[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 203 (Friday, October 18, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54443-54444]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-26825]


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GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION


Change in Solicitation Procedures Under the Small Business 
Competitiveness Demonstration Program

AGENCY: Office of Acquisition Policy, GSA.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: Title VII of the Business Opportunity Development Reform Act 
of 1988 (Public Law 100-656) established the Small Business 
Competitiveness Demonstration Program and designated nine (9) agencies, 
including GSA, to conduct the program over a four (4) year period from 
January 1, 1989 to December 31, 1992. The Small Business Opportunity 
Enhancement Act of 1992 (Public Law 102-366) extended the demonstration 
program until September 1996 and made certain changes in the procedures 
for operation of the demonstration program. The program has been 
extended for an additional one-year period by the Omnibus Consolidated 
Appropriations Act (Public Law 104-208). The law designated four (4) 
industry groups for testing whether the competitive capabilities of the 
specified industry groups will enable them to successfully compete on 
an unrestricted basis. The four (4) industry groups are: construction 
(except dredging); architectural and engineering (A&E) services 
(including surveying and mapping); refuse systems and related services 
(limited to trash/garbage collection); and non-nuclear ship repair. 
Under the program, when a participating agency misses its small 
business participation goal, restricted competition is reinstituted 
only for those contracting activities that failed to attain the goal. 
The small business goal is 40 percent of the total contract dollars 
awarded for construction, trash/garbage collection services, and non-
nuclear ship repair and 35 percent of the total contract dollars 
awarded for architect-engineer services. This notice announces 
modifications to GSA's solicitation practices under the demonstration 
program based on a review of the agency's performance during the period 
from July 1, 1995 to June 30, 1996. Modifications to solicitation 
practices are outlined in the Supplementary Information section below 
and apply to solicitations issued on or after October 1, 1996.

EFFECTIVE DATE: October 1, 1996.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Tom Wisnowski, Office of GSA Acquisition Policy, (202) 501-1224.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Procurements of construction or trash/
garbage collection with an estimated value of $25,000 or less will be 
reserved for emergency small business concerns in accordance with the 
procedures outlined in the interim policy directive issued by the 
Office of Federal Procurement Policy (58 FR 13513, March 11, 1993).
    Procurements of construction or trash/garbage collection with an 
estimated value that exceeds $25,000 by GSA contracting activities will 
be made in accordance with the following procedures:

Construction Services in Groups 15, 16, and 17

    Procurements for all construction services (except solicitions 
issued by GSA contracting activities in Regions 2, 3, 6, and 9 in SIC 
Group 15 and Regions 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, and 9 in individual SIC code 1796) 
shall be conducted on an unrestricted basis.
    Procurements for construction services in SIC Group 15 issued by 
GSA contracting activities in Regions 2, 3, 6, and 9, and individual 
SIC code 1796 in Regions 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, and 9, shall be set aside for 
small business when there is a reasonable expectation of obtaining 
competition from two or more small businesses. If no expectation 
exists, the procurements will be conducted on an unrestricted basis.
    Region 2 encompasses the states of New Jersey, New York, and the 
territories of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
    Region 3 encompasses the states of Pennsylvania, Delaware, West 
Virginia, Maryland (except Montgomery and Prince Georges counties), and 
Virginia (except the city of Alexandria and the counties of Arlington, 
Fairfax, Loudoun, and Prince William).
    Region 5 encompasses the states of Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, 
Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.
    Region 6 encompasses the states of Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and 
Nebraska.
    Region 7 encompasses the states of Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, 
New Mexico, and Texas.
    Region 9 encompasses the states of Arizona, California, Hawaii, and 
Nevada.

Trash/Garbage Collection Services in PSC S205.

    Procurements for trash/garbage collection services in PSC S205 will 
be conducted on an unrestricted basis.

Architect-Engineer Services (All PSC Codes Under the Demonstration 
Program)

    Procurements for all architect-engineer services (except 
procurements issued by contracting activities in GSA Regions 3, 4, 5, 
9, and the National Capital Region) shall be conducted on an 
unrestricted basis.
    Procurements for architect-engineer services issued by contracting 
activities in Regions 3, 4, 5, 9, and the National Capital Region shall 
be set aside for small business when there is a reasonable expectation 
of obtaining competition from two or more small businesses. If no 
expectation exists, the procurements may be conducted on an 
unrestricted basis.
    Region 3 encompasses the states of Pennsylvania, Delaware, West 
Virginia, Maryland (except Montgomery and Prince Georges counties), and 
Virginia (except the city of Alexandria and the counties of Arlington, 
Fairfax, Loudoun, and Prince William).
    Region 4 encompasses the states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, 
Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Mississippi, and Tennessee.
    Region 5 encompasses the states of Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, 
Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.
    Region 9 encompasses the states of Arizona, California, Hawaii, and 
Nevada.
    The National Capital Region encompasses the District of Columbia,

[[Page 54444]]

Montgomery and Prince Georges counties in Maryland, and the city of 
Alexandria and the counties of Arlington, Fairfax, and Loudoun, and 
Prince William in Virginia.

Non-Nuclear Ship Repair

    GSA does not procure non-nuclear ship repairs.

    Dated: October 9, 1996.
Ida M. Ustad,
Deputy Associate Administrator for Acquisition Policy.
[FR Doc. 96-26825 Filed 10-17-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6829-61-M