[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 158 (Friday, August 15, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 48961-48962]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-20939]


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OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET


Performance of Commercial Activities

AGENCY: Office of Management and Budget, Executive Office of the 
President.

ACTION: Technical correction to Office of Management and Budget 
Circular No. A-76, ``Performance of Commercial Activities.''

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SUMMARY: The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is making a 
technical correction to the coverage in Attachment A of Circular No. A-
76 addressing the submission of a challenge to an agency's inventory of 
its commercial and inherently governmental activities. The technical 
correction is intended to clarify that an interested party may 
challenge the inclusion or exclusion of an activity in an inventory, 
including the classification or reclassification of an activity. This 
action makes no other changes to the revised Circular.

DATES: Effective Date: This technical correction to Circular A-76 is 
effective August 15, 2003.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mathew Blum, Office of Federal 
Procurement Policy, NEOB Room 9013, Office of Management and Budget, 
725 17th Street, NW., Washington, DC 20503 (tel: (202) 395-4953).
    Availability: Copies of OMB Circular A-76, as revised by this 
notice, may be obtained at the OMB home page at http://www.whitehouse.gov/OMB/circulars/index.html#numerical. Paper copies of 
the Circular may be obtained by calling OFPP (tel: (202) 395-7579).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Federal Activities Inventory Reform 
(FAIR) Act of 1998, Public Law 105-270 (31 U.S.C. 501 note) requires 
executive agencies to prepare annual inventories of activities 
performed by their employees that, in the judgment of the head of the 
agency, are not inherently governmental. Under section 3 of the FAIR 
Act, an interested party may submit to an executive agency a challenge 
of an omission of a particular activity from, or an inclusion of a 
particular activity on, an agency's inventory. Consistent with section 
3, the version of Circular A-76 that was in effect prior to May 29, 
2003 authorized an interested party to submit a challenge to the 
inclusion or exclusion of an activity from the agency's inventory.
    On May 29, 2003, OMB issued revisions to Circular No. A-76. See 68 
FR 32134 (preamble); http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/circulars/a076/a76 
rev2003.pdf (text of Circular). Attachment A to the Circular provides 
guidance regarding agencies' responsibility to prepare annual 
inventories that categorize all activities performed by their 
government personnel as either commercial or inherently governmental. 
Paragraph D describes the processes that agencies must make available 
to interested parties for challenging agency inventories of commercial 
or inherently governmental activities. Paragraph D.2. of the May 29th 
revision states, among other things, that an inventory challenge shall 
be limited to ``(a) the reclassification of an activity as inherently 
governmental or commercial, or (b) the application of reason codes.''
    As OMB explained in the Federal Register notice announcing the 
revisions to the Circular, the purpose of this change was to authorize 
challenges (that had not previously been permitted) to an agency's 
application of reason codes to commercial activities performed by the 
government. 68 FR 32134, 32137-38 (May 29, 2003). OMB did not intend to 
restrict the availability of challenges to an agency's classification 
of an activity as inherently governmental or commercial.
    The use of the term ``reclassification'' in clause (a) of paragraph 
D.2. has created confusion in that it suggests that an interested party 
may not challenge an agency's determination that an activity is 
commercial or inherently governmental unless the determination has 
changed from prior years. Notwithstanding the wording of clause (a), 
OMB did not intend to impose such a limitation. Instead, OMB intended 
to continue to provide that interested parties may submit challenges to 
an activity's classification as commercial or as inherently 
governmental, and such challenges would include the reasons for the 
interested party's belief that an activity which the agency classified 
as ``commercial'' should be reclassified as inherently governmental or 
that an activity which the agency classified as ``inherently 
governmental'' should be reclassified as commercial (see 64 FR 33927, 
33930 (Appendix 2, Paragraph G.3) (June 24, 1999).
    By this notice, OMB is issuing a technical correction to clause (a) 
of Paragraph D.2. to avoid confusion and ensure the Circular's intent 
is clear regarding the ability of interested parties to file challenges 
to any classification of an activity as inherently governmental or 
commercial. This technical correction is intended to make clear that 
interested parties may challenge the inclusion or exclusion of an 
activity on the inventory, regardless of whether the activity's 
classification as commercial or inherently governmental has changed 
from the prior year or has remained the same.
    OMB believes that any confusion that may have been caused by clause 
(a) of paragraph D.2, as published on May 29th, should have no impact 
on interested parties in light of this correction. The time period for 
interested parties to file challenges to the 2002 inventories expired 
prior to the issuance of the May 29th revision and the time period for 
filing challenges to the 2003 inventories has not yet commenced (as the 
draft 2003 inventories have only been recently submitted to OMB for 
review).
    This technical correction notice makes no other changes to 
Paragraph D.2 (or any other part of the Circular). Accordingly, 
interested parties may challenge the application of reason codes, as 
provided by the May 29th revision to the Circular, but they may not 
challenge the application of function codes.

Joshua B. Bolten,
Director.

Memorandum for the Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies

From: Joshua B. Bolten, Director.
Subject: Technical Correction to OMB Circular No. A-76, ``Performance 
of Commercial Activities.''

    This memorandum is intended to advise you of a technical correction 
to paragraph D.2. of Attachment A of

[[Page 48962]]

Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular No. A-76. This provision 
addresses the submission of challenges by interested parties to 
inventories of the commercial and inherently governmental activities 
performed by agency personnel.
    Paragraph D.2. of Attachment A states, among other things, that an 
inventory challenge shall be limited to ``(a) the reclassification of 
an activity as inherently governmental or commercial, or (b) the 
application of reason codes.'' With respect to clause (a), OMB intends 
to permit interested parties to challenge the inclusion of an activity 
on, or exclusion of an activity from, an agency inventory, regardless 
of whether the activity's classification as commercial or inherently 
governmental has changed from the prior year or has remained the same. 
Accordingly, as was the case under the Circular in effect prior to the 
May 29th revisions, challenges may address classifications or 
reclassifications of activities as either commercial or inherently 
governmental.
    The attached technical correction to Paragraph D.2. is meant to 
avoid confusion and ensure OMB's intent is clear regarding the ability 
of an interested party to challenge the inclusion or exclusion of an 
activity. No other changes are made to Paragraph D.2 by this 
memorandum.
    Questions regarding this technical clarification may be addressed 
to Mathew Blum of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy at (202) 
395-4953.

Technical Correction to OMB Circular No. A-76 (Revised, May 29, 2003)

    1. Paragraph D.2. of Attachment A to Circular No. A-76 is revised 
to read as follows:

    2. Submission of an Inventory Challenge. After publication of 
OMB's Federal Register notice stating that an agency's inventories 
are available, an interested party shall have 30 working days to 
submit a written inventory challenge. The inventory challenge shall 
be limited to (a) the classification of an activity as inherently 
governmental or commercial, or (b) the application of reason codes. 
Function codes shall not be subject to the inventory challenge 
process. A written inventory challenge shall be submitted to agency 
inventory challenge authorities and shall specify the agency, agency 
component, agency organization, function(s), and location(s) for the 
activities being challenged.

[FR Doc. 03-20939 Filed 8-14-03; 8:45 am]
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