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

In accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act, as amended, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration announces a forthcoming meeting of the Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Space Communication and Navigations (SCaN) Program announces a Workshop on Emerging Technologies for Autonomous Space Navigation to inform industry on evolving positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) technologies and techniques being developed to enhance the operational efficiency and flexibility of future missions. The ``Nav Workshop'' will include optional one-on-one discussions with industry participants on a space-available basis Friday, February 17, 2017. NASA is soliciting information from all interested U.S. private sector enterprises only.

DoD, GSA, and NASA are proposing to amend the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) to implement Executive Order, Planning for Federal Sustainability in the Next Decade, and the biobased product acquisition provisions of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (also known as the 2014 Farm Bill).

DoD, GSA, and NASA are issuing a final rule to amend the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) to implement section 857 of the Carl Levin and Howard P. `Buck' McKeon National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015. This section provides additional requirements relative to the allowability of costs incurred by a contractor in connection with a Congressional investigation or inquiry.

DoD, GSA, and NASA are issuing a final rule amending the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) to implement a section of the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015, that prohibits the use of funds, appropriated or otherwise made available, for a contract with an entity that requires employees or subcontractors to sign an internal confidentiality agreement that restricts such employees or subcontractors from lawfully reporting waste, fraud, or abuse to a designated Government representative authorized to receive such information.

DoD, GSA, and NASA are issuing a final rule amending the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) to establish uniform use of line items in Federal procurement.

In accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act, Public Law 92-463, as amended, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announces a meeting of the Earth Science Subcommittee of the NASA Advisory Council (NAC). This Subcommittee reports to the Science Committee of the NAC. The meeting will be held for the purpose of soliciting, from the scientific community and other persons, scientific and technical information relevant to program planning.

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 concerning subcontractor requests for bonds.

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 concerning the examination of records by comptroller general and contract audit. A notice was published in the Federal Register at 81 FR 62502 on September 9, 2016. No comments were received.

This notice is issued in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 209(e) and 37 CFR 404.7(a)(1)(i). NASA hereby gives notice of its intent to grant a partially exclusive, license in the United States to practice the inventions described and claimed in U.S. Patent No. 7,623,972 entitled ``Detection of Presence of Chemical Precursors''; U.S. Patent No. 7,801,687 entitled ``Chemical Sensors Using Coated Or Doped Carbon Nanotube Networks''; U.S. Patent No. 7,968,054 entitled ``Nanostructure Sensing and Transmission of Gas Data''; U.S. Patent No. 8,000,903 entitled ``Coated or Doped Carbon Nanotube Network Sensors as Affected by Environmental Parameters''; ARC-16292-1 entitled ``Nanosensor/Cell Phone Hybrid for Detecting Chemicals and Concentrations''; ARC-16902-1, entitled ``Nanosensor for Medical Diagnoses''; ARC-17110-1 entitled ``Detection of Gases and Vapors at Low Concentrations'' to ENDO Medical Inc., having its principal place of business at 2345 Yale Street, 1st Floor, Palo Alto, CA 94306. The patent rights in this invention have been assigned to the United States of America as represented by the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The prospective partially exclusive license will comply with the terms and conditions of 35 U.S.C. 209 and 37 CFR 404.7.

DoD, GSA, and NASA are issuing a final rule amending the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) to implement a section of the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010. This statute requires contractors to notify the contracting officer, in writing, if the contractor pays a reduced price to a small business subcontractor or if the contractor's payment to a small business subcontractor is more than 90 days past due.

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) 2005-94. 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.regulations.gov.

NASA is issuing a final rule amending the NASA Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (NFS) to add a monthly reporting requirement for contractors having custody of $10 million or more in NASA-owned Property, Plant and Equipment (PP&E).

A final rule was published in the Federal Register on August 25, 2016 amending the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) to implement the Executive Order (E.O.) on Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces. The E.O. was designed to promote contracting efficiency by improving compliance with basic labor standards during the performance of federal contracts. Implementation of portions of the E.O. was preliminarily enjoined by an order issued by a Federal District court on October 24, 2016. DoD, GSA, and NASA are amending sections of the FAR that are affected by the Court's preliminary injunction order.

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) 2005-93. 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.regulations.gov.

NASA is proposing to amend the NASA Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Supplement (NFS) to add policy on the use of additional contract periods of performance or ``award terms'' as a contract incentive.

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, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-13, 44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)).

This notice is issued in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 209(e) and 37 CFR 404.7(a)(1)(i). The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) hereby gives notice of its intent to grant an exclusive license in the United States to practice the inventions described and claimed in U.S. Patent Number 8,111,943, titled ``Smart Image Enhancement Process,'' NASA Case Number LAR-17240-1; U.S. Patent Number 8,655,513, titled ``Methods of Real Time Image Enhancement of Flash LIDAR Data and Navigating a Vehicle Using Flash LIDAR Data,'' NASA Case Number LAR-17799-1; U.S. Patent Number 9,007,569, titled ``Coherent Doppler Lidar for Measuring Altitude, Ground Velocity, and Air Velocity of Aircraft and Spaceborne Vehicles,'' NASA Case Number LAR-17801-1; and U.S. Patent Number 8,494,687, titled ``Method for Enhancing A Three Dimensional Image From A Plurality of Frames of Flash LIDAR Data,'' NASA Case Number LAR- 17894-1, to light touch, LLC, having its principal place of business in Hampton, Virginia. Certain patent rights in these inventions have been assigned to the United States of America as represented by the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The prospective exclusive license will comply with the terms and conditions of 35 U.S.C. 209 and 37 CFR 404.7.

DoD, GSA, and NASA are proposing to amend the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) to implement a section of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2016. This rule clarifies that agency acquisition personnel are permitted and encouraged to engage in responsible and constructive exchanges with industry, so long as those exchanges are consistent with existing law and regulation and do not promote an unfair competitive advantage to particular firms.

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 for approval of an information collection requirement regarding Public Disclosure of Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Reduction Goals-Representations. A notice was published in the Federal Register at 81 FR 33192 on May 25, 2016, as part of a proposed rule under FAR Case 2015-024. No public comments were received on the information collection.

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) 2005-92, which amends the Federal Acquisition Regulation (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 2005-92, which precedes this document. These documents are also available via the Internet at https:// www.regulations.gov.

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) 2005-92. 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.regulations.gov.

DoD, GSA, and NASA are issuing a final rule amending the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) to delete the use of ``telegram,'' ``telegraph,'' and related terms. The objective is to delete references to obsolete technologies no longer in use and replace with references to electronic communications. In addition, conforming changes are made regarding expedited notices of termination and change orders.

DoD, GSA, and NASA are proposing to amend the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) to clarify the guidance for sole-source 8(a) contract awards exceeding $22 million.

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 concerning preaward survey forms (Standard Forms 1403, 1404, 1405, 1406, 1407, and 1408).