General Services Administration December 2007 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Civilian Agency Acquisition Council and the Defense Acquisition Regulations Council (Councils) are proposing to amend the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) to restrict the use of the Governmentwide commercial purchase card as a method of payment for contractors with debts subject to the Treasury Offset Program.

This document is issued under the joint authority of the Secretary of Defense, the Administrator of General Services and the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. This Small Entity Compliance Guide has been prepared in accordance with Section 212 of the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996. It consists of a summary of rules appearing in Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) 2005-23 which amend the FAR. An asterisk (*) next to a rule indicates that a regulatory flexibility analysis has been prepared. Interested parties may obtain further information regarding these rules by referring to FAC 2005-23 which precedes this document. These documents are also available via the Internet at http:/ /www.regulations.gov.

The Civilian Agency Acquisition Council and the Defense Acquisition Regulations Council (Councils) have adopted as final, without change, an interim rule amending the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) to implement Executive Order (E.O.) 11246, as amended, Equal Employment Opportunity, to incorporate the exemption for religious entities prescribed in E.O. 13279.

The Civilian Agency Acquisition Council and the Defense Acquisition Regulations Council (Councils) are proposing to amend the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) to change the travel cost principle to ensure a consistent application of the limitation on allowable contractor airfare costs.

The General Services Administration (GSA), along with the Federal Highway Administration and the Vermont Agency of Transportation as cooperating agencies, announces its intent to distribute a Record of Decision (ROD) prepared pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as amended, 42 USC 43214347 (NEPA) that documents GSA's efforts to assess the potential impacts of the construction of a new U.S. Commercial Port of Entry in Derby Line, Vermont (the ``Proposed Action''). At the request of Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the GSA is proposing to construct a new Commercial Port of Entry which meets their needs as well as the design requirements of GSA. The existing Port of Entry site and facilities are inefficient and are very difficult to maneuver through, especially for large trucks, resulting in extensive queuing and delays. Additionally, all building spaces are currently fully occupied and there is no swing or vacant space that could be utilized to house the additional requirements at this site. Due to the current layout, expansion of existing spaces is not possible. Due to organizational changes within CBP in the past few years, as well as changes in requirements and usage of the Port of Entry, the existing facility is outdated and no longer adequately meets its current or future requirements. The Proposed Action has been defined and includes: (a) Identification of land requirements, including acquisition of adjoining land; (b) demolition of existing government structures at the Port of Entry; (c) construction of a main administration building and ancillary support buildings; and (d) consequent potential alterations to Route I-91 and secondary roads. Studied alternatives have identified alternative locations for the components of the Port of Entry including the main administration and ancillary support buildings, the associated roadway network and parking. A No-Action alternative has also been studied and evaluates the consequences of not constructing the new facility. This alternative has been included to provide a basis for comparison to the action alternatives as required by NEPA regulations (40 CFR 1002.14(d)).

The General Services Administration is proposing to amend the Federal Management Regulation (FMR) by updating coverage on the replacement of personal property pursuant to the exchange/sale authority. The proposed changes were prompted by recommendations of the Federal Asset Management Evaluation (FAME) interagency working group led by GSA.

This notice announces the availability, and opportunity for public review and comment, of a draft environmental assessment (EA), DOE/EA-1592, that examines the impacts of a proposal by the General Services Administration (GSA), as the lead agency, and the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), as a cooperating agency, to procure the construction of a new multistructure facility to house NNSA's non-nuclear component procurement and manufacturing operations.

Under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35), the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Secretariat will be submitting to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) a request to review and approve an extension of a currently approved information collection requirement concerning acquisition of helium. The clearance currently expires on February 29, 2008. Public comments are particularly invited on: Whether this collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of functions of the FAR, and 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.