[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 182 (Wednesday, September 19, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58102-58103]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-23134]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION

NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION

[OMB Control No. 9000-0061 Docket 2012-0076; Sequence 9]


Federal Acquisition Regulation; Submission for OMB Review; 
Transportation Requirements

AGENCY: 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.

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SUMMARY: Under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act, the 
Regulatory Secretariat will be submitting to the Office of Management 
and Budget (OMB) a request to review and approve an extension of a 
previously approved information collection requirement concerning 
Transportation Requirements. A notice was published in the Federal 
Register at 77 FR 24713, on April 25, 2012. One respondent submitted 
comments.
    Public comments are particularly invited on: Whether this 
collection of information is necessary; whether it will have practical 
utility; whether our estimate of the public burden of this collection 
of information is accurate, and based on valid assumptions and 
methodology; ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and ways in which we can minimize the 
burden of the collection of information on those who are to respond, 
through the use of appropriate technological collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology.

DATES: Submit comments on or before October 19, 2012.

ADDRESSES: Submit comments identified by Information Collection 9000-
0061, Transportation Requirements, by any of the following methods:
     Regulations.gov: http://www.regulations.gov.
    Submit comments via the Federal eRulemaking portal by inputting the 
OMB Control number. Select the link ``Submit a Comment'' that 
corresponds with ``Information Collection 9000-0061, Transportation 
Requirements''. Follow the instructions provided at the ``Submit a 
Comment'' screen. Please include your name, company name (if any), and 
``Information Collection 9000-0061, Transportation Requirements'' on 
your attached document.
     Fax: 202-501-4067.
     Mail: General Services Administration, Regulatory 
Secretariat (MVCB), 1275 First Street NE., Washington, DC 20417. ATTN: 
Hada Flowers/IC 9000-0061, Transportation Requirements.
    Instructions: Please submit comments only and cite Information 
Collection 9000-0061, Transportation Requirements, in all 
correspondence related to this collection. All comments received will 
be posted without change to http://www.regulations.gov, including any 
personal and/or business confidential information provided.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Curtis E. Glover, Sr., Procurement 
Analyst, Office of Governmentwide Acquisition Policy, GSA (202) 501-
1448 or via email @ [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Purpose

    FAR Part 47 contains policies and procedures for applying 
transportation and traffic management considerations in the acquisition 
of supplies. The FAR part also contains policies and procedures when 
acquiring transportation or transportation-related services. Generally, 
contracts involving transportation require information regarding the 
nature of the supplies, method of shipment, place and time of shipment, 
applicable charges, marking of shipments, shipping documents and other 
related items. Contractors are required to provide the information in 
accordance with the following FAR Part 47 clauses: 52.247-29 through 
52.247-44, 52.247-48, 52.247-52, and 52.247-64. The information is used 
to ensure that: (1) Acquisitions are made on the basis most 
advantageous to the Government and; (2) supplies arrive in good order 
and condition, and on time at the required place.

II. Analysis of Public Comments

    One respondent submitted public comments on the extension of the 
previously approved information collection. The analysis of the public 
comments is summarized as follows:
    Comment: The respondent commented that the extension of the 
information collection would violate the fundamental purposes of the 
Paperwork Reduction Act because of the burden it puts on the entity 
submitting the information and the agency collecting the information.
    Response: In accordance with the Paperwork Required Act (PRA), 
agencies can request an OMB approval

[[Page 58103]]

of an existing information collection. The PRA requires that agencies 
use the Federal Register notice and comment process, to extend the 
OMB's approval, at least every three years. This extension, to a 
previously approved information collection, pertains to FAR Part 47, 
and the clauses 52.247-29 through 52.247-44, 52.247-48, 52.247-52, and 
52.247-64. The purpose of this part is to (1) apply transportation and 
traffic management considerations in the acquisition of supplies, and 
(2) to acquire transportation or transportation-related services by 
contract methods other than bills of lading, transportation requests, 
transportation warrants, and similar transportation forms. The 
Government must ensure that instructions to contractors result in the 
most efficient and economical use of transportation services and 
equipment. These clauses are mandatory depending on the method of 
transportation used, and they provide the Government the assurance that 
it will receive the supplies in the agreed condition, and at the proper 
destination. Not granting this extension would consequently eliminate 
the Government's ability to receive supplies in good order and 
condition, as well as receive the supplies in a timely manner.
    Comment: The respondent commented that the agency did not 
accurately estimate the public burden challenging that the agency's 
methodology for calculating it is insufficient and inadequate and does 
not reflect the total burden. For this reason, the respondent provided 
that the agency should reassess the estimated total burden hours and 
revise the estimate upwards to be more accurate, as was done in FAR 
Case 2007-006. The same respondent also provided that the burden of 
compliance with the information collection requirement greatly exceeds 
the agency's estimate and outweighs any potential utility of the 
extension.
    Response: Serious consideration is given, during the open comment 
period, to all comments received and adjustments are made to the 
paperwork burden estimate based on reasonable considerations provided 
by the public. This is evidenced, as the respondent notes, in FAR Case 
2007-006 where an adjustment was made from the total preparation hours 
from three to 60. This change was made considering particularly the 
hours that would be required for review within the company, prior to 
release to the Government.
    The burden is prepared taking into consideration the necessary 
criteria in OMB guidance for estimating the paperwork burden put on the 
entity submitting the information. For example, consideration is given 
to an entity reviewing instructions; using technology to collect, 
process, and disclose information; adjusting existing practices to 
comply with requirements; searching data sources; completing and 
reviewing the response; and transmitting or disclosing information. The 
estimated burden hours for a collection are based on an average between 
the hours that a simple disclosure by a very small business might 
require and the much higher numbers that might be required for a very 
complex disclosure by a major corporation. Also, the estimated burden 
hours should only include projected hours for those actions which a 
company would not undertake in the normal course of business. Careful 
consideration went into assessing the estimated burden hours for this 
collection, and it was determined that an upward adjustment was 
warranted. At any point, members of the public may submit comments for 
further consideration, and are encouraged to provide data to support 
their request for an adjustment.

III. Annual Reporting Burden

    There is no centralized database system that maintains statistics 
on the information regarding the nature of the supplies, method of 
shipments, place and time of shipment, applicable charges, marking of 
shipments, shipping documents, and other related items; however, based 
on input from subject matter experts within the Federal Government, an 
upward adjustment is being made to the estimated annual reporting 
burden since the notice regarding an extension to this clearance 
published in the Federal Register at 74 FR 23406 on May 19, 2009. The 
upward adjustment is due to an estimated increase in the number of 
responses per respondents from 21.32 to 22, and an increase in the 
average hours per response from .048 to .05.
    Respondents: 65,000.
    Responses per Respondent: 22.
    Annual Responses: 1,430,000.
    Hours per Response: .05.
    Total Burden Hours: 71,500.

Obtaining Copies of Proposals

    Requesters may obtain a copy of the information collection 
documents from the General Services Administration, Regulatory 
Secretariat Division (MVCB), 1275 First Street NE., Washington, DC 
20417, telephone (202) 501-4755. Please cite OMB Control No. 9000-0061, 
Transportation Requirements, in all correspondence.

    Dated: September 13, 2012.
William Clark,
Acting Director, Federal Acquisition Policy Division, Office of 
Governmentwide Acquisition Policy, Office of Acquisition Policy, Office 
of Governmentwide Policy.
[FR Doc. 2012-23134 Filed 9-18-12; 8:45 am]
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