[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 193 (Monday, October 6, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Page 60178]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-23688]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

[Docket No. DHS-2014-0050]


Agency Information Collection Activities: Regulation on Agency 
Protests

AGENCY: Office of Chief Procurement Officer, Acquisition Policy and 
Legislation Office, DHS.

ACTION: 60-day notice and request for comments; extension without 
change, 1600-0004.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Homeland Security, Office of Chief 
Procurement Officer, Acquisition Policy and Legislation Office, will 
submit the following Information Collection Request (ICR) to the Office 
of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and clearance in accordance 
with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-13, 44 U.S.C. 
Chapter 35).

DATES: Comments are encouraged and will be accepted until December 5, 
2014. This process is conducted in accordance with 5 CFR 1320.1.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by docket number DHS-
2014-0050, by one of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. 
Please follow the instructions for submitting comments.
     Email: [email protected]. Please include docket number 
DHS-2014-0050 in the subject line of the message.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR); 48 
CFR Chapter 1 provides general procedures on handling protests 
submitted by contractors to federal agencies. This regulation provides 
detailed guidance for contractors doing business with acquisition 
offices within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to implement 
the FAR. FAR Part 33.103, Protests, Disputes, and Appeals prescribe 
policies and procedures for filing protests and for processing contract 
disputes and appeals.
    DHS will not be asking for anything outside of what is already 
required in the FAR. Should anything outside the FAR arise, DHS will 
submit a request for Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval. 
The prior information collection request for OMB No. 1600-004 was 
approved through May 31, 2014 by OMB in a Notice of OMB Action.
    The information being collected will be obtained from contractors 
as part of their submissions whenever they file a bid protest with the 
Department's Components. The information will be used by DHS officials 
in deciding how the protest should be resolved. Failure to collect this 
information would result in delayed resolution of agency protests.
    According to Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS), the number of 
protest has increased each year over the past two years in annual 
respondent and burden hours. This increase in current protest activity 
is not the result of a deliberate program change, but from a new 
estimate of actions that are not controllable by the Federal 
government. Although, the number of protests has increased, there has 
not been any change in the information being collected.
    The Office of Management and Budget is particularly interested in 
comments which:
    1. Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is 
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, 
including whether the information will have practical utility;
    2. Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of 
the proposed collection of information, including the validity of the 
methodology and assumptions used;
    3. Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to 
be collected; and
    4. Minimize the burden of the collection of information on those 
who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated, 
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic 
submissions of responses.

Analysis

    Agency: Office of Chief Procurement Officer, Acquisition Policy and 
Legislation Office, DHS.
    Title: Regulation on Agency Protests.
    OMB Number: 1600-0004.
    Frequency: Annually.
    Affected Public: Private Sector.
    Number of Respondents: 95.
    Estimated Time per Respondent: 2 hours.
    Total Burden Hours: 190.

    Dated: September 24, 2014.
Margaret H. Graves,
Deputy Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 2014-23688 Filed 10-3-14; 8:45 am]
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