[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 7 (Monday, January 12, 1998)] [Notices] [Pages 1833-1834] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 98-623] ======================================================================= ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 AGENCIES: 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. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: Under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35), the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Secretariat will be submitting to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) a request to review and approve 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 March 13, 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 on 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, 100,000; 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 [[Page 1834]] Procedures/FACNET, in all correspondence. Dated: January 6, 1998. Sharon A. Kiser, FAR Secretariat. [FR Doc. 98-623 Filed 1-9-98; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6820-34-P