[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 32 (Friday, February 15, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11188-11189]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-03558]


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GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION

[OMB Control No. 3090-0246; Docket 2012-0001 Sequence 15]


General Services Administration Regulation; Submission for OMB 
Review; Packing List Clause

AGENCY: Office of Acquisition Policy, GSA.

ACTION: Notice of request for an extension of a information collection 
requirement for 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 regarding the 
packing list clause. A notice was published in the Federal Register at 
77 FR 66466, on November 5, 2012. One respondent submitted comments.

DATES: Submit comments on or before: March 18, 2013.

ADDRESSES: Submit comments identified by Information Collection 3090-
0246, Packing List Clause, by any of the following methods:
     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 3090-0246, Packing List 
Clause''. Follow the instructions provided at the ``Submit a Comment'' 
screen. Please include your name, company name (if any), and 
``Information Collection 3090-0246, Packing List Clause'' 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 3090-0246, Packing List Clause.
    Instructions: Please submit comments only and cite Information 
Collection 3090-0246, Packing List Clause, 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: Deborah Eble, Procurement Analyst, GSA 
Policy Integrity Workforce, by telephone (215) 446-5823 or via email at 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

A. Purpose

    GSAR clause 552.211-77, Packing List, requires a contractor to 
include a packing list or other suitable document that verifies 
placement of an order and identifies the items shipped. In addition to 
information contractors would normally include on packing lists, the 
identification of cardholder name, telephone number and the term 
``Credit Card'' is required.

B. Discussion and Analysis

    One respondent submitted comments on the extension of the 
previously approved information collection,

[[Page 11189]]

specifically questioning the government's calculation of the public 
burden.
    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. 
The respondent opposes granting the extension of the information 
collection requirement.
    Response: In accordance with the Paperwork 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 the OMB's approval every three years. This extension 
to a previously approved information collection pertains to the 
provision at GSAR 552.211-77, Packing List, which requires contractors 
to include a packing list that verifies the placement of the order and 
identifies the items shipped, a normal commercial practice. In addition 
to the information contractors would normally include on packing lists, 
the government requires identification of the name of the government 
credit cardholder, telephone number and the term ``Credit Card'' on the 
packing list in supply contracts.
    The purpose of the information collection is to facilitate 
administration of government credit card purchases. Often the 
government credit cardholder is different from the consignee receiving 
shipment of the supplies. Providing the additional information ensures 
the recipient of the packing list, the consignee, notifies the 
government credit cardholder that the shipment has been received. Once 
the notification of successful shipment has been received, the 
cardholder can then authorize payment. This feedback is essential for 
the cardholder to reconcile his/her monthly statements. This is 
especially important if the micropurchase threshold is raised to 
support a contingency operation declaration under FAR subpart 18.2. Not 
granting this extension would increase costs to the Government during 
the reconciliation process and may delay payments to contractors for 
shipments of supplies received.
    Comment: The respondent challenged the estimates used by the agency 
to calculate the public burden, stating that the burden was 
insufficient and inadequate to reflect the actual total burden. 
Specifically, the respondent noted that it was unclear as to how the 
estimated 4,000 information collection respondents were derived and the 
estimated number of packing lists in a given year. Therefore, the 
respondent stated the agency should utilize actual data from the last 
fiscal year or an estimate of the last three to five fiscal years, 
reassess the estimated burden, and revise it upwards to be more 
accurate as was done in FAR Case 2007-006. The respondent also found 
the ``less than one minute per response estimate'' to be 
unrealistically low stating the burden requires creating the packing 
list.
    Response: Serious consideration is given during the open comment 
period to all comments received and adjustments are made to the 
paperwork burden estimate when necessary. 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. Consideration is given to an entity in reviewing the 
instruction; 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. Estimated burden hours only 
include those actions that exceed those a company would take in the 
normal course of business.
    Careful consideration went into assessing the burden for this 
collection. Packing lists accompanying shipments of supplies are 
customary in the normal course of business, including the information 
listed in paragraph (a) of clause 552.211-77. The public burden is 
limited to the annotation on the packing list the name and telephone 
number of the government credit cardholder and the phrase ``Credit 
Card.''
    While there is no centralized database for the collection of the 
packing lists in a fiscal year, the agency found the respondent's 
suggestion to use actual data reasonable to calculate the public 
burden. The annual reporting burden was revised, using actual data from 
the government-wide Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS) for Fiscal 
Year (FY) 2012. Two types of actions were analyzed: GSA actions for 
supplies where the method of payment was made by government credit 
card; and, non-GSA actions for supplies where both payment was by a 
government credit card and a GSA indefinite delivery contract for 
supplies was referenced. Average costs were derived in order for the 
government to estimate the number of packing slips per order. Thus, an 
adjustment is made to the annual reporting burden after review of the 
methodology for computing the number of respondents and packing lists 
in a given year and the estimated hours per response.
    The government agreed with the respondent that the time per 
response did not allow for review and transmission of the government 
credit cardholder's name and telephone number and the phrase ``Credit 
Card'' into its packing list system and adjusted the burden 
accordingly.
    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 Burdens

    Respondents: 9,919.
    Responses per Respondent: 13.
    Hours per Response: .05.
    Total Burden Hours: 6447.
    Obtaining Copies of Proposals: Requesters may obtain a copy of the 
information collection documents from the General Services 
Administration, Regulatory Secretariat (MVCB), 1275 First Street NE., 
Washington, DC 20417, telephone (202) 501-4755. Please cite OMB Control 
No. 3090-0246, Packing List Clause, in all correspondence.

    Dated: February 8, 2013.
Joseph A Neurauter,
Director, Office of Acquisition Policy, Senior Procurement Executive.
[FR Doc. 2013-03558 Filed 2-14-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6820-61-P