Submission for OMB Review; Notarized Document Submittal for System for Award Management Registration, 45240-45241 [2018-19324]

Download as PDF 45240 Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 173 / Thursday, September 6, 2018 / Notices public interest does not require the matter to be open. General Counsel Certification The General Counsel has certified that Matter Number Two may properly be closed, citing the following relevant exemptive provision: 5 U.S.C. 552b(c)(10). Expected Attendees Expected to attend the closed meeting are the Commissioners themselves, an advisor to one of the Commissioners, and such other Commission staff as may be appropriate. By direction of the Commission, Commissioner Ohlhausen not participating. Donald S. Clark, Secretary. [FR Doc. 2018–19226 Filed 9–5–18; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6750–01–P GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION [OMB Control No. 3090–0317 Docket No. 2018–0001; Sequence No. 15] Submission for OMB Review; Notarized Document Submittal for System for Award Management Registration Office of Acquisition Policy, General Services Administration (GSA). ACTION: Notice of request for comments regarding an extension to an existing OMB clearance. AGENCY: Under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act, the Regulatory Secretariat Division will be submitting to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) a request to review and approve an existing OMB clearance regarding a notarized document submittal for System for Award Management (SAM) Registration. DATES: Submit comments on or before October 9, 2018. ADDRESSES: Submit comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden to: Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs of OMB, Attention: Desk Officer for GSA, Room 10236, NEOB, Washington, DC 20503. Additionally submit a copy to GSA by any of the following methods: • Regulations.gov: https:// www.regulations.gov. Submit comments via the Federal eRulemaking portal by searching for the OMB Control number 3090–0317. Select the link ‘‘Comment Now’’ that corresponds with ‘‘Information Collection 3090–0317; daltland on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with NOTICES SUMMARY: VerDate Sep<11>2014 16:56 Sep 05, 2018 Jkt 244001 Notarized Document Submittal for System for Award Management Registration’’. Follow the instructions on the screen. Please include your name, company name (if any), and ‘‘Information Collection 3090–0317; Notarized Document Submittal for System for Award Management Registration’’ on your attached document. • Mail: General Services Administration, Regulatory Secretariat Division (MVCB), 1800 F Street NW, Washington, DC 20405–0001. ATTN: Ms. Mandell/IC 3090–0317; Notarized Document Submittal for System for Award Management Registration. Instructions: Please submit comments only and cite Information Collection 3090–0317; Notarized Document Submittal for System for Award Management Registration, in all correspondence related to this collection. Comments received generally will be posted without change to https:// www.regulations.gov, including any personal and/or business confidential information provided. To confirm receipt of your comment(s), please check www.regulations.gov, approximately two-to-three days after submission to verify posting (except allow 30 days for posting of comments submitted by mail). FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Curtis E. Glover, Sr. Procurement Analyst, Federal Acquisition Policy Division, GSA, telephone number 202– 501–1448, or via email to curtis.glover@ gsa.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: A. Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Subpart 4.11 prescribes policies and procedures for requiring contractor registration in the System for Award Management (SAM) database to: (1) Increase visibility of vendor sources (including their geographical locations) for specific supplies and services; and (2) establish a common source of vendor data for the Government. In the past, the GSA Office of Inspector General (OIG) conducted an investigation into fraudulent activities discovered within SAM. Certain bad actors have, through electronic means, used public information to impersonate legitimate entities and established new entity registrations for those entities in SAM. By establishing fraudulent entity registrations, bad actors submitted bids in certain U.S. Government procurement systems or shipped deficient or counterfeit goods to the U.S. Government. GSA established a new Information Collection Request (ICR) to collect additional information to support PO 00000 Frm 00035 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 increased validation of entities registered and registering in the System for Award Management (SAM). This additional information is contained in a notarized letter in which an officer or other signatory authority of the entity formally appoints the Entity Administrator for the entity registering or recertifying in SAM. The original, signed letter is mailed to the Federal Service Desk for SAM prior to the registration’s activation or reregistration. The new ICR expires September 30, 2018, without authority for an extension. GSA is actively pursuing technical alternatives to the collection of this information for all non-federal entities. GSA seeks to refine the requirement and adopt a risk-based approach. This notice for an extension of the ICR lays the groundwork for the authority to continue collection of the information provided GSA is still pursuing the technical alternative beyond the ICR expiration date. In the interim, the collection of the notarized letter information is essential to GSA’s acquisition mission to meet the needs of all federal agencies, as well as the needs of the grant community. A key element of GSA’s mission is to provide efficient and effective acquisition solutions across the Federal Government. SAM is essential to the accomplishment of that mission. In addition to federal contracts, federal assistance programs also rely upon the integrity and security of the information in SAM. Without assurances that the information in SAM is protected and, is at minimal risk of compromise, GSA would risk losing the confidence of the federal acquisition and assistance communities which is serves. As a result, some entities may prefer not to do business with the Federal Government. B. Discussion and Analysis A 60-day notice was published in the Federal Register at 83 FR 24312 on May 25, 2018. Two comments were received. Comments: One respondent stated that it is already time-consuming and frustrating for our grantees to use the SAM registration process. If the process was simple, it would not be a problem; however, having to submit notarized documents in addition to an already difficult process affects our ability to nimbly respond to programmatic initiatives through small grants to organizations or individuals who we know and want to partner with to achieve our goals. The other respondent stated that the new procedure creates another challenge for our grantees in that mailing the notarized document requires extra effort, but also finding a E:\FR\FM\06SEN1.SGM 06SEN1 Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 173 / Thursday, September 6, 2018 / Notices daltland on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with NOTICES reliable courier service will be costly and requires a considerable amount of time to complete the registration process. Response: GSA has taken several actions to address alleged fraudulent activity in the System for Award Management (SAM). The measures GSA has put in place to help prevent improper activity in SAM include masking specific data elements in the entity registration even for authorized entity users; requiring ‘‘parent’’ approval of new registrations for their ‘‘child’’ entities; multi-factor authentication using login.gov and notifying Entity Administrators when there is a change in the entity’s bank account information. Requiring the formal appointment of the Entity Administrator by original, signed notarized letter ensures that the individual(s) reporting for their entity are associated with the entity and provides a validation of the letter submitter’s identity by the notary. GSA is actively pursuing technical alternatives to replace and/or supplement the collection of notarized letters. C. Annual Reporting Burden Respondents: 686,400. Responses per Respondent: 1. Total Annual Responses: 686,400. Hours per Response: 2.25. Total Burden Hours: 1,544,400. The information collection allows GSA to request the notarized letter, and apply this approach to new registrants (an average of 7,200 per month) and to existing SAM registrants (an average of 50,000 re-register per month). Entities registered and registering in SAM are provided the template for the requirements of the notarized letter. It is estimated that the Entity Administrator will take on average 0.5 hour to create the letter and 0.25 hour to mail the hard copy letter. GSA proposes that an Entity Administrator equivalent to a GS–5, Step 5 Administrative Support person within the Government would perform these tasks. The estimated hourly rate of $24.70 (Base + Locality + Fringe) was used for the calculation. Based on historical data of the ratio of small entities to other than small entities registering in SAM, GSA approximates 32,200 of the 57,200 new and existing entities (re-registrants) will have in-house resources to notarize documents. GSA proposes that the entities with in-house notaries will typically be large businesses where the projected salary of the executive or officer responsible for signing the notarized letter is on average approximately $150 per hour. The VerDate Sep<11>2014 16:56 Sep 05, 2018 Jkt 244001 projected time for signature and notarizing the letter internally is 0.5 hour. The other remaining 25,000 new and existing entities (re-registrants) per month are estimated to be small entities where the projected salary of the executive or officer responsible signing the notarized letter is on average approximately $100 per hour. These entities will more than likely have to obtain notary services from an outside source. The projected time for signature and notarizing the letter externally is 1 hour. The estimate includes a nominal fee ($5.00) usually charged by thirdparty notaries. D. Public Comments Public comments are particularly invited on: Whether this collection of information is necessary, whether it will have practical utility; whether our estimate of the public burden of this collection of information is accurate, and based on valid assumptions and methodology; ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and ways in which we can minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are to respond, through the use of appropriate technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology. Obtaining Copies of Proposals: Requesters may obtain a copy of the information collection documents from the General Services Administration, Regulatory Secretariat Division (MVCB), 1800 F Street NW, Washington, DC 20405. ATTN: Information Collection 3090–0317; Notarized Document Submittal for System for Award Management Registration. Please cite OMB Control No. 3090–0317; Notarized Document Submittal for System for Award Management Registration, in all correspondence. Dated: August 22, 2018. David A. Shive, Chief Information Officer. [FR Doc. 2018–19324 Filed 9–5–18; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6820–EP–P PO 00000 Frm 00036 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 45241 DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry [60Day–18–18ARO; Docket No. ATSDR– 2018–0007] Proposed Data Collection Submitted for Public Comment and Recommendations Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). ACTION: Notice with comment period. AGENCY: The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), as part of its continuing effort to reduce public burden and maximize the utility of government information, invites the general public and other Federal agencies the opportunity to comment on a proposed and/or continuing information collection, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. This notice invites comment on a proposed information collection project titled ‘‘Prenatal Assessment of Environmental Risk (PAER)’’. This web-based data collection will provide information on behavioral risks for environmental exposures for patients seeking preconception and prenatal care, and for their reproductive health care clinicians (RHCCs). DATES: ATSDR must receive written comments on or before November 5, 2018. SUMMARY: You may submit comments, identified by Docket No. ATSDR–2018– 0007 by any of the following methods: • Federal eRulemaking Portal: Regulations.gov. Follow the instructions for submitting comments. • Mail: Jeffrey M. Zirger, Information Collection Review Office, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road NE, MS–D74, Atlanta, Georgia 30329. Instructions: All submissions received must include the agency name and Docket Number. ATSDR will post, without change, all relevant comments to Regulations.gov. Please note: Submit all comments through the Federal eRulemaking portal (regulations.gov) or by U.S. mail to the address listed above. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request more information on the proposed project or to obtain a copy of the information collection plan and instruments, contact Jeffery M. Zirger, Information Collection Review Office, Centers for Disease Control and ADDRESSES: E:\FR\FM\06SEN1.SGM 06SEN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 173 (Thursday, September 6, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45240-45241]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-19324]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION

[OMB Control No. 3090-0317
Docket No. 2018-0001; Sequence No. 15]


Submission for OMB Review; Notarized Document Submittal for 
System for Award Management Registration

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

ACTION: Notice of request for comments regarding an extension to an 
existing OMB clearance.

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

SUMMARY: Under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act, the 
Regulatory Secretariat Division will be submitting to the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) a request to review and approve an existing 
OMB clearance regarding a notarized document submittal for System for 
Award Management (SAM) Registration.

DATES: Submit comments on or before October 9, 2018.

ADDRESSES: Submit comments regarding this burden estimate or any other 
aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for 
reducing this burden to: Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs 
of OMB, Attention: Desk Officer for GSA, Room 10236, NEOB, Washington, 
DC 20503. Additionally submit a copy to GSA by any of the following 
methods:
     Regulations.gov: https://www.regulations.gov. Submit 
comments via the Federal eRulemaking portal by searching for the OMB 
Control number 3090-0317. Select the link ``Comment Now'' that 
corresponds with ``Information Collection 3090-0317; Notarized Document 
Submittal for System for Award Management Registration''. Follow the 
instructions on the screen. Please include your name, company name (if 
any), and ``Information Collection 3090-0317; Notarized Document 
Submittal for System for Award Management Registration'' on your 
attached document.
     Mail: General Services Administration, Regulatory 
Secretariat Division (MVCB), 1800 F Street NW, Washington, DC 20405-
0001. ATTN: Ms. Mandell/IC 3090-0317; Notarized Document Submittal for 
System for Award Management Registration.
    Instructions: Please submit comments only and cite Information 
Collection 3090-0317; Notarized Document Submittal for System for Award 
Management Registration, in all correspondence related to this 
collection. Comments received generally will be posted without change 
to https://www.regulations.gov, including any personal and/or business 
confidential information provided. To confirm receipt of your 
comment(s), please check www.regulations.gov, approximately two-to-
three days after submission to verify posting (except allow 30 days for 
posting of comments submitted by mail).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Curtis E. Glover, Sr. Procurement 
Analyst, Federal Acquisition Policy Division, GSA, telephone number 
202-501-1448, or via email to [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    A. Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Subpart 4.11 prescribes 
policies and procedures for requiring contractor registration in the 
System for Award Management (SAM) database to: (1) Increase visibility 
of vendor sources (including their geographical locations) for specific 
supplies and services; and (2) establish a common source of vendor data 
for the Government.
    In the past, the GSA Office of Inspector General (OIG) conducted an 
investigation into fraudulent activities discovered within SAM. Certain 
bad actors have, through electronic means, used public information to 
impersonate legitimate entities and established new entity 
registrations for those entities in SAM. By establishing fraudulent 
entity registrations, bad actors submitted bids in certain U.S. 
Government procurement systems or shipped deficient or counterfeit 
goods to the U.S. Government.
    GSA established a new Information Collection Request (ICR) to 
collect additional information to support increased validation of 
entities registered and registering in the System for Award Management 
(SAM). This additional information is contained in a notarized letter 
in which an officer or other signatory authority of the entity formally 
appoints the Entity Administrator for the entity registering or 
recertifying in SAM. The original, signed letter is mailed to the 
Federal Service Desk for SAM prior to the registration's activation or 
re-registration.
    The new ICR expires September 30, 2018, without authority for an 
extension. GSA is actively pursuing technical alternatives to the 
collection of this information for all non-federal entities. GSA seeks 
to refine the requirement and adopt a risk-based approach. This notice 
for an extension of the ICR lays the groundwork for the authority to 
continue collection of the information provided GSA is still pursuing 
the technical alternative beyond the ICR expiration date. In the 
interim, the collection of the notarized letter information is 
essential to GSA's acquisition mission to meet the needs of all federal 
agencies, as well as the needs of the grant community. A key element of 
GSA's mission is to provide efficient and effective acquisition 
solutions across the Federal Government. SAM is essential to the 
accomplishment of that mission. In addition to federal contracts, 
federal assistance programs also rely upon the integrity and security 
of the information in SAM. Without assurances that the information in 
SAM is protected and, is at minimal risk of compromise, GSA would risk 
losing the confidence of the federal acquisition and assistance 
communities which is serves. As a result, some entities may prefer not 
to do business with the Federal Government.

B. Discussion and Analysis

    A 60-day notice was published in the Federal Register at 83 FR 
24312 on May 25, 2018. Two comments were received.
    Comments: One respondent stated that it is already time-consuming 
and frustrating for our grantees to use the SAM registration process. 
If the process was simple, it would not be a problem; however, having 
to submit notarized documents in addition to an already difficult 
process affects our ability to nimbly respond to programmatic 
initiatives through small grants to organizations or individuals who we 
know and want to partner with to achieve our goals. The other 
respondent stated that the new procedure creates another challenge for 
our grantees in that mailing the notarized document requires extra 
effort, but also finding a

[[Page 45241]]

reliable courier service will be costly and requires a considerable 
amount of time to complete the registration process.
    Response: GSA has taken several actions to address alleged 
fraudulent activity in the System for Award Management (SAM). The 
measures GSA has put in place to help prevent improper activity in SAM 
include masking specific data elements in the entity registration even 
for authorized entity users; requiring ``parent'' approval of new 
registrations for their ``child'' entities; multi-factor authentication 
using login.gov and notifying Entity Administrators when there is a 
change in the entity's bank account information. Requiring the formal 
appointment of the Entity Administrator by original, signed notarized 
letter ensures that the individual(s) reporting for their entity are 
associated with the entity and provides a validation of the letter 
submitter's identity by the notary. GSA is actively pursuing technical 
alternatives to replace and/or supplement the collection of notarized 
letters.

C. Annual Reporting Burden

    Respondents: 686,400.
    Responses per Respondent: 1.
    Total Annual Responses: 686,400.
    Hours per Response: 2.25.
    Total Burden Hours: 1,544,400.
    The information collection allows GSA to request the notarized 
letter, and apply this approach to new registrants (an average of 7,200 
per month) and to existing SAM registrants (an average of 50,000 re-
register per month).
    Entities registered and registering in SAM are provided the 
template for the requirements of the notarized letter. It is estimated 
that the Entity Administrator will take on average 0.5 hour to create 
the letter and 0.25 hour to mail the hard copy letter. GSA proposes 
that an Entity Administrator equivalent to a GS-5, Step 5 
Administrative Support person within the Government would perform these 
tasks. The estimated hourly rate of $24.70 (Base + Locality + Fringe) 
was used for the calculation.
    Based on historical data of the ratio of small entities to other 
than small entities registering in SAM, GSA approximates 32,200 of the 
57,200 new and existing entities (re-registrants) will have in-house 
resources to notarize documents. GSA proposes that the entities with 
in-house notaries will typically be large businesses where the 
projected salary of the executive or officer responsible for signing 
the notarized letter is on average approximately $150 per hour. The 
projected time for signature and notarizing the letter internally is 
0.5 hour.
    The other remaining 25,000 new and existing entities (re-
registrants) per month are estimated to be small entities where the 
projected salary of the executive or officer responsible signing the 
notarized letter is on average approximately $100 per hour. These 
entities will more than likely have to obtain notary services from an 
outside source. The projected time for signature and notarizing the 
letter externally is 1 hour. The estimate includes a nominal fee 
($5.00) usually charged by third- party notaries.

D. Public Comments

    Public comments are particularly invited on: Whether this 
collection of information is necessary, whether it will have practical 
utility; whether our estimate of the public burden of this collection 
of information is accurate, and based on valid assumptions and 
methodology; ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and ways in which we can minimize the 
burden of the collection of information on those who are to respond, 
through the use of appropriate technological collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology.
    Obtaining Copies of Proposals: Requesters may obtain a copy of the 
information collection documents from the General Services 
Administration, Regulatory Secretariat Division (MVCB), 1800 F Street 
NW, Washington, DC 20405. ATTN: Information Collection 3090-0317; 
Notarized Document Submittal for System for Award Management 
Registration. Please cite OMB Control No. 3090-0317; Notarized Document 
Submittal for System for Award Management Registration, in all 
correspondence.

    Dated: August 22, 2018.
David A. Shive,
Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 2018-19324 Filed 9-5-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6820-EP-P
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