National Aeronautics and Space Administration January 2022 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This agenda provides summary descriptions of regulations being developed by the Civilian Agency Acquisition Council and the Defense Acquisition Regulations Council in compliance with Executive Order 12866 ``Regulatory Planning and Review.'' This agenda is being published to allow interested persons an opportunity to participate in the rulemaking process. The Regulatory Secretariat Division has attempted to list all regulations pending at the time of publication, except for minor and routine or repetitive actions; however, unanticipated requirements may result in the issuance of regulations that are not included in this agenda. There is no legal significance to the omission of an item from this listing. Also, the dates shown for the steps of each action are estimated and are not commitments to act on or by the dates shown. Published proposed rules may be reviewed in their entirety at the Government's rulemaking website at https://www.regulations.gov.

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 a revision of a previously approved information collection requirement regarding certain Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) part 4 requirements.

DoD, GSA, and NASA are issuing an interim rule amending the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) to implement an Executive Order titled ``Increasing the Minimum Wage for Federal Contractors'' and a final rule issued by the Department of Labor. This Executive Order seeks to raise the hourly minimum wage paid by contractors to workers performing work on or in connection with covered Federal contracts to $15.00 per hour beginning January 30, 2022, and beginning January 1, 2023, and annually thereafter, an amount determined by the Secretary of Labor.

Phase 2 of the Deep Space Food Challenge is open, and teams that wish to compete may now register. NASA seeks to stimulate research and technology solutions to support future missions and inspire new national aerospace capabilities through public prize competitions called Centennial Challenges. The Deep Space Food Challenge is one such competition. Centennial Challenges are managed at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama and are part of the Prizes, Challenges, and Crowdsourcing program within NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate at the agency's Headquarters in Washington. Phase 2 of the Deep Space Food Challenge is a prize competition with a total prize purse of $1,000,000 USD, (one million United States dollars) to be awarded to Competitor Teams that build and successfully demonstrate prototypes of novel technologies, systems and approaches for food production for long duration space exploration missions. Teams are not required to have participated in Phase 1 and must meet eligibility requirements in order to participate. NASA is providing the prize purse for U.S. Teams, and the Methuselah Foundation will be conducting the Challenge on behalf of NASA. NASA is considering a Phase 3 (full system demonstration phase) of the competition depending on the outcome of the Phase 2 competition.

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 claims and appeals.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing information collections.

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 subcontracting plans. 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 March 31, 2022. DoD, GSA, and NASA propose that OMB extend its approval for use for three additional years beyond the current expiration date.

The Grants Policy and Compliance Branch (GPC) in the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Office of the Chief Financial Officer is soliciting public comment on the Agency's proposed implementation of a new term and condition that requires recipients of NASA financial assistance to obtain a quotation from small and/or minority businesses, women's business enterprises or labor surplus area firms when the acquisition of goods or services exceeds the simplified acquisition threshold. In response to the Executive Order, Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government, NASA has been working to identify and address barriers that underserved communities and individuals may face in taking advantage of procurement, contracting, or grant opportunities. To address these barriers, NASA has taken a few actions including proposing the term and condition described above. NASA is taking this action to ensure that entities funded by NASA are compliant with the procurement standards in the uniform guidance. NASA's expectation is that this action will result in an increase in contracting opportunities for small and/or minority businesses, women's business enterprises and labor surplus area firms that contract with NASA financial assistance recipients.