[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 58 (Tuesday, March 25, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15719-15720]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-5986]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Farm Service Agency

Commodity Credit Corporation


Information Collection: Long Term Contracting System (LTCS)

AGENCY: Farm Service Agency and Commodity Credit Corporation, USDA.

ACTION: Notice; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), 
the Farm Service Agency and Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) at 
Kansas City Commodity Office (KCCO) are seeking comments from all 
interested individuals and organizations on an extension with revision 
of a currently approved information collection associated with the Long 
Term Contracting System. This collection is necessary for the 
procurement of agricultural commodities by KCCO for domestic feeding 
programs. Vendors bidding on long-term invitations complete and submit 
their offers on-line through the Long Term Contracting System (LTCS), 
which records the system date/time that the offer was submitted and 
ensures that the data remains secured within the system until bid 
opening time.

DATES: Comments on this notice must be received on or before May 27, 
2008 to be assured consideration.

[[Page 15720]]


ADDRESSES: We invite you to submit comments on this notice. In your 
comment, include date and page number of this issue of the Federal 
Register. You may submit comments by any of the following methods:
    E-mail: Send comments to: [email protected].
    Fax: (816) 926-1648.
    Mail: Khristy Baughman, Chief, Business Operations Support 
Division, Kansas City Commodity Office (KCCO), P.O. Box 419205, Kansas 
City, Missouri 64141-0205.
    Comments also should be sent to the Office of Information and 
Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, Desk Officer for 
USDA, Washington, DC 20503.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Khristy Baughman, Chief, Business 
Operations Support Division, phone (816) 926-1200.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title: Long Term Contracting System (LTCS).
    OMB Number: 0560-0249.
    Type of Request: Extension with revisions.
    Abstract: The Long Term Contracting System (LTCS) is a Web-based 
application that streamlines the bid entry and evaluation functions for 
Long-Term, Indefinite-Delivery, Indefinite-Quantity (IDIQ) contracts. 
KCCO will generally issue invitations for bids to purchase commodities 
for domestic feeding programs on an annual, semi-annual, quarterly, or 
monthly basis; however, invitations may be issued more frequently, 
depending on various program requirements. Bid offers are received, 
evaluated, and awarded within the LTCS. Interested vendors submit a 
price per destination for each product, along with their available 
capacities per delivery period/month, and their answers to specific 
certification questions. The information collected is processed through 
the LTCS bid evaluation program to determine optimal awards. KCCO will 
analyze the results of the bid evaluation and award contracts to the 
eligible, responsible and responsive bidders whose offers are most 
advantageous to USDA in terms of the lowest overall cost. It is 
necessary to collect this information in order to evaluate bids 
impartially. The LTCS automatically ties together monthly allocation 
contracts with the applicable long-term contract, and since LTCS will 
access real-time data, users are able to access up-to-the-minute 
contract award information. Vendors can access LTCS on-line prior to 
bid opening time to submit, modify, or withdraw their offers. The 
automated process of LTCS significantly reduces the chance for errors 
in awards and reduces recordkeeping errors associated with the former 
manual process of tracking contract data.
    Estimate of Burden: Public reporting burden for collecting 
information under this notice is estimated to average 23 hours per 
response.
    Respondents: Interested vendors.
    Respondents: 20.
    Estimated Number of Annual Responses per Respondent: 2.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 920 hours.
    Comments are invited on:

(1) Whether the collection of information is necessary for the proper 
performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the 
information will have practical utility;
(2) The accuracy of the agency's estimate of burden including the 
validity of the methodology and assumptions used;
(3) Enhancing the quality, utility and clarity of the information 
collected; or
(4) Minimizing the burden of the collection of the information on those 
who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated, 
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology.
    All responses to this notice, including names and addresses when 
provided, will be a matter of public record. Comments will be 
summarized and included in the submission for Office of Management and 
Budget approval.

    Signed at Washington, DC, on March 19, 2008.
Teresa C. Lasseter,
Executive Vice President, Commodity Credit Corporation, Administrator, 
Farm Service Agency.
[FR Doc. E8-5986 Filed 3-24-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-05-P