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###### Department of Commerce

###### National Institute of Standards and Technology

# AGENCY:

National Institute of Standards and Technology, Department of Commerce.

# ACTION:

Notice; request for comments.

# SUMMARY:

                        The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) requests comments on the draft Special Publication (SP) 2000-02                         *Conformity Assessment Considerations for Federal Agencies*                         (                        *Considerations*) document. The draft                         *Considerations*                         document is posted on the NIST website at:                         *https://www.nist.gov/​standardsgov/​special-publications-conformity-assessment*.                    

# DATES:

                        NIST requests comments on the draft                         *Considerations*                         document. Comments must be received by February 26, 2018.                    

# ADDRESSES:

Comments may be submitted to NIST in the following ways:
      -  Electronic comments:                          Online submissions in electronic form may be sent to                          sp2000-02@nist.gov                          in any of the following formats: HTML; ASCII; Word; RTF; or PDF. Please include your name, organization's name (if any), and cite “Comments on Draft Conformity Assessment Considerations for Federal Agencies” in all correspondence. Comments containing references, studies, research, and other empirical data that are not widely published should include copies of the referenced materials. The proposed update to the                          Considerations                          document is available for review at                          https://www.nist.gov/​standardsgov/​special-publications-conformity-assessment . Comments submitted electronically, including attachments, will be posted to the NIST website unchanged.                    
      - Written comments may be submitted by mail to Lisa Carnahan, National Institute of Standards and Technology, 100 Bureau Drive, Stop 2100, Gaithersburg, MD 20899.

# FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

                        Questions regarding the draft                         *Considerations*                         document or this Request for Comments should be directed to Lisa Carnahan by email at                         *SP2000-02@nist.gov,*                         or by phone at 301-975-3362.                    

# SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

                    The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) recently revised Circular A-119, “Federal Participation in the Development and Use of Voluntary Consensus Standards and in Conformity Assessment Activities,” in light of changes that have taken place in the world of regulation, standards, and conformity assessment since the Circular was last revised in 1998.[1]                                          NIST is revising its conformity assessment materials to align with the updated Circular.                

On February 28, 2017, NIST hosted a workshop to engage the conformity assessment community in the development of its conformity assessment materials. Updates to the conformity assessment materials reflect growth and evolution in the conformity assessment community as well as updates to the guidance in the revised OMB Circular A-119.

Taking into consideration the feedback received from workshop participants as well as input received from conformity assessment stakeholders in both the public and private sectors, NIST has developed a draft of the following materials:
    - Conformity Assessment Considerations for Federal Agencies
    - ABC's of Conformity Assessment

                    The purpose of the draft                     *Considerations*                     document is to provide the basics on conformity assessment concepts and activities as well as provide considerations to those who use, rely on, develop, manage or operate conformity assessment programs within federal departments and agencies. The information contained within the draft                     *Considerations*                     document seeks to help federal agencies develop, operate, and use conformity assessment programs in order to provide confidence that requirements in regulation, federal procurement or federal agency programs are met and reduce conformity assessment redundancy and burden on regulated entities.                

*Request for Public Comments:*                     Persons interested in commenting on the draft                     *Considerations*                     document can submit their comments by following the instructions in the                     **DATES**                     and                     **ADDRESSES**                     sections.                

All comments will be made publicly available; therefore, personal, proprietary or confidential information should not be included. When submitting comments, inclusion of name, affiliation, and contact information (phone number and/or email address in case of questions about the comment) are optional. Comments containing references, studies, research, and other empirical data that are not widely published should include copies of the referenced materials.

Kevin Kimball,

NIST Chief of Staff.

# Footnotes

1.                             See                         *“OMB Circular A-119: Federal Participation in the Development and Use of Voluntary Consensus Standards and in Conformity Assessment Activities,”*                         which was published on January 27, 2016 and may be found at:                         *https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/​sites/​default/​files/​omb/​inforeg/​revised_​circular_​a-119_​as_​of_​1_​22.pdf*.                    
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[FR Doc. 2017-27892 Filed 12-26-17; 8:45 am]

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