[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 10 (Thursday, January 15, 2009)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 2712-2713]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-556]



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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION

NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION

48 CFR Parts 1, 2, 4, 12, and 52

[FAC 2005-30; FAR Case 2004-038, Item I;Docket 2008-0001; Sequence 6]
RIN 9000-AK94


Federal Acquisition Regulation; FAR Case 2004-038, Federal 
Procurement Data System (FPDS)

AGENCIES: Department of Defense (DoD), General Services Administration 
(GSA), and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

ACTION: Final rule.

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SUMMARY: The Civilian Agency Acquisition Council and the Defense 
Acquisition Regulations Council (Councils) have adopted as final, with 
one minor change, the interim rule amending the Federal Acquisition 
Regulation (FAR) to revise the process for reporting contract actions 
to the Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS). This final rule revises 
the definition of indefinite delivery vehicle at FAR 4.601.

DATES: Effective Date: February 17, 2009.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Ernest Woodson, Procurement 
Analyst, at (202) 501-3775 for clarification of content. For 
information pertaining to status or publication schedules, contact the 
FAR Secretariat at (202) 501-4755. Please cite FAC 2005-30, FAR case 
2004-038.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

A. Background

    As of October 2003, all agencies were to begin reporting FAR-based 
contract actions to the modified system. During Fiscal Year 2004, 
members of the interagency Change Control Board, as well as 
departmental teams working on the migration of data from the old to new 
system, recognized both the opportunity to standardize reporting 
processes and the need to revise the FAR to provide current and clear 
reporting requirements.
    DoD, GSA, and NASA published an interim rule in the Federal 
Register at 73 FR 21773, on April 22, 2008. The interim rule 
established the Government's commitment for Federal Procurement Data 
System (FPDS) data to serve as the single authoritative source of all 
procurement data for a host of applications and reports, such as the 
Central Contractor Registration (CCR), the Electronic Subcontracting 
Reporting System (eSRS), the Small Business Goaling Report (SBGR), and 
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) data. The public comment 
period closed on June 23, 2008. Four respondents submitted comments on 
the interim rule. A discussion of the comments and the changes made to 
the rule as a result of those comments are provided below:
    1. One respondent commented that FAR 4.602(a) through (c) contains 
little value for a reader consulting the FAR for guidance on what to do 
and when or how to do it. The respondent recommends deleting 4.602 and 
renumbering remaining paragraphs.
    Response: The Councils disagree with the comment. FAR section 4.602 
was added to provide general information about contract reporting. The 
section identifies FPDS as the Government's web-based tool for 
reporting contract actions. In addition, it provides a list of the many 
uses of the data provided by FPDS and cites the FPDS web site. The 
Councils consider this type of information to be very useful for the 
acquisition community and indicates the degree of importance placed on 
reporting contract actions. Language regarding procedures and reporting 
actions (what to do and when or how to do it) may be found at FAR 4.605 
and 4.606. Therefore, FAR 4.602 remains unchanged.
    2. One respondent commented that FAR 4.603(a) seemed to be needless 
and out of place. FPDS preceded Federal Funding and Transparency Act of 
2006 (FFATA) by many years and does not meet the public access 
requirements articulated in FFATA. The respondent recommends deleting 
this section and renumbering remaining subparagraphs.
    Response: The Councils disagree with the comment. FAR 4.603(a) is a 
Federal contract policy statement indicating that the FFATA requires 
that all Federal award data must be publicly accessible. FPDS data is 
made accessible to the public, satisfying the certain basic 
requirements of FFATA. Therefore, this paragraph remains unchanged.
    3. One respondent stated that FAR 4.601 defines indefinite delivery 
vehicle (IDV). Since IDV is more encompassing than an indefinite 
delivery contract (IDC), the respondent recommends finding another word 
for ``vehicle'' or changing the definition to read ``Indefinite 
delivery vehicle (IDV) means an indefinite delivery contract or 
agreement that has one or more[hellip]''
    Response: The Councils agree that the definition should be 
clarified. As indicated at FAR 4.606(a)(ii), examples of IDVs, for the 
purposes of the FPDS, include task and delivery order contracts 
(including Governmentwide acquisition contracts and multi-agency 
contracts), GSA Federal supply schedules, Blanket Purchase Agreements, 
Basic Ordering Agreements, or any other agreement or contract against 
which individual orders or purchases may be placed. Accordingly, the 
Councils revised the definition of ``Indefinite delivery vehicle 
(IDV)'' at FAR 4.601 to include the words ``or agreement.''
    4. One respondent recommends that references to generic DUNS be 
removed from FAR 4.605(b)(1) and (2). To prevent generic DUNS abuse, 
the FPDS Change Control Board voted to not post generic DUNS on the 
FPDS website. Each Agency would be responsible for communicating what 
generic DUNS, if any, should be used.
    Response: The Councils disagree with the comment. The Councils 
understand agencies responsibilities associated with deciding which 
generic DUNS number to use, however, a DUNS number is required to 
complete a contract action report in FPDS. FAR procedures at 4.605(b) 
permit the use of generic DUNS numbers and do not interfere with agency 
responsibilities, as agreed to by the FPDS Change Control Board. A 
generic DUNS number may be used under the circumstances referenced at 
FAR 4.605(b)(1). FAR procedures at 4.605(b) remain unchanged.
    5. One respondent submitted a comment in reference to FAR Case 
2005-040, Electronic Subcontracting Reporting System (eSRS).
    Response: This comment is not relevant to FAR Case 2004-038 and was 
referred to the FAR Small Business Team for disposition.
    6. One respondent submitted a comment in reference to the Federal 
Register notice, Background, paragraph 5, stating that reporting only 
the appropriated portions of contract actions would be extremely 
impractical and result in data mismatches between automated contracting 
writing systems and FPDS. The respondent indicated that they have many 
actions that have mixed funding and it would be difficult for 
contracting staff to identify whether funding was appropriated or non-
appropriated. In order to comply with the rule, data would have to be 
manually entered into FPDS.
    Response: The Councils disagree with the comment. FAR 4.606(b)(2) 
states that agencies may submit actions for any non-appropriated fund 
(NAF) or NAF portion of a contract action using a mix of appropriated 
and non-appropriated funding, after contacting the FPDS

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Program Office. It should be noted that reporting non-appropriated 
funds may impact certain reports generated using FPDS data regarding 
appropriated funds. FAR language remains unchanged.
    This is not a significant regulatory action and, therefore, was not 
subject to review under Section 6(b) of Executive Order 12866, 
Regulatory Planning and Review, dated September 30, 1993. This rule is 
not a major rule under 5 U.S.C. 804.

B. Regulatory Flexibility Act

    The Department of Defense, the General Services Administration, and 
the National Aeronautics and Space Administration certify that this 
final rule will not 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 contract reporting is 
not accomplished by the vendor community, only by Government 
contracting entities.

C. Paperwork Reduction Act

    The Paperwork Reduction Act does not apply because the changes to 
the FAR do not impose information collection requirements that require 
the approval of the Office of Management and Budget under 44 U.S.C. 
3501, et seq.

List of Subjects in 48 CFR Parts 1, 2, 4, 12, and 52

    Government procurement.

    Dated: December 24, 2008
Edward Loeb,
Acting Director, Office of Acquisition Policy.

0
Accordingly, DoD, GSA, and NASA adopt the interim rule amending 48 CFR 
parts 1, 2, 4, 12, and 52, which was published in the Federal Register 
at 73 FR 21773, April 22, 2008, as a final rule with the following 
change:

PART 4--ADMINISTRATIVE MATTERS

0
1. The authority citation for 48 CFR part 4 continues to read as 
follows:

    Authority: 40 U.S.C. 121(c); 10 U.S.C. chapter 137; and 42 
U.S.C. 2473(c).


4.601  [Amended]

0
2. Amend section 4.601 by removing from the introductory paragraph of 
the definition ``Indefinite delivery vehicle (IDV)'' the word 
``contract'' and adding ``contract or agreement'' in its place.
[FR Doc. E9-556 Filed 1-14-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6820-EP-S