Defense Acquisition Regulations System – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

DoD is issuing a final rule amending the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) to add Montenegro and New Zealand as newly designated countries under the World Trade Organization Government Procurement Agreement.

DoD has adopted as final, with changes, an interim rule amending the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) to implement a section of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2011, as amended by the NDAA for FY 2013. This final rule allows DoD to consider the impact of supply chain risk in specified types of procurements related to national security systems.

DoD is hosting a public meeting to obtain the views of experts and interested parties in Government and the private sector regarding further implementation of the requirement for detection and avoidance of counterfeit electronic parts, as required by a section of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012.

DoD is proposing to amend the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) to clarify clauses and their prescriptions for small business programs and to create a basic and alternate clause structured in a manner to facilitate use of automated contract writing systems. The rule also includes the full text of the alternate, rather than only providing the paragraphs that differ from the basic clause. The rule also clarifies one clause that is an alternate to a Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) clause.

DoD is issuing a final rule amending the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) to establish that the Electronic Data Access system is the primary tool for distributing contracts and contract data and to provide internal control procedures for data verification to ensure contract documents in the Electronic Data Access system are accurate representations of original documents. This rule also removes outmoded language that is not consistent with electronic document processes.

In compliance with section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. chapter 35), DoD announces the proposed extension of a public information collection requirement and seeks public comment on the provisions thereof. DoD invites comments on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of DoD, including whether the information will have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the estimate of the burden of the proposed information collection; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the information collection on respondents, including the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has approved this information collection for use through January 31, 2016. DoD proposes that OMB extend its approval for use for three additional years beyond the current expiration date.

DoD is making technical amendments to the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) to provide needed editorial changes.

This Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA or notice) details the application requirements and procedures for obtaining grant funding for eligible projects under Railroad Safety Grants for the Safe Transportation of Energy Products by Rail (or STEP Rail) Program. The opportunities described in this notice are available under Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) number 20.314, ``Railroad Development.''

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces that FRA is forwarding the regular Clearance and renewal information Collection Requests (ICRs) abstracted below to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and comment. The ICR describes the nature of the information collection and its expected burden. The Federal Register notice with a 60-day comment period soliciting comments on the following collection of information was published on May 26, 2015 (80 FR 30109).

FRA is issuing this safety advisory to emphasize the importance of timely repairing ballast defects and conditions on main tracks. FRA notes that ballast defects and ballast conditions that are not repaired in a timely manner can lead to future defects. FRA believes it is important for track inspectors to be aware that ballast defects and conditions can cause track components to deteriorate rapidly and compromise the stability of the track structure, and that inspectors are trained to identify and repair ballast defects and conditions. This safety advisory recommends that track owners and railroads: (1) Assess current engineering instructions on ballast safety and update them to provide specific guidance to track inspectors (designated personnel that are qualified to inspect and repair track) on how to identify and initiate remedial action under 49 CFR 213.233(d) for ballast defects and conditions, as well as on the appropriate remedial action to implement, particularly in areas with one or more additional track conditions; (2) train track inspectors on the updated engineering instructions and this safety advisory to ensure they understand how to identify and initiate remedial action for ballast defects and conditions in a timely manner, and understand the importance of such remedial action in preventing the development of unsafe combinations of track conditions; and (3) ensure that supervisors provide adequate oversight of track inspectors to achieve identification and remediation of ballast defects and other track conditions.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces that FRA is forwarding the modified Information Collection Request (ICR) abstracted below to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and comment. The ICR describes the nature of the information collection and its expected burden. The Federal Register notice with a 60-day comment period soliciting comments on the collection of information was published on April 24, 2015 (80 FR 23069).

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 and its implementing regulations, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) hereby announces that it is seeking an extension for the following currently approved information collection activities. On July 24, 2015, FRA received Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval for its Emergency Processing request for the collection of information titled Positive Train Control (PTC) Implementation Status Update Questionnaire. The information collection activities associated with the PTC Questionnaire received a six-month emergency approval from OMB and expires on January 31, 2016. FRA seeks a regular clearance (extension of the current approval for three additional years) so that its personnel can continue to monitor affected railroads implementation of Positive Train Control on their mainline systems beyond the statutory and regulatory deadline of December 31, 2015. Additionally, FRA needs to continue to collect this information for compliance purposes and to help inform grant decisions by its Office of Railroad Policy and Development. Before submitting these information collection requirements for clearance by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), FRA is soliciting public comment on specific aspects of the activities identified below.

This document provides the public notice that by a document dated May 14, 2015, the Pacific Railroad Preservation Association (PRPA) has petitioned the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) for a waiver of compliance from certain provisions of the Federal railroad safety regulations.

DoD is issuing a final rule amending the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) to relocate the text of a DFARS subpart in order to conform with the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and to make minor related editorial revisions.

DoD has adopted as final, without change, an interim rule that amended the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) to implement a section of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013 that addresses the allowability of legal costs incurred by a contractor related to whistleblower proceedings.