[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 75 (Tuesday, April 19, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23074-23075]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-08990]


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

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Transit Administration

[Docket No. FTA-2016-0003]


Notice of Buy America Waiver for a Fall Arrest System

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration, DOT.

ACTION: Notice of Buy America waiver.

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

SUMMARY: In response to the request of the Indianapolis Public 
Transportation Corporation (IPTC) for a Buy America non-availability 
waiver for the

[[Page 23075]]

procurement of a Horizontal Lifeline Fall Protection Maintenance Tie 
Back System (System), the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) hereby 
waives its Buy America requirements, finding that the materials for 
which the waiver is requested are not produced in the United States in 
sufficient and reasonably available quantities and of satisfactory 
quality. This waiver is limited to a single procurement by IPTC for the 
System.

DATES: This waiver is effective immediately.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Laura Ames, FTA Attorney-Advisor, at 
(202) 366-2743 or [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The purpose of this notice is to announce 
that FTA has granted a Buy America non-availability waiver for IPTC for 
the procurement of a Horizontal Lifeline Fall Protection Maintenance 
Tie Back System under 49 U.S.C. 5323(j)(2)(B) and 49 CFR 661.7(c).
    With certain exceptions, FTA's Buy America requirements prevent FTA 
from obligating an amount that may be appropriated to carry out its 
program for a project unless ``the steel, iron, and manufactured goods 
used in the project are produced in the United States.'' 49 U.S.C. 
5323(j)(1). A manufactured product is considered produced in the United 
States if: (1) All of the manufacturing processes for the product take 
place in the United States; and (2) all of the components of the 
product are of U.S. origin. A component is considered of U.S. origin if 
it is manufactured in the United States, regardless of the origin of 
its subcomponents. 49 CFR 661.5(d). If, however, FTA determines that 
``the steel, iron, and goods produced in the United States are not 
produced in a sufficient and reasonably available amount or are not of 
a satisfactory quality,'' then FTA may issue a non-availability waiver. 
49 U.S.C. 5323(j)(2)(B); 49 CFR 661.7(c). ``It will be presumed that 
the conditions exist to grant this non-availability waiver if no 
responsive and responsible bid is received offering an item produced in 
the United States.'' 49 CFR 661.7(c)(1).
    IPTC is constructing a Downtown Transit Center (DTC) in 
Indianapolis, Indiana, that will serve as the hub for public transit. 
It will include a large indoor public waiting area and bus bays while 
serving pedestrians, cyclists, and bus riders. Per Occupational Safety 
and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations, IPTC is required to 
provide fall protection for employees performing maintenance on the new 
building. IPTC entered into a contract with Weddle Bros. Building Group 
(WBBG) in early September 2014 for the construction of the DTC. WBBG 
certified in good faith that it would comply with Buy America. As part 
of the project, IPTC issued an RFP for the complete design, supply, and 
installation of a fall protection maintenance tie-back system to 
safeguard personnel to include all cable, intermediate brackets, end 
terminations, and modifications of structural steel as required for 
supplementary support of stanchions, user equipment, and attachment to 
roof structure for a complete and working fall protection maintenance 
tie-back system.
    Two firms, American Anchor and Pro-Bel Group, responded to the RFP, 
but did not certify compliance with the Buy America regulations. The 
cables and tensioning system are not manufactured domestically for Pro-
Bel. The hands-free set ups are not manufactured domestically for 
American Anchor. IPTC submitted a waiver request based on non-
availability under 49 CFR 661.7(c). FTA also conducted a scouting 
search for the fall arrest system through its Interagency Agreement 
with the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Institute of Standards 
and Technology (NIST). The scouting search did not identify a domestic 
manufacturer of a system that met IPTC's specifications.
    On Tuesday March 22, 2016, and in accordance with 49 U.S.C. 
5323(j)(3)(A), FTA published a notice in the Federal Register 
announcing the Buy America waiver request (81 FR 15411), seeking 
comment from all interested parties, including potential vendors and 
suppliers. The comment period closed on March 29, 2016, and no comments 
were received.
    Therefore, based on the information supplied in support of IPTC's 
request for a Buy America waiver for the System, including NIST's 
inability to locate a domestic manufacturer that currently produces a 
similar system and the lack of any comments, FTA hereby waives its Buy 
America requirements for the Horizontal Lifeline Fall Protection 
Maintenance Tie Back System on the grounds that the manufactured 
product is not available in the U.S. This waiver is limited to a single 
procurement for the Horizontal Lifeline Fall Protection Maintenance Tie 
Back System by IPTC.

     Issued on April 14, 2016.
Dana Nifosi,
Deputy Chief Counsel.
[FR Doc. 2016-08990 Filed 4-18-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4910-57-P