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###### Small Business Administration

# AGENCY:

U.S. Small Business Administration.

# ACTION:

Notice of intent to waive the Nonmanufacturer Rule for Office Supplies, Paper and Toner.

# SUMMARY:

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is considering granting a waiver of the Nonmanufacturer Rule for Office Supplies, Paper and Toner. The basis of waivers is that no small business manufacturers are supplying these classes of products to the Federal government. The effect of a waiver would be to allow otherwise qualified regular dealers to supply the products of any domestic manufacturer on a Federal contract set aside for small businesses, service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses, or SBA's 8(a) Business Development Program to provide the products of small business manufacturers or processors on such contracts. The purpose of this notice is to solicit comments and potential source information from interested parties.

# DATES:

Comments and sources must be submitted on or before November 16, 2005.

# FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

                         Edith Butler, Program Analyst, by telephone at (202) 619-0422; by fax at (202) 481-1788; or by e-mail at                         *edith.butler@sba.gov.*

# SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Section 8(a)(17) of the Small Business Act, (Act) 15 U.S.C. 637(a)(17), requires that recipients of Federal contracts set aside for small businesses, service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses, or SBA's 8(a) Business Development Program provide the product of a small business manufacturer or processor, if the recipient is other than the actual manufacturer or processor of the product. This requirement is commonly referred to as the Nonmanufacturer Rule.

The SBA regulations imposing this requirement are found at 13 CFR 121.406 (b). Section 8(a)(17)(b)(iv) of the Act authorizes SBA to waive the Nonmanufacturer Rule for any “class of products” for which there are no small business manufacturers or processors available to participate in the Federal market.

As implemented in SBA's regulations at 13 CFR 121.1202 (c), in order to be considered available to participate in the Federal market for a class of products, a small business manufacturer must have submitted a proposal for a contract solicitation or received a contract from the Federal government within the last 24 months. The SBA defines “class of products” based on six digit coding systems. Class of products is an individual subdivision within a NAICS Industry Number as established by the Office of Management and Budget in the NAICS Manual, 13 CFR § 121.1202(d). The second is the Product and Service Code required as a data entry by the Federal Procurement Data System.

The SBA is currently processing a request to waive the Nonmanufacturer Rule for Office Supplies, Paper and Toner, under NAICS 424120, 339940, 325132, 325992, 322231, 453210. The public is invited to comment or provide source information to SBA on the proposed waiver of the Nonmanufacturer Rule for these NAICS codes.

Authority:15 U.S.C. 637(a)(17).

Dated: October 25, 2005.

Karen C. Hontz,

Associate Administrator for Government Contracting.

[FR Doc. 05-21961 Filed 11-2-05; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 8025-01-P