[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 143 (Tuesday, July 27, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 40574-40575]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-19175]


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CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION


Proposed Collection of Information; Comment Request--Procurement 
of Goods and Services

AGENCY: Consumer Product Safety Commission.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: As required by the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. Chapter 
35), the Consumer Product Safety Commission requests comments on a 
proposed extension of approval for a period of three years from the 
date of approval of a collection of information associated with the 
procurement of goods and services. Forms used by the Commission for 
procurement of goods and services request persons who quote, propose, 
or bid on contracts to provide information needed to evaluate quotes, 
proposals, and bids in accordance with applicable laws and regulations.
    The Commission will consider all comments received in response to 
this notice before requesting reinstatement of approval of this 
collection of information from the Office of Management and Budget 
(OMB).

DATES: The Office of the Secretary must receive comments not later than 
September 27, 1999.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be captioned ``Procurement of Goods 
and Services; Paperwork Reduction Act,'' and mailed to the Office of 
the Secretary, Consumer Product Safety Commission, Washington, DC 
20207, or delivered to that office, room 502, 4330 East-West Highway, 
Bethesda, Maryland 20814. Written comments may also be sent to the 
Office of the Secretary by facsimile at (301) 504-0127 or by e-mail at 
[email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information about the proposed 
collection of information call or write Linda L. Glatz, Management and 
Program Analyst, Office of Planning and Evaluation, Consumer Product 
Safety Commission, Washington, DC 20207; (301) 504-0416, Ext. 2226.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    The Commission's procurement of goods and services is governed by 
the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949, as 
amended (41 U.S.C. 253 et seq.). That law requires the Commission to 
procure goods and services under conditions most advantageous to the 
government, considering cost and other factors.

A. Information Required by Procurement Forms

    The Commission requires persons and firms to submit quotations, 
proposals, and bids for contracts to provide goods and services on 
standardized forms. These forms request information from offerors about 
costs or prices of goods and services to be supplied; specifications of 
goods and descriptions of services to be delivered; competence of the 
offeror to provide the goods or services; and other information about 
the offeror such as the size of the firm and whether it is minority 
owned. The Commission uses the information provided by offerors to 
determine the reasonableness of prices and costs and the responsiveness 
of potential contractors to undertake the work involved so that all 
bids may be awarded in accordance with Federal procurement laws.
    OMB approved the collection of information requirements in the 
procurement forms used by the Commission under control number 3041-
0059. OMB's most recent extension of approval will expire on October 
31, 1999. The CPSC now proposes to request extension of approval for 
the information collection requirements in the forms used for 
procurement of goods and services. The Commission plans to use the 
Internet and the General Services Administration's (GSA) GSA Advantage! 
System for delivery order purchasing. The Internet provides small 
businesses access to information about the Commission's current needs 
for goods and services.

B. Information Collection Burden

    During fiscal year 1998, approximately 2,457 firms spent about 
4,574 hours responding to all Requests for Quotations (RFQ), 
Invitations for Bids (IFB), and Requests for Proposals (RFP) issued by 
the Commission. The time required by vendors to respond ranged from as 
little as 10 to 15 minutes per firm for a simple telephone, e-mail, 
fax, or Internet response concerning the purchase of a standard item or 
service, to as much as 250 hours per firm for a complex written offer 
prepared in response to an RFP. Firms spent an estimated 932 hours 
responding to oral, electronic, and written RFQs, and approximately 
3,642 hours preparing bids and proposals in response to more complex 
IFBs and RFPs.
    The cost of preparing a response to an oral, electronic, or written 
RFQ is estimated to be approximately $30 to $40 per hour. This estimate 
is based on the Commission staff's knowledge that responses to RFQs are 
usually prepared by sales support personnel with some participation by 
higher-level employees. The cost of preparing a response to an IFB or 
RFP is estimated to range from $50 to $60 an hour because higher-level 
employees are the ones who prepare these responses, with some clerical 
assistance.
    The annual cost to all firms for responding to RFQs is estimated to 
be approximately $37,280. The annualized

[[Page 40575]]

cost to all firms for responding to IFBs and RFPs is approximately 
$218,520. The total annual cost to all firms responding to all RFQs, 
IFBs, and RFBs issued by the Commission is estimated to be $255,000. 
The costs are accepted by firms as part of the cost of doing business 
with commercial and governmental customers.
    The total cost to the government for all collections of information 
by the Commission related to procurement of goods and services is 
estimated to be about $366,324 a year. This estimate was made by 
reviewing the Commission's procurement activities in fiscal year 1998. 
During this period, the Commission processed 744 purchase requests, and 
performed 75 contract actions.

C. Request for Comments

    The Commission solicits written comments from all interested 
persons about the proposed collection of information. The Commission 
specifically solicits information relevant to the following topics:

--Whether the collection of information described above is necessary 
for the proper performance of the Commission's functions, including 
whether the information would have practical utility;
--Whether the estimated burden of the proposed collection of 
information is accurate;
--Whether the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be 
collected could be enhanced; and
--Whether the burden imposed by the collection of information could be 
minimized by use of automated, electronic or other technological 
collection techniques, or other forms of information technology.

    Dated: July 21, 1999.
Sadye E. Dunn,
Secretary, Consumer Product Safety Commission.
[FR Doc. 99-19175 Filed 7-26-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6355-01-P