[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 182 (Wednesday, September 19, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58103-58104]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-23139]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION

NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION

[OMB Control No. 9000-0079; Docket 2012-0076; Sequence 13]


Federal Acquisition Regulation; Submission for OMB Review; 
Corporate Aircraft Costs

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 
corporate aircraft costs. A notice was published in the Federal 
Register at 77 FR 20012, on April 3, 2012. One respondent submitted 
comments.
    Public comments are particularly invited on: Whether this 
collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of 
functions of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), and 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-
0079, Corporate Aircraft Costs, by any of the following methods:

[[Page 58104]]

     Regulations.gov: http://www.regulations.gov. Submit 
comments via the Federal eRulemaking portal by searching the OMB 
control number. Select the link ``Submit a Comment'' that corresponds 
with ``Information Collection 9000-0079, Corporate Aircraft Costs''. 
Follow the instructions provided at the ``Submit a Comment'' screen. 
Please include your name, company name (if any), and ``Information 
Collection 9000-0079, Corporate Aircraft Costs'' 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 9000-0079, Corporate Aircraft Costs.
    Instructions: Please submit comments only and cite Information 
Collection 9000-0079, Corporate Aircraft Costs, 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. Edward N. Chambers, Contract 
Policy Division, GSA, (202) 501-3221 or via email 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

A. Purpose

    Government contractors that use company aircraft must maintain logs 
of flights containing specified information (e.g., destination, 
passenger name, purpose of trip, etc.). This information, as required 
by FAR 31.205-46, Travel Costs, is used to ensure that costs of owned, 
leased, or chartered aircraft are properly charged against Government 
contracts and that directly associated costs of unallowable activities 
are not charged to such contracts.

B. 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 Reduction Act (PRA), 
agencies can request OMB approval of an existing information 
collection. The PRA requires that agencies use the Federal Register 
notice and comment process, to extend OMB's approval, at least every 
three years. This extension, to a previously approved information 
collection, pertains to documentation requirements under the cost 
principle at FAR 31.205-46. This documentation is necessary to ensure 
that the cost of owned, chartered, or leased aircraft are properly 
charged against Government contracts and that directly associated costs 
of unallowable activities are not charged to Government contracts. 
Documentation regarding (1) date, time, and points of departure, (2) 
destination and time of arrival, and (3) name of each passenger, is 
already required under Federal Aviation Administration regulations. As 
such, the documentation required at FAR 31.205-46 places a small burden 
on Government contractors. Not granting this extension may result in 
improper charges against Government contracts for flights on contractor 
aircraft.
    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 is determined that an upward adjustment is not 
required at this time. The historical estimates remain valid. However, 
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.

C. Annual Reporting Burden

    Number of Respondents: 3,000.
    Responses Per Respondent: 1.
    Total Responses: 3,000.
    Average Burden per Response: 6 hours.
    Total Burden Hours: 18,000.
    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. 9000-0079, Corporate Aircraft Costs, in all 
correspondence.

    Dated: September 13, 2012.
William Clark,
Acting Director, Federal Acquisition Policy Division, Office of 
Acquisition Policy, Office of Governmentwide Policy.
[FR Doc. 2012-23139 Filed 9-18-12; 8:45 am]
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