Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 86 / Thursday, May 3, 2001 / Notices 22219

A. Purpose

The Federal Acquisition Streamlining

Act (FASA) of 1994, Pub. L. 103–355,

provided authorities that streamlined

the acquisition process and minimize

burdensome Government-unique

requirements. Sections 2001 and 2051 of

FASA substantially changed the

statutory authorities for Government

financing of contracts. Sections 2001(f)

and 2051(e) provide specific authority

for Government financing of purchases

of commercial items, and sections

2001(b) and 2051(b) substantially

revised the authority for Government

financing of purchases of noncommercial items.

Sections 2001(f) and 2051(e) provide

specific authority for Government

financing of purchases of commercial

items. These paragraphs authorize the

Government to provide contract

financing with certain limitations.

Sections 2001(b) and 2051(b) also

amended the authority for Government

financing of non-commercial purchases

by authorizing financing on the basis of

certain classes of measures of

performance.

To implement these changes, DOD,

NASA, and GSA amended the FAR by

revising Subparts 32.0, 32.1, and 32.5;

by adding new Subparts 32.2 and 32.10;

and by adding new clauses to 52.232.

The coverage enables the Government

to provide financing to assist in the

performance of contracts for commercial

items and provide financing for noncommercial items based on contractor

performance.

B. Annual Reporting Burden

Public reporting burden for this

collection of information is estimated to

average 2 hours per request for

commercial financing and 2 hours per

request for performance-based

financing, 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 for

commercial financing is estimated as

follows:

Respondents: 1,000.

Responses Per Respondent: 5.

Total Responses: 5,000.

Hours Per Response: 2.

Total Burden Hours: 10,000.

The annual reporting burden for

performance-based financing is

estimated as follows:

Respondents: 500.

Responses Per Respondent: 12.

Total Responses: 6,000.

Hours Per Response: 2.

Total Burden Hours: 12,000.

Obtaining Copies of Proposals

Requester may obtain a copy of the

proposal from the General Services

Administration, FAR Secretariat (MVP),

1800 F Street, NW., Room 4035,

Washington, DC 20405, telephone (202)

501–4755. Please cite OMB Control No.

9000–0138, Contract Financing, in all

correspondence.

Dated: April 30, 2001.

Al Matera,

Director, Acquisition Policy Division.

[FR Doc. 01–11079 Filed 5–2–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6820–34–P

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

GENERAL SERVICES

ADMINISTRATION

NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND

SPACE ADMINISTRATION

[OMB Control No. 9000–0102]

Federal Acquisition Regulation;

Proposed Collection; Prompt Payment

AGENCIES: Department of Defense (DOD),

General Services Administration (GSA),

and National Aeronautics and Space

Administration (NASA).

ACTION: Notice of request for public

comments regarding an extension to an

existing OMB clearance (9000–0102).

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 to a currently approved

information collection requirement

concerning prompt payment. The

clearance currently expires on June 30,

2001.

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: Submit comments on or before

July 2, 2001.

ADDRESSES: Submit 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, 1800 F Street, NW., Room

4035, Washington, DC 20405.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jerry

Olson, Acquisition Policy Division, GSA

(202) 501–3221.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

A. Purpose

Part 32 of the FAR and the clause at

FAR 52.232–5, Payments Under FixedPrice Construction Contracts, require

that contractors under fixed-price

construction contracts certify, for every

progress payment request, that

payments to subcontractors/ suppliers

have been made from previous

payments received under the contract

and timely payments will be made from

the proceeds of the payment covered by

the certification, and that this payment

request does not include any amount

which the contractor intends to

withhold from a subcontractor/

supplier. Part 32 of the FAR and the

clause at 52.232–27, Prompt Payment

for Construction Contracts, further

require that contractors on construction

contracts—

(a) Notify subcontractors/suppliers of

any amounts to be withheld and furnish

a copy of the notification to the

contracting officer;

(b) Pay interest to subcontractors/

suppliers if payment is not made by 7

days after receipt of payment from the

Government, or within 7 days after

correction of previously identified

deficiencies;

(c) Pay interest to the Government if

amounts are withheld from

subcontractors/suppliers after the

Government has paid the contractor the

amounts subsequently withheld, or if

the Government has inadvertently paid

the contractor for nonconforming

performance; and

(d) Include a payment clause in each

subcontract which obligates the

contractor to pay the subcontractor for

satisfactory performance under its

subcontract not later than 7 days after

such amounts are paid to the contractor,

include an interest penalty clause which

obligates the contractor to pay the

subcontractor an interest penalty if

payments are not made in a timely

manner, and include a clause requiring

each subcontractor to include these

clauses in each of its subcontractors and

to require each of its subcontractors to

22220 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 86 / Thursday, May 3, 2001 / Notices

include similar clauses in their

subcontracts.

These requirements are imposed by

Public Law 100–496, the Prompt

Payment Act Amendments of 1988.

Contracting officers will be notified if

the contractor withholds amounts from

subcontractors/suppliers after the

Government has already paid the

contractor the amounts withheld. The

contracting officer must then charge the

contractor interest on the amounts

withheld from subcontractors/suppliers.

Federal agencies could not comply with

the requirements of the law if this

information were not collected.

B. Annual Reporting Burden

Respondents: 38,194.

Responses Per Respondent: 11.

Total Responses: 420,134.

Hours Per Response: 11.

Total Burden Hours: 46,215.

C. Annual Recordkeeping Burden

Recordkeepers: 34,722.

Hours Per Recordkeeper: 18.

Total Recordkeeping Burden Hours:

624,996.

Obtaining Copies of Proposals

Requester may obtain a copy of the

proposal from the General Services

Administration, FAR Secretariat (MVP),

1800 F Street, NW., Room 4035,

Washington, DC 20405, telephone (202)

501–4755. Please cite OMB Control No.

9000–0102, Prompt Payment, in all

correspondence.

Dated: April 30, 2001.

Al Matera,

Director, Acquisition Policy Division.

[FR Doc. 01–11080 Filed 5–2–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6820–34–U

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

GENERAL SERVICES

ADMINISTRATION

NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND

SPACE ADMINISTRATION

[OMB Control No. 9000–0088]

Federal Acquisition Regulation;

Proposed Collection; Travel Costs

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

(9000–0088).

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 travel costs. The clearance

currently expires June 30, 2001.

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: Submit comments on or before

July 2, 2001.

ADDRESSES: Submit 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 (MVP), 1800 F Street, NW.,

Room 4035, Washington, DC 20405.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jerry

Olson, Acquisition Policy Division,

GSA, (202) 501–3221.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

A. Purpose

FAR 31.205–46, Travel Costs, requires

that, except in extraordinary and

temporary situations, costs incurred by

a contractor for lodging, meals, and

incidental expenses shall be considered

to be reasonable and allowable only to

the extent that they do not exceed on a

daily basis the per diem rates in effect

as of the time of travel as set forth in the

Federal Travel Regulations for travel in

the conterminous 48 United States, the

Joint Travel Regulations, Volume 2,

Appendix A, for travel is Alaska,

Hawaii, the Commonwealth of Puerto

Rico, and territories and possessions of

the United States, and the Department

of State Standardized Regulations,

section 925, ‘‘Maximum Travel Per

Diem Allowances for Foreign Areas.’’

The burden generated by this coverage

is in the form of the contractor

preparing a justification whenever a

higher actual expense reimbursement

method is used.

B. Annual Reporting Burden

Respondents: 5,800.

Responses Per Respondent: 10.

Total Responses: 58,000.

Hours Per response: .25.

Total Burden Hours: 14,500.

Obtaining Copies of Proposals:

Requester may obtain a copy of the

proposal from the General Services

Administration, FAR Secretariat (MVP),

Room 4035, Washington, DC 20405,

telephone (202) 501–4755. Please cite

OMB Control No. 9000–0088, Travel

Costs, in all correspondence.

Dated: April 30, 2001.

Al Matera,

Director, Acquisition Policy Division.

[FR Doc. 01–11081 Filed 5–2–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6820–34–U

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

GENERAL SERVICES

ADMINISTRATION

NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND

SPACE ADMINISTRATION

[OMB Control No. 9000–0134]

Submission for OMB Review;

Comment Request Entitled

Environmentally Sound Products

AGENCIES: Department of Defense (DOD),

General Services Administration (GSA),

and National Aeronautics and Space

Administration (NASA).

ACTION: Notice of request for public

comments regarding an extension to an

existing OMB clearance.

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 Environmentally Sound

Products. A request for public

comments was published at 65 FR

75925, December 5, 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