[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 121 (Tuesday, June 24, 2014)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 35867-35868]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-14377]
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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
48 CFR Chapter 1
[Docket No. FAR 2014-0052, Sequence No. 3]
Federal Acquisition Regulation; Federal Acquisition Circular
2005-75; Small Entity Compliance Guide
AGENCY: Department of Defense (DoD), General Services Administration
(GSA), and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
ACTION: Small Entity Compliance Guide.
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SUMMARY: This document is issued under the joint authority of DOD, GSA,
and NASA. This Small Entity Compliance Guide has been prepared in
accordance with section 212 of the Small Business Regulatory
Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996. It consists of a summary of the rules
appearing in Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) 2005-75, which amends
the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR). An asterisk (*) next to a
rule indicates that a regulatory flexibility analysis has been
prepared. Interested parties may obtain further information regarding
these rules by referring to FAC 2005-75, which precedes this document.
These documents are also available via the Internet at http://www.regulations.gov.
DATES: June 24, 2014.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For clarification of content, contact
the analyst whose name appears in the table below. Please cite FAC
2005-75 and the FAR case number. For information pertaining to status
or publication schedules, contact the Regulatory Secretariat at 202-
501-4755.
Rules Listed in FAC 2005-75
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Item Subject FAR Case Analyst
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*I.................................. EPEAT Items (Interim)........... 2013-016 Chambers.
*II................................. Contracting with Women-Owned 2013-010 Morgan.
Small Business Concerns.
*III................................ Limitation on Allowable 2014-012 Chambers.
Government Contractor
Compensation Costs (Interim).
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[[Page 35868]]
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Summaries for each FAR rule follow. For the
actual revisions and/or amendments made by these rules, refer to the
specific item numbers and subjects set forth in the documents following
these item summaries. FAC 2005-75 amends the FAR as specified below:
Item I--EPEAT Items (FAR Case 2013-016) (Interim)
This interim rule implements changes in the Electronic Product
Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT[supreg])-registry requirements at
FAR subpart 23.7. The FAR requirement to procure EPEAT[supreg]-
registered products is revised to incorporate the revised standard
applicable to personal computer products and to add the standards for
imaging equipment and televisions.
Item II--Contracting with Women-Owned Small Business Concerns (FAR Case
2013-010)
This final rule adopts as final, without change, an interim rule
that amended FAR 19.1505 to remove the dollar limitation for set-asides
for economically disadvantaged women-owned small business (EDWOSB)
concerns or women-owned small business (WOSB) concerns eligible under
the Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) Program. The interim rule
implemented section 1697 of the National Defense Authorization Act for
Fiscal Year 2013, Public Law 112-239, which amended section 8(m) of the
Small Business Act, (15 U.S.C. 637(m)).
As a result of this change, contracting officers may set aside
acquisitions for competition restricted to EDWOSB concerns or WOSB
concerns eligible under the WOSB Program at any dollar level above the
micro-purchase threshold, provided the other requirements for a set-
aside under the WOSB Program are met.
Item III--Limitation on Allowable Government Contractor Compensation
Costs (FAR Case 2014-012) (Interim)
This interim rule amends the FAR to implement section 702 of the
Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013. In accordance with section 702, this
interim rule revises the allowable cost limit relative to the
compensation of contractor and subcontractor employees. In the current
FAR, this limitation on the allowability of compensation is an amount
set annually by the Office of Federal Procurement Policy and covers all
Federal agencies; it is currently $952,308. Under this interim rule,
this limitation on a contractor's employee's compensation will be
$487,000, adjusted annually to reflect the change in the Employment
Cost Index for all workers as calculated by the Bureau of Labor
Statistics. Also, in accordance with section 702, this interim rule
implements the possible exception to this allowable cost limit for
scientists, engineers, or other specialists upon an agency
determination that such exceptions are needed to ensure that the
executive agency has continued access to needed skills and
capabilities. Because most contracts awarded to small businesses are
awarded on a fixed-price basis, the impact of this compensation
limitation on small businesses will be minimal.
Dated: June 13, 2014.
William Clark,
Acting Director, Office of Government-Wide Acquisition Policy, Office
of Acquisition Policy, Office of Government-Wide Policy.
[FR Doc. 2014-14377 Filed 6-23-14; 8:45 am]
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