Source: https://www.global-regulation.com/law/united-states/30571/environmental-protection-agency-acquisition-regulation-%2528epaar%2529%253b-source-selection-and-payments.html
Timestamp: 2018-11-20 21:29:04
Document Index: 346307456

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 15', 'art 15', 'arts 1515', 'ART 1515', 'art 1515', 'art 1515', 'art 1515']

Environmental Protection Agency Acquisition Regulation (EPAAR); Source Selection and Payments (United States)
Environmental Protection Agency Acquisition Regulation (EPAAR); Source Selection and Payments
Link to law: https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/text/raw_text/201/508/665.txt
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) amends the EPA Acquisition Regulation (EPAAR) to remove source selection guidance and clauses that are not consistent with current EPA internal operating procedures for source selections. Additionally, EPA is deleting a clause for Payments—Fixed Rate Services Contracts because it is inconsistent with sections in the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR). EPA does not anticipate any adverse comments.
This rule is effective on June 15, 2015 without further notice, unless adverse comment is received May 15, 2015. If adverse comment is received, the EPA will publish a timely withdrawal of the rule in the Federal Register .
Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OARM-2015-0182 by one of the following methods:
• Email: docket.oei@epa.gov
• Fax: (202) 566-1753
• Mail: EPA-HQ-OARM-2015-0182, OEI Docket, Environmental Protection Agency, 2822T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW., Washington, DC 20460. Please include a total of three (3) copies.
• Hand Delivery: EPA Docket Center—Attention OEI Docket, EPA West, Room B102, 1301 Constitution Ave. NW., Washington DC 20004. Such deliveries are only accepted during the Docket's normal hours of operation, and special arrangements should be made for deliveries of boxed information.
Instructions: Direct your comments to Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OARM-2015-0182. EPA's policy is that all comments received will be included in the public docket without change and may be made available online at http://www.regulations.gov, including any personal information provided, unless the comment includes information claimed to be Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other information whose disclosure is restricted by statute. Do not submit information that you consider to be CBI or otherwise protected through http://www.regulations.gov or email. The http://www.regulations.gov Web site is an “anonymous access” system, which means EPA will not know your identity or contact information unless you provide it in the body of your comment. If you send an email comment directly to EPA without going through http://www.regulations.gov your email address will be automatically captured and included as part of the comment that is placed in the public docket and made available on the Internet. If you submit an electronic comment, EPA recommends that you include your name and other contact information in the body of your comment and with any disk or CD-ROM you submit. If EPA cannot read your comment due to technical difficulties and cannot contact you for clarification, EPA may not be able to consider your comment. Electronic files should avoid the use of special characters, any form of encryption, and be free of any defects or viruses. For additional information about EPA's public docket visit the EPA Docket Center homepage at http://www.epa.gov/epahome/dockets.htm .
Docket: All documents in the docket are listed in the http://www.regulations.gov index. Although listed in the index, some information is not publicly available, e.g., CBI or other information whose disclosure is restricted by statute. Certain other material, such as copyrighted material, will be publicly available only in hard copy. Publicly available docket materials are available either electronically in http://www.regulations.gov or in hard copy at the Government Property—Contract Property Administration Docket, EPA/DC, EPA West, Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Ave. NW., Washington, DC. The Public Reading Room is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays. The telephone number for the Public Reading Room is (202) 566-1744 and the telephone number for the EPA Docket Center is (202) 566-1752. This Docket Facility is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays.
Staci Ramrakha, Policy, Training, and Oversight Division, Acquisition Policy and Training Service Center (3802R), Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW., Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: 202-564-2017; email address: ramrakha.staci@epa.gov .
The EPA has recently issued new internal guidance for conducting source selections in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 15. As a result of the new guidance, existing EPAAR subsection 1515.3, Source Selection, is no longer pertinent. The new source selection guidance does not have a significant effect beyond the internal operating procedures of the agency or have a significant cost or administrative impact on contractors or offerors. Therefore, this subpart and its related clauses are being removed in their entirety. Additionally, the EPA is removing EPAAR 1552.232-73, Payments—Fixed Rate Services Contracts, because it is inconsistent with FAR 52.232-7.
1. Amend EPAAR 1515.209 to delete source selection clauses that are no longer applicable to EPA source selections.
2. Remove EPAAR Subpart 15.3, Source Selection, in its entirety.
3. Remove EPAAR 1552.215-70, EPA Source Evaluation and Selection Procedures—Negotiated Procurements, in its entirety.
4. Remove EPAAR 1552.215-71, Evaluation Factors for Award, in its entirety.
5. Remove EPAAR 1552.232-73, Payments—Fixed Rate Services Contracts, in its entirety.
6. Amend EPAAR 1552.215-72(b)(1)(iii) to delete reference to EPAAR 1552.232-73 which has been removed from the EPAAR.
The RFA generally requires an agency to prepare a regulatory flexibility analysis of any rule subject to notice and comment rulemaking requirements under the Administrative Procedure Act or any other statute; unless the agency certifies that the rule will not have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities. Small entities include small businesses, small organizations, and small governmental jurisdictions. For purposes of assessing the impact of today's final rule on small entities, “small entity” is defined as: (1) A small business that meets the definition of a small business found in the Small Business Act and codified at 13 CFR 121.201; (2) a small governmental jurisdiction that is a government of a city, county, town, school district or special district with a population of less than 50,000; or (3) a small organization that is any not-for-profit enterprise which is independently owned and operated and is not dominant in its field. After considering the economic impacts of this rule on small entities, I certify that this action will not have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities. In determining whether a rule has a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities, the impact of concern is any significant adverse economic impact on small entities, because the primary purpose of the regulatory flexibility analyses is to identify and address regulatory alternatives “which minimize any significant economic impact of the proposed rule on small entities” 5 U.S.C. 503 and 604. Thus, an agency may certify that a rule will not have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities if the rule relieves regulatory burden, or otherwise has a positive economic effect on all of the small entities subject to the rule. This action revises current EPAAR clauses and will not have a significant economic impact on substantial number of small entities. We continue to be interested in the potential impacts of the proposed rule on small entities and welcome comments on issues related to such impacts.
Executive Order 12898 (59 FR 7629 (Feb. 16, 1994) establishes federal executive policy on environmental justice. Its main provision directs federal agencies, to the greatest extent practicable and permitted by law, to make environmental justice part of their mission by identifying and addressing, as appropriate, disproportionately high and adverse human health or environmental effects of their programs, policies, and activities on minority populations and low-income populations in the United States. EPA has determined that this final rule will not have disproportionately high and adverse human health or environmental effects on minority or low-income populations because it does not affect the level of protection provided to human health or the environment in the general public.
Environmental protection, Government procurement.
For the reasons stated in the preamble, EPA amends 48 CFR Chapter 15, parts 1515 and 1552 as set forth below:
PART 1515—CONTRACTING BY NEGOTATION
1. The authority citation for part 1515 continues to read as follows:
2. Revise 1515.209 to read as follows:
Subpart 1515.3[Removed]
3. Remove subpart 1515.3.
1552.215-70 and 1552.215-71
5. Remove 1552.215-70 and 1552.215-71.
6. Amend 1552.215-72 by revising paragraph (b)(1)(iii) to read as follows:
(iii) If the contract includes the clause at FAR 52.232-7, “Payments Under Time and Materials and Labor-Hour Contracts,” include in the cost proposal the estimated costs and burden rate to be applied to materials, other direct costs, or subcontracts. The Government will include these costs as part of its cost proposal evaluation.
7. Remove 1552.232-73.
[FR Doc. 2015-08665 Filed 4-14-15; 8:45 am]