[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 242 (Tuesday, December 21, 2021)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 72193-72194]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-27444]


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GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION

48 CFR Part 536

[GSAR Case 2015-G505; Docket No. GSA-GSAR 2021-0029; Sequence No. 1]
RIN 3090-AJ65


General Services Administration Acquisition Regulation (GSAR); 
Architect-Engineer Selection Procedures

AGENCY: Office of Acquisition Policy, General Services Administration 
(GSA).

ACTION: Final rule.

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SUMMARY: The General Services Administration (GSA) is issuing a final 
rule amending the General Services Administration Acquisition 
Regulation (GSAR) to remove text from the GSAR regarding internal 
architect-engineer selection procedures and move it into the General 
Services Administration Acquisition Manual (GSAM).

DATES: Effective January 20, 2022.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Liam Skinner or Mr. Bryon Boyer at 
817-850-5580 or [email protected], for clarification of content. For

[[Page 72194]]

information pertaining to status or publication schedules, contact the 
Regulatory Secretariat at 202-501-4755. Please cite GSAR Case 2015-
G505.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    As part of GSA's regulatory reform efforts, GSA identified internal 
agency guidance on architect/engineer selection procedures in the 
General Services Administration Acquisition Regulation (GSAR) that are 
non-regulatory. The on-going clean up of the GSAR presents the 
opportunity to move this text into internal agency acquisition 
guidance, the General Services Administration Acquisition Manual 
(GSAM). Thus, the Fall 2017 edition of the Unified Agenda of Federal 
Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions in the Federal Register at 83 FR 
1664 on January 12, 2018, notes GSA's intention to publish a final rule 
in the Federal Register to remove this language from the GSAR and add 
it to the non-regulatory GSAM.

II. Authority for This Rulemaking

    Title 40 of the United States Code (U.S.C.) Section 121 authorizes 
GSA to issue regulations, including the GSAR, to control the 
relationship between GSA and contractors.

III. Discussion and Analysis

    Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 1.301(a)(2) provides an agency 
head the ability to issue or authorize the issuance of internal agency 
guidance at any organizational level (e.g., designations and 
delegations of authority, assignments of responsibilities, work-flow 
procedures, and internal reporting requirements). Furthermore, FAR 
1.301(b) states that publication for public comment is not required for 
issuances under FAR 1.301(a)(2).
    GSA's implementation and supplementation of the FAR is issued in 
the GSAM, which includes the GSAR. The GSAR contains policies and 
procedures that have a significant effect beyond the internal operating 
procedures of GSA or a significant effect beyond the internal operating 
procedures of GSA or a significant cost or administrative impact on 
contractors or offerors (see FAR 1.301(b)). Relevant procedures, 
guidance, instruction, and information that do not meet this criteria 
are issued through the non-regulatory portion of the GSAM and other GSA 
publications.
    As a part of GSA's comprehensive review of its regulatory 
requirements in the GSAR, internal agency guidance was identified 
within GSAR Part 536 that could be moved to GSA's non-regulatory 
acquisition policy of the GSAM. This internal guidance does not have a 
significant effect beyond the internal operating procedures of GSA or a 
significant cost or administrative impact on contractors or offerors 
(see FAR 1.301(b)). As a result, this action represents an 
administrative clean-up to remove internal agency guidance from the 
GSAR and move it to GSA's non-regulatory acquisition policy. Moving 
this language from GSAR to GSAM allows for future updates to be easier 
and more efficient, allowing for the section to stay up to date with 
current procedures.
    The amendments to GSAR part 536 are minor and reflect needed 
changes to have language reflect current practice.

IV. Executive Orders 12866 and 13563

    Executive Orders (E.O.s) 12866 and 13563 direct agencies to assess 
all costs and benefits of available regulatory alternatives and, if 
regulation is necessary, to select regulatory approaches that maximize 
net benefits (including potential economic, environmental, public 
health and safety effects, distributive impacts, and equity). E.O. 
13563 emphasizes the importance of quantifying both costs and benefits, 
of reducing costs, of harmonizing rules, and of promoting flexibility. 
This rule has been reviewed and determined by the Office of Management 
and Budget (OMB) not to be a significant regulatory action and, 
therefore, was not subject to review under section 6(b) of Executive 
Order 12866, Regulatory Planning and Review, dated September 30, 1993.

V. Congressional Review Act

    The Congressional Review Act, 5 U.S.C. 801 et seq., as amended by 
the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996, 
generally provides that before a ``major rule'' may take effect, the 
agency promulgating the rule must submit a rule report, which includes 
a copy of the rule, to each House of the Congress and to the 
Comptroller General of the United States. A major rule cannot take 
effect until 60 days after it is published in the Federal Register.
    This rule has been reviewed and determined by OMB not to be a 
``major rule'' under 5 U.S.C. 804(2).

VI. Notice for Public Comment

    The statute that applies to the publication of the GSAR is the 
Office of Federal Procurement Policy statute (codified at title 41 of 
the United States Code). Specifically, 41 U.S.C. 1707(a)(1) requires 
that a procurement policy, regulation, procedure or form (including an 
amendment or modification thereof) must be published for public comment 
if it relates to the expenditure of appropriated funds, and has either 
a significant effect beyond the internal operating procedures of the 
agency issuing the policy, regulation, procedure, or form, or has a 
significant cost or administrative impact on contractors or offerors. 
This rule is not required to be published for public comment, because 
it does not have a significant effect or impose any new requirements on 
contractors or offers, the rule merely removes internal agency guidance 
from regulatory, to non-regulatory authority.

VII. Regulatory Flexibility Act

    The Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601 et seq.) does not 
apply to this rule, because an opportunity for public comment is not 
required to be given for this rule under 41 U.S.C. 1707(a)(1) (see 
Section VI. of this preamble). Accordingly, no regulatory flexibility 
analysis is required and none has been prepared.

VIII. Paperwork Reduction Act

    The final rule does not contain any information collection 
requirements that require the approval of the Office of Management and 
Budget under the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. chapter 35).

List of Subjects in 48 CFR Part 536

    Government procurement.

Jeffrey Koses,
Senior Procurement Executive, Office of Acquisition Policy, Office of 
Government-wide Policy, General Services Administration.

    Therefore, GSA amends 48 CFR part 536 as set forth below:

PART 536--CONSTRUCTION AND ARCHITECT-ENGINEER CONTRACTS

0
1. The authority citation for 48 CFR part 536 continues to read as 
follows:

    Authority:  40 U.S.C. 121(c).

Subpart 536.6 [Removed and Reserved]

0
2. Remove and reserve subpart 536.6, consisting of sections 536.602 and 
536.602-1.

[FR Doc. 2021-27444 Filed 12-20-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6820-61-P