receiving copies of requested

patent applications.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

James B. Bechtel, Patent Counsel, Naval

Surface Warfare Center, Dahlgren

Laboratory, Code CD222, 17320

Dahlgren Road, Building 183, Room

015, Dahlgre, VA 22448–5100,

telephone (540) 653–8016.

Authority: 35 U.S.C. 207, 37 CFR Part 404

Dated: May 31, 2000.

J.L. Roth,

Lieutenant Commander, Judge Advocate

General’s Corps, U.S. Navy, Federal Register

Liaison Officer.

[FR Doc. 00–14811 Filed 6–12–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3810–FF–P

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Notice of Proposed Information

Collection Requests

AGENCY: Department of Education.

SUMMARY: The Leader, Regulatory

Information Management, Office of the

Chief Information Officer, invites

comments on the proposed information

collection requests as required by the

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to

submit comments on or before August

14, 2000.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section

3506 of the Paperwork Reduction Act of

1995 (44 U.S.C. chapter 35) requires that

the Office of Management and Budget

(OMB) provide interested Federal

agencies and the public an early

opportunity to comment on information

collection requests. OMB may amend or

waive the requirement for public

consultation to the extent that public

participation in the approval process

would defeat the purpose of the

information collection, violate State or

Federal law, or substantially interfere

with any agency’s ability to perform its

statutory obligations. The Leader,

Regulatory Information Management,

Office of the Chief Information Officer,

publishes that notice containing

proposed information collection

requests prior to submission of these

requests to OMB. Each proposed

information collection, grouped by