General Services Administration September 2022 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

FMR Bulletin 2022-F1. This bulletin clarifies, highlights, and reminds agencies of the importance of accurately reporting the cost of federal advisory committees to Congress and the public. It also adds the requirement to include financial reporting instructions in agency administrative procedures. This requirement will result in greater assurance that data reported in the FACA database is consistent with agencies' actual costs, and Congress will have greater assurance that it can rely on these data to inform decisions about funding for FACA committees.

Under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act, the Regulatory Secretariat Division has submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) a request to review and approve an extension of a previously approved information collection requirement regarding commercial acquisitions.

This document is issued under the joint authority of DoD, GSA, and NASA. 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 the rules appearing in Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) 2022-08, which amends the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR). Interested parties may obtain further information regarding these rules by referring to FAC 2022-08, which precedes this document.

DoD, GSA, and NASA are issuing a final rule to amend the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) to implement the final rule published by the Small Business Administration implementing a section of the Carl Levin and Howard P. ``Buck'' McKeon National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year (FY) 2015.

DoD, GSA, and NASA are issuing a final rule amending the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) to implement a section of the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019, to require agencies to provide a notice along with the solicitation to prospective bidders and offerors regarding definitization of requests for equitable adjustment related to change orders under construction contracts.

This document summarizes the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) rules agreed to by the Civilian Agency Acquisition Council and the Defense Acquisition Regulations Council (Councils) in this Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) 2022-08. A companion document, the Small Entity Compliance Guide (SECG), follows this FAC.

Under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act, GSA will be submitting to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) a request to review and approve a new information collection requirement. The collection is to facilitate a research study in which participants will test several remote identity proofing services and respond to survey questions to gather demographic information related to the study.

DoD, GSA, and NASA are proposing to amend the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) to implement the statutory expiration of the Federal Helium System in accordance with the Helium Stewardship Act of 2013.

The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) is amending the Federal Travel Regulation (FTR) by adding definitions to the Glossary of Terms; adopting recommendations from agencies and the Senior Travel Official Council to simplify the FTR; consolidating duplicative regulations pertaining to the use of common carrier transportation accommodations; introducing premium economy airline accommodations as a class of service and creating management controls related to the use thereof; removing an outdated exception to use of a Contract City Pair fare; sequencing common carrier regulations in a more logical order; and making miscellaneous editorial corrections.

The General Services Administration (GSA) published an advance notice of proposed rulemaking on July 7, 2022, seeking public feedback pertaining to the use of plastic consumed in both packaging and shipping, as well as other single-use plastics for which the agency contracts. The deadline for submitting comments is being extended from September 6, 2022, to September 27, 2022, to provide additional time for interested parties to provide inputs.

GSA is issuing a final rule amending the Federal Management Regulation (FMR) to revise the soliciting, vending, and debt collection policy. The rule will update policies consistent with the White House Task Force on Worker Organizing and Empowerment recommendations to revise the FMR. This rule will clarify that activities related to worker organizing and collective bargaining among contractors' employees working in Federal Government facilities are not covered or restricted by the general prohibition on soliciting, posting and distributing materials in or on Federal property under the jurisdiction, custody or control of GSA (GSA-controlled property).

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) regulations, DoD, GSA, and NASA invite the public to comment on an extension concerning contractor use of interagency fleet management system (IFMS) vehicles. DoD, GSA, and NASA invite comments on: whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of Federal Government acquisitions, including whether the information will have practical utility; the accuracy of the estimate of the burden of the proposed information collection; ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and ways to minimize the burden of the information collection on respondents, including the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology. OMB has approved this information collection for use through February 28, 2023. DoD, GSA, and NASA propose that OMB extend its approval for use for three additional years beyond the current expiration date.