[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 54 (Thursday, March 20, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15591-15592]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-06120]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION

NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION

[OMB Control No. 9000-0134; Docket 2014-0055; Sequence 10]


Federal Acquisition Regulation; Information Collection; 
Environmentally Sound Products

AGENCIES: 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.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: Under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 
chapter 35), the Regulatory Secretariat Division (MVCB) 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 environmentally sound products.

DATES: Submit comments on or before May 19, 2014.

ADDRESSES: Submit comments identified by Information Collection

[[Page 15592]]

9000-0134, Environmentally Sound Products, 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 9000-0134. Select the link ``Comment Now'' that 
corresponds with ``Information Collection 9000-0134, Environmentally 
Sound Products''. Follow the instructions provided on the screen. 
Please include your name, company name (if any), and ``Information 
Collection 9000-0134, Environmentally Sound Products'' on your attached 
document.
     Fax: 202-501-4067.
     Mail: General Services Administration, Regulatory 
Secretariat Division (MVCB), 1800 F Street NW., Washington, DC 20405. 
ATTN: Hada Flowers/IC 9000-0134, Environmentally Sound Products.
    Instructions: Please submit comments only and cite Information 
Collection 9000-0134, Environmentally Sound Products, 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: Ms. Marissa Petrusek, Procurement 
Analyst, Governmentwide Acquisition Policy, GSA, 202-501-0136 or 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

A. Purpose

    This information collection complies with Section 6002 of the 
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) (42 U.S.C. 6962). RCRA 
requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to designate items 
which are or can be produced with recovered materials. RCRA further 
requires agencies to develop affirmative procurement programs to ensure 
that items composed of recovered materials will be purchased to the 
maximum extent practicable. Affirmative procurement programs required 
under RCRA must contain, as a minimum (1) a recovered materials 
preference program and an agency promotion program for the preference 
program; (2) a program for requiring estimates of the total percentage 
of recovered materials used in the performance of a contract, 
certification of minimum recovered material content actually used, 
where appropriate, and reasonable verification procedures for estimates 
and certifications; and (3) annual review and monitoring of the 
effectiveness of an agency's affirmative procurement program.
    The items for which EPA has designated minimum recovered material 
content standards are grouped into eight categories: (1) Construction 
products, (2) landscaping products, (3) nonpaper office products, (4) 
paper and paper products, (5) park and recreation products, (6) 
transportation products, (7) vehicular products, and (8) miscellaneous 
products. The FAR rule also permits agencies to obtain pre-award 
information from offerors regarding the content of items which the 
agency has designated as requiring minimum percentages of recovered 
materials.
    In accordance with RCRA, the information collection applies to 
acquisitions requiring minimum percentages of recovered materials, when 
the price of the item exceeds $10,000 or when the aggregate amount paid 
for the item or functionally equivalent items in the preceding fiscal 
year was $10,000 or more.
    Contracting officers use the information to verify offeror/
contractor compliance with solicitation and contract requirements 
regarding the use of recovered materials. Additionally, agencies use 
the information in the annual review and monitoring of the 
effectiveness of the affirmative procurement programs required by RCRA.

B. Annual Reporting Burden

    A reassessment of the recovered material provision, FAR 52.223-4, 
and clause, FAR 52.223-9, was preformed. Based on the comprehensive 
reassessment performed, this information collection resulted in a small 
increase in the total burden hours from the previous information 
collection that was published in the Federal Register at 76 FR 40368 on 
July 08, 2011. The increase is likely a result of increased awareness 
about green purchasing across the Federal Government. The Federal 
Procurement Data System (FPDS) was searched to determine the use of the 
provision and clause using element 8L Recovered Materials/
Sustainability for Fiscal Year 2013. No public comments were received 
in prior years that have challenged the validity of the Government's 
estimate. Updates were made to the average wages and overhead based on 
Fiscal Year 2013 Office of Personnel Management and Office of 
Management and Budget rates.
    Respondents: 588.
    Responses per Respondent: 75.5.
    Annual Responses: 44,394.
    Hours per Response: .5.
    Total Burden Hours: 22,197.
    Obtaining Copies of Proposals: Requesters may obtain a copy of the 
information collection documents from the General Services 
Administration, Regulatory Secretariat Division (MVCB), 1800 F Street 
NW., Washington, DC 20405, telephone 202-501-4755. Please cite OMB 
control No. 9000-0134, Environmentally Sound Products, in all 
correspondence.

    Dated: March 14, 2014.
Karlos Morgan,
Acting Director, Federal Acquisition Policy Division, Office of 
Government-wide Acquisition Policy, Office of Acquisition Policy, 
Office of Government-wide Policy.
[FR Doc. 2014-06120 Filed 3-19-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6820-EP-P