[Federal Register: March 20, 1998 (Volume 63, Number 54)]
[Notices]               
[Page 13640-13641]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr20mr98-77]

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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION

NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION

[OMB Control No. 9000-0137]

 
Proposed Collection; Comment Request Entitled Simplified 
Acquisition Procedures/FACNET

AGENCY: 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.

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SUMMARY: Under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 
(44 U.S.C. Chapter 34), the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 
Secretariat will be submitting to the Office of Management and Budget 
(OMB) a request to review and approve

[[Page 13641]]

an extension of a currently approved information collection requirement 
concerning Simplified Acquisition Procedures/FACNET. The clearance 
currently expires on April 30, 1998.

DATES: Comments may be submitted on or before May 19, 1998.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Linda Nelson, Federal Acquisition Policy Division, GSA (202) 501-1900.

ADDRESSES: Comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect 
of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing 
this burden, should be submitted 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 4037, 
Washington, DC 20405. Please cite OMB Control No. 9000-0137, Simplified 
Acquisition Procedures/FACNET, in all correspondence.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

A. Purpose

    Title IX of the Federal Acquisition Streamlining Act of 1994 (the 
Act) amended the Office of Federal Procurement Policy Act (41 U.S.C. 
401, et seq.) by adding new sections regarding the establishment of a 
program for the development and implementation of a Federal Acquisition 
Computer Network (hereinafter referred to as FACNET) which allows 
electronic interchange of procurement information between the private 
sector and the Federal Government and among Federal agencies. Specific 
functions of FACNET are set forth under Section 30 of the Act.
    Regulatory coverage of FACNET is included under FAR Subpart 4.5--
Electronic Commerce in Contracting. FAR section 4.503 requires 
contractors to provide registration information to the Central 
Contractor Registration in order to conduct business through electronic 
commerce (EC) with the Federal Government. Contractor registration 
information is collected electronically as a prerequisite for 
conducting EC with the Federal Government. The process for collection 
of contractor information uses the Federal Implementation Conventions 
ANSI X12, Trading Partner Profile, in accordance with the Federal 
Information Processing Standards 161 (FIPS). These standards are 
published by the National Institute for Standards and Technology 
(NIST). The information required to be submitted as part of contractor 
registration is the same as that currently provided by the SF 129, 
Solicitation Mailing List Application; the SF 3881, ACH vendor/
Miscellaneous Payment Enrollment Form for paper transactions. In 
addition, information pertaining to a contractor assignment of 
commercial and Government entity (CAGE) code (where applicable); 
electronic data interchange (EDI) capabilities, including ANSI X12 
transaction set and version number status for production, testing, 
sending and receiving; and the registrant's value added network (VAN) 
or value added service (VAS) electronic communications number also 
needs to be provided as part of the registration process. Requiring 
information consistent with the existing forms that Government 
contractors are familiar with simplifies the process of gathering 
current, factual data to input into the Registration System. The 
additional information is information contractors should have readily 
available when they have established EC/EDI capability.
    The information submitted by contractors will permit the Central 
Contractor Registration to establish a central repository for all 
vendors doing business with the Federal Government, information that is 
accessible by all Government contracting activities.

B. Annual Reporting Burden

    Public reporting burden for this collection of information is 
estimated to average 15 minutes per response, 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 is estimated as follows: Respondents, 
100,000; responses per respondent, 1; total annual responses, 100,00; 
preparation hours per response, .25; and total response burden hours, 
25,000.

C. Annual Recordkeeping Burden

    The annual recordkeeping burden is estimated as follows: 
Recordkeepers, 100,000; hours per recordkeeper, .25; and total 
recordkeeping burden hours, 25,000.
    Obtaining Copies of Proposals: Requester may obtain a copy the 
justification from the General Services Administration, FAR Secretariat 
(MVRS), Room 4037, 1800 F Street, NW., Washington, DC 20405, telephone 
(202) 501-4755. Please cite OMB Control No. 9000-0137, Simplified 
Acquisition Procedures/FACNET, in all correspondence.

    Dated: March 16, 1998.
Sharon A. Kiser,
FAR Secretariat.
[FR Doc. 98-7105 Filed 3-18-98; 10:50 am]
BILLING CODE 6820-34-M