Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 105 /Tuesday, June 2, 1998 / Notices 29977

an extension of a currently approved

information collection requirement

concerning Balance of Payments

Program Certificate.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Paul

Linfield, Office of Federal Acquisition

Policy, GSA (202) 501–1757.

ADDRESSES: Send comments regarding

this burden estimate or any other aspect

of this collection of information,

including suggestions for reducing this

burden, 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 4037, Washington, DC 20405.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

A. Purpose

Under the Balance of Payments

Program, unless specifically exempted

by statute or regulation, the Government

gives preferences to the acquisition of

domestic end products or services,

provided that the cost of the domestic

items is reasonable. The Balance of

Payments Program differs from the Buy

American Act in that it applies to

acquisitions for use outside the United

States.

The contracting officer uses the

information to identify which end

products or services are domestic, and

which are of foreign origin. In order to

be considered domestic, the cost of its

components mined, produced, or

manufactured in the United States must

exceed 50 percent of the cost of all its

components. Services are considered

domestic if 25 percent or less of their

total cost are attributable to performance

occurring outside the United States. The

contracting officer determines

reasonableness of cost by applying an

evaluation factor of 50 percent. If this

procedure results in a tie, the domestic

offer shall be considered successful.

B. Annual Reporting Burden

Public reporting burden for this

collection of information is estimated to

average .167 hours per response,

including the time for reviewing

instructions, searching existing data

sources, gathering and maintaining the

data needed, and completing and

reviewing the collection of information.

The annual reporting burden is

estimated as follows: Respondents,

1,243; responses per respondent, 5; total

annual responses, 6,215; preparation

hours per response, .167; and total

response burden hours, 1,038.

Obtaining Copies of Proposals:

Requester may obtain a copy of the

justification from the General Services

Administration, FAR Secretariat

(MVRS), 1800 F Street, NW, Room 4037,

Washington, DC 20405, telephone (202)

501–4755. Please cite OMB Control No.

9000–0023, Balance of Payments

Program Certificate, in all

correspondence.

Dated: May 21, 1998.

Sharon A. Kiser,

FAR Secretariat.

[FR Doc. 98–14458 Filed 6–1–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6820–34–U

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

GENERAL SERVICES

ADMINISTRATION

NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND

SPACE ADMINISTRATION

[OMB Control No. 9000–0025]

Proposed Collection; Comment

Request Entitled Buy American ActTrade Agreements Act-Balance of

Payments Program Certificate

AGENCIES: Department of Defense (DOD),

General Services Administration (GSA),

and National Aeronautics and Space

Administration (NASA).

ACTION: Notice of request for comments

regarding extension to an existing OMB

clearance (9000–0025).

SUMMARY: Under the provisions of the

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44

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

Acquisition Regulation (FAR)

Secretariat will be submitting to the

Office of Management and Budget

(OMB) a request to review and approve

an extension of a currently approved

information collection requirement

concerning Buy American Act-Trade

Agreements Act-Balance of Payments

Program Certificate. The clearance

currently expires on September 30,

1998.

DATES: Comments may be submitted on

or before August 3, 1998.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Paul

Linfield, Federal Acquisition Policy

Division, GSA (202) 501–1757.

ADDRESSES: Send comments regarding

this burden estimate or any other aspect

of this collection of information,

including suggestions for reducing this

burden, 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.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

A. Purpose

Under the Trade Agreements Act of

1979, unless specifically exempted by

statute or regulation, agencies are

required to evaluate offers over a certain

dollar limitation not to supply an

eligible product without regard to the

restrictions of the Buy American or the

Balance of Payments program. Offerors

identify excluded end products on this

certificate.

The contracting officer uses the

information to identify the offered items

which are domestic end products. Items

having components of unknown origin

are considered to have been mined,

produced, or manufactured outside the

United States or a designated country of

the Act.

B. Annual Reporting Burden

Public reporting burden for this

collection of information is estimated to

average 10 minutes per response,

including the time for reviewing

instructions, searching existing data

sources, gathering and maintaining the

data needed, and completing and

reviewing the collection of information.

The annual reporting burden is

estimated as follows: Respondents,

1,140; responses per respondent, 10;

total annual responses, 11,400;

preparation hours per response, .167;

and total response burden hours, 1,904.

Obtaining Copies of Proposals:

Requester may obtain a copy of the

justification from the General Services

Administration, FAR Secretariat

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

Washington, DC 20405, telephone (202)

501–4755. Please cite OMB Control No.

9000–0025, Buy American Act-Trade

Agreements Act-Balance of Payments

Program Certificate, in all

correspondence.

Dated: May 27, 1998.

Sharon A. Kiser,

FAR Secretariat.

[FR Doc. 98–14459 Filed 6–1–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6820–34–U

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

GENERAL SERVICES

ADMINISTRATION

NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND

SPACE ADMINISTRATION

[OMB Control No. 9000–0022]

Proposed Collection; Comment

Request Entitled Customs and Duties

AGENCIES: Department of Defense (DOD),

General Services Administration (GSA),