[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 191 (Monday, October 3, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Page 68024]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-22118]


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

DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY


Request To Submit Invoices for Over-Age Firm-Fixed-Price 
Contracts

AGENCY: Office of the Chief Procurement Officer, DHS.

ACTION: Notice.

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

SUMMARY: The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) currently has 
contracts that are considered over-age, as the period of performance or 
final delivery date of these actions has expired and the time allowed 
for contract file closeout has elapsed. To clear the backlog of over-
age contracts, DHS developed procedures that would enable the Agency to 
closeout these elapsed actions in an efficient and cost effective 
manner. These procedures required the Agency to identify those expired 
contracts that could more easily be closed-out based on certain 
criteria that would deem them low-risk, such as firm-fixed-price 
contracts containing no outstanding issues and no invoice or payment 
activity within the past year. These contracts are listed at https://dhs.gov/publication/low-risk-closeout. To facilitate the closeout of 
these actions, DHS requests that contractors with contracts identified 
on this list submit any outstanding invoices to the cognizant DHS 
Component contracting activities within 60 days after the publication 
of this notice.

DATES: For the contract actions listed at https://dhs.gov/publication/low-risk-closeout, submit all outstanding invoices to the cognizant DHS 
Component contracting activities on or before December 2, 2016.

ADDRESSES: Go to https://dhs.gov/publication/low-risk-closeout for 
guidance on where to submit invoices.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Eric Cho, Office of the Chief 
Procurement Officer, Department of Homeland Security, 245 Murray Lane 
SW., Building 410, Washington, DC 20528, telephone: 202-447-0271; 
email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: DHS's contract closeout backlog not only 
poses a significant burden to various acquisition and financial 
systems, but it also impedes DHS's on-going efforts to strengthen and 
modernize its financial management practices. The procedures DHS 
developed to significantly reduce the number of expired contracts with 
unliquidated funds will enable DHS to expeditiously close these 
actions. DHS developed the procedures using risk-based management 
principles by first identifying and classifying open, expired contracts 
as low-risk based on the following criteria: (i) The contract is firm-
fixed-price; (ii) the contract expired and the additional time allowed 
for contract file closeout under Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 
4.804-1(a) has elapsed; and (iii) the contract had no invoice or 
payment activity within the past 12 months.
    Notwithstanding DHS's intention to expeditiously closeout the 
actions identified at the aforementioned list, contractors' rights are 
protected under 41 U.S.C. chapter 71 Contract Disputes (commonly known 
as the Contract Disputes Act of 1978), which establishes procedures for 
filing claims against Federal Government contracts. Normal contract 
file retention requirements will apply after closeouts (See FAR 4.805, 
Storage, handling, and disposal of contract files.) This notice will 
also be published to FedBizOpps.

     Dated: September 8, 2016.
Soraya Correa,
Chief Procurement Officer.
Chip Fulghum,
Deputy Under Secretary for Management and Chief Financial Officer.
[FR Doc. 2016-22118 Filed 9-30-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 9110-9B-P