[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 179 (Monday, September 16, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58357-58358]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-23454]


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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 extension 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 
November 15, 2002.

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, D.C. 
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, D.C. 20207; (301) 504-0416, Ext. 2226.

[[Page 58358]]


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 November 
30, 2002. 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 2001, approximately 2,539 firms spent about 
14,174 hours responding to all Requests for Quotations (RFQs), and 
Requests for Proposals (RFPs) 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 100-200 hours per firm for a complex written offer prepared in 
response to technically complex RFQs and RFPs. Based on the number of 
procurements, details of actions reported by the Federal Procurement 
Data System, and the procurement staff's experience with the sales and 
technical functions of various vendors, we believe firms spent an 
estimated 11,624 hours responding to oral, electronic, and written RFQs 
and RFPs and approximately 2,550 hours preparing quotes and proposals 
in response to more complex RFQs and RFPs. The cost of preparing a 
response to an oral, electronic, or written RFQ or RFP is estimated to 
be approximately $36 per hour for regular sales staff and $55 per hour 
for high level sales staff with advanced technical expertise for more 
complex procurements (based on Web search at the Career Journal from 
the Wall Street Journal and Salary.com and research of salary tables 
from ``Sales and Marketing Management'' magazine dated May 2001). The 
annualized cost to all firms for responding to all RFQs and RFPs issued 
by the Commission is estimated to be $558,714 (11,624 hours x $36/hr + 
2,550 hours x $55/hr = $558,714).
    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 $972,187 a year. This estimate was made by 
reviewing the Commission's procurement activities in fiscal year 2001.

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: September 10, 2002.
Todd Stevenson,
Secretary, Consumer Product Safety Commission.
[FR Doc. 02-23454 Filed 9-13-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6355-01-P