National Aeronautics and Space Administration March 9, 2005 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

In accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act, Public Law 92-463, as amended, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration announces a forthcoming meeting of the NASA Advisory Council (NAC), Space Science Advisory Committee (SScAC) and Earth System Science and Applications Advisory Committee (ESSAAC).

The Civilian Agency Acquisition Council and the Defense Acquisition Regulations Council (Councils) have agreed on a final rule amending the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) by revising language pertaining to the Cost Accounting Standards Administration, and the related FAR contract clause, Administration of Cost Accounting Standards. In addition, a new contract clause is added, Proposal DisclosureCost Accounting Practice Changes. The rule describes the process for determining and resolving the cost-impact on contracts and subcontracts when a contractor makes a compliant change to a cost accounting practice or follows a noncompliant practice. To assist in understanding the changes between the current FAR rule and this final FAR rule, a matrix that summarizes the major changes is provided in Section C, Supplementary Information, below.

The Civilian Agency Acquisition Council and the Defense Acquisition Regulations Council (Councils) have agreed on a final rule amending the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) to require that the FAR clause, Subcontracts for Commercial Items, be inserted in solicitations and contracts other than those for commercial items.

This document is issued under the joint authority of the Secretary of Defense, the Administrator of General Services and the Administrator for 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) 2005-01 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 2005-01 which precedes this document. These documents are also available via the Internet at http:/ /www.acqnet.gov/far.

The Civilian Agency Acquisition Council and the Defense Acquisition Regulations Council (Councils) have agreed on an interim rule amending the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) regarding the addition of landscaping and pest control services to the Small Business Competitiveness Demonstration Program. This FAR revision implements Section 821 of the Ronald W. Reagan National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2005, Public Law 108-375, which amends Section 717 of the Small Business Competitiveness Demonstration Program Act of 1988 (15 U.S.C. 644 note) to include landscaping and pest control services.

The Civilian Agency Acquisition Council and the Defense Acquisition Regulations Council (Councils) have agreed on an interim rule amending the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) to increase the justification and approval thresholds for DoD, NASA, and the U.S. Coast Guard, as a result of Section 815 of the Ronald W. Reagan National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2005, Public Law 108-375, which amends 10 U.S.C. 2304(f)(1)(B) by striking $50,000,000 both places it appears and inserting $75,000,000 in its place. In addition, the FAR is amended by replacing the outdated reference to ``grade GS- 16'' with ``a grade above GS-15.''

This document summarizes the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) rules agreed to by the Civilian Agency Acquisition Council and the Defense Acquisition Regulations Council in this Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) 2005-01. A companion document, the Small Entity Compliance Guide (SECG), follows this FAC. The FAC, including the SECG, is available via the Internet at https://www.acqnet.gov/far.