National Aeronautics and Space Administration April 2006 – 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 meeting of the NASA Advisory Council.

Under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35), the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Secretariat has submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) a request to review and approve an extension of a currently approved information collection requirement concerning corporate aircraft costs. A request for public comments was published in the Federal Register at 71 FR 7743, on February 14, 2006. No comments were received. This OMB clearance expires on June 30, 2006. 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.

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) 2005-09 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 2005-09 which precedes this document. These documents are also available via the Internet at https://www.acqnet.gov/far.

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 fast payment procedures. The revision permits, but does not require, fast payment when invoices and/or outer shipping containers are not marked ``Fast Pay'' provided the contract includes the ``Fast Payment Procedure'' clause. As highlighted in the clause, if the clause is in the contract, the invoices will no longer be rejected, as is the current practice. Instead, they will be paid using either fast payment or normal payment procedures. In addition, the revision deletes the requirement for marking invoices ``No Receiving Report Prepared.''

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 remove the sanctions against certain European Union (EU) countries.

The Civilian Agency Acquisition Council and the Defense Acquisition Regulations Council (Councils) have agreed to adopt as final without change, the interim rule amending the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) to clarify that prime contractors must confirm that a subcontractor representing itself as a Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone) small business concern is certified, consistent with the requirements of 15 U.S.C. 632 et. seq., as amended.

The Civilian Agency Acquisition Council and the Defense Acquisition Regulations Council (Councils) have agreed to convert to a final rule without change, an interim rule amending the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) to revise the definition of ``Information technology'' to reflect the changes to the definition resulting from the enactment of Public Law 108-199, Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2004. Section 535(b) of Division F of Public Law 108-199 permanently revises the term ``Information technology'', which is defined at 40 U.S.C. 11101, to add ``analysis and evaluation'' and to clarify the term ``ancillary equipment.''

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) 2005-09. 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.

Each Federal agency is required by the Privacy Act of 1974 to publish description of the systems of records it maintains containing personal information when a system is substantially revised, deleted, or created. In this notice, NASA provides the required information for a new system of records that will enable NASA civil servants and support contractors to evaluate education programs. The information collected is used in the administration of Federal funded Training Programs and is used to document the nomination of participants and completion of training; and it serves as the principal repository of personal, fiscal, and administrative information about participants and the programs in which they participate. In order to measure the reach of NASA's Education Programs, some requested personal information such as gender, nationality, disability, and ethnicity is only requested on a voluntary basis. Finally, in order to assess training program effectiveness and to determine necessary changes/improvements to its programs, NASA needs to be able to contact program participants and principal investigators and is collecting and maintaining personal data in order to do so.