[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 56 (Thursday, March 23, 1995)] [Notices] [Page 15288] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 95-7201] ======================================================================= ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Deviation from the Department of Energy Assistance Regulations AGENCY: Department of Energy. ACTION: Notice of class deviation. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: The Department of Energy (DOE) hereby announces a class deviation from its Financial Assistance Regulations. This deviation removes, on a pilot basis for noncompetitive financial assistance awards of $1 million or less, the requirements to publish a Federal Register announcement prior to award and, then, to delay 14 calendar days before making the award. This deviation will save public funds and reduce paperwork by allowing smaller financial assistance actions to be awarded in a more timely fashion involving fewer DOE offices and employees. EFFECTIVE DATE: April 7, 1995. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In this notice, the Department of Energy announces that, pursuant to 10 CFR 600.4, the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Procurement and Assistance Management has made a determination of the need for a class deviation to the Department's Financial Assistance Rules. A deviation to 10 CFR 600.7 has been approved which provides that, on a Department-wide two year pilot basis, noncompetitive financial assistance awards under $1 million are not required to be published in the Federal Register 14 calendar days prior to making an award. This deviation was approved to avoid the time consuming and labor intensive efforts involved in preparation and review of the announcements, and the 14 days of publication before award could be made for relatively low dollar value actions. Publication of these pending noncompetitive award announcements have not resulted in their intended purpose which was to make potentially qualified recipients aware of pending noncompetitive financial assistance awards so they might make their qualifications known to the awarding office, and possibly compete for the award. During the many years that the Department has published these announcements, only a very few responses have been received, and, of those, most had nothing to do with the noncompetitive nature of the awards. This deviation will result in streamlining the process of awarding noncompetitive financial assistance actions, thereby saving the Government resources of time and money. It is anticipated that, by the time the deviation expires, DOE will have completed a rulemaking to remove the publication requirement on a permanent basis. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Stephen D. Mournighan, Office of Management Review and Analysis, [HR-523], U.S. Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC. Issued in Washington, DC, on September 30, 1994. Richard H. Hopf, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Procurement and Assistance Management. Editorial note: This document was received at the Office of the Federal Register on March 20, 1995. [FR Doc. 95-7201 Filed 3-22-95; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6450-01-P