General Services Administration November 2018 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

GSA issued a Record of Decision (ROD) for the 2018 Master Plan for the Consolidation of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) at the Federal Research Center at White Oak, located in Silver Spring, Maryland, on November 14, 2018. The ROD was prepared in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, the Council on Environmental Quality Regulations, and the GSA Public Buildings Service NEPA Desk Guide.

This notice announces the availability, and opportunity for public review and comment, of a Draft Environmental Assessment (EA), which examines the potential impacts of a proposal by GSA to provide structural enhancement improvements to the existing Edward J. Schwartz Federal Building and United States Courthouse. The Draft EA describes the reason the project is being proposed; the alternatives being considered; the potential impacts of each of the alternatives on the existing environment; and the proposed avoidance, minimization, and/or mitigation measures related to those alternatives.

This agenda announces the proposed regulatory actions that GSA plans for the next 12 months and those that were completed since the spring 2018 edition. This agenda was developed under the guidelines of Executive Orders (E.O.) 12866, ``Regulatory Planning and Review,'' as amended, Executive Order 13771, ``Reducing Regulation and Controlling Regulatory Costs,'' and Executive Order 13563, ``Improving Regulation and Regulatory Review.'' GSA's purpose in publishing this agenda is to allow interested persons an opportunity to participate in the rulemaking process. GSA also invites interested persons to recommend existing significant regulations for review to determine whether they should be modified or eliminated. Published proposed and final rules may be reviewed in their entirety at the Government's rulemaking website at https://www.regulations.gov. The complete Unified Agenda will be available online at www.reginfo.gov. Because publication in the Federal Register is mandated for the regulatory flexibility agendas required by the Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 602), GSA's printed agenda entries include only: (1) Rules that are in the Agency's regulatory flexibility agenda, in accordance with the Regulatory Flexibility Act, because they are likely to have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities; and (2) Any rules that the Agency has identified for periodic review under section 610 of the Regulatory Flexibility Act. Printing of these entries is limited to fields that contain information required by the Regulatory Flexibility Act's Agenda requirements. Additional information on these entries is available in the Unified Agenda published on the internet. In addition, for fall editions of the Agenda, the entire Regulatory Plan will continue to be printed in the Federal Register, as in past years, including GSA's regulatory plan.

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 extension of a previously approved information collection requirement regarding small business subcontracting plans.

The General Services Administration (GSA) is issuing a proposed rule amending the General Services Administration Acquisition Regulation (GSAR) to adopt an additional project delivery method for construction, construction manager as constructor (CMc). The private sector prevalently uses this type of construction project delivery method, which allows for early industry engagement by the construction contractor to provide reduced cost growth, reduced schedule growth and administrative savings. The current Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and GSAR lack detailed coverage differentiating various construction project delivery methods. GSA's policies on CMc have been previously issued through other means. By incorporating CMc into the GSAR and differentiating for various construction methods, the GSAR will provide centralized guidance that eases the burden for industry to understand and execute CMc construction contracts. Centralized guidance will also ensure consistent application of construction project principles across GSA. Additionally, integrating these requirements into the GSAR will allow industry to provide public comments through the rulemaking process.