[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 200 (Wednesday, October 18, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Page 71864]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-22920]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION

NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION

[MV-2023-02; Docket No. 2023-0053; Sequence No. 12]


Improvements to the Federal Acquisition Regulation Standard Forms 
in the GSA Forms Library

AGENCY: Department of Defense (DOD), General Services Administration 
(GSA), and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: DoD, GSA, and NASA announce improvements to the Federal 
Acquisition Regulation (FAR) standard forms found in the GSA Forms 
Library.

DATES: The updated forms will begin to be available on the GSA's Forms 
Library at https://www.gsa.gov/forms following the publication of this 
notice, October 18, 2023.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Zenaida Delgado, 
[email protected] or call 202-969-4075. Please cite ``FAR 
standard forms'' in the subject line.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In support of Executive Order 13985 of 
January 20, 2021, Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved 
Communities Through the Federal Government, a review of the standard 
forms covered by the FAR was conducted. The review focused on equity 
issues to remove barriers to access for underserved communities by 
identifying ways to improve the usability of the FAR standard forms. An 
organizational psychologist with over 20 years of consulting experience 
supporting commercial and federal organizations was part of the review 
team.
    The review resulted in the identification of potential changes to 
improve the accessibility of the FAR forms. The changes are considered 
best practices to support readability for a variety of individuals 
(visual disabilities and/or learning difficulties). Adopting these 
changes has the advantage of making the forms easier to read for 
everyone.
    DoD, GSA, and NASA agreed to apply a set of uniform visual 
improvements to the FAR standard forms. The six improvements are as 
follows:
    1. Replace text in all CAPS with standard title form text (i.e., 
for each word capitalize the first letter). Use bold text to identify 
titles.
    2. Use consistent font size; adjust form to 12-point text.
    3. Replace centered text with left justified.
    4. Replace italicized text with standard text.
    5. Increase the space between lines of text throughout the form.
    6. Move the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) statement to the end of 
the form for forms subject to the PRA.
    Other changes made to the FAR standard forms include updated 
citations, and editorial corrections.
    DoD, GSA, and NASA expect these changes, all of which comport with 
section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, will improve the forms usability 
and will be received well by members of the public and Government 
alike.

William F. Clark,
Director, Office of Governmentwide Acquisition Policy, Office of 
Acquisition Policy, Office of Governmentwide Policy.
[FR Doc. 2023-22920 Filed 10-17-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6820-EP-P