[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 237 (Wednesday, December 10, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 73329-73330]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-28886]
[[Page 73329]]
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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
[Docket No. DHS-2008-0059]
Solicitation of Proposal Information for Award of Public
Contracts
AGENCY: Office of the Chief Procurement Officer, DHS.
ACTION: 60-day notice and request for comments; extension without
change of a currently approved collection, 1601-0005.
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SUMMARY: The Department of Homeland Security, Office of the Chief
Procurement Officer, will submit the following Information Collection
Request (ICR) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review
and clearance in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995
(Pub. L. 104-13, 44 U.S.C. Chapter 35).
DATES: Comments are encouraged and will be accepted until February 9,
2015. This process is conducted in accordance with 5 CFR 1320.1.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by docket number DHS-
2008-0059, by one of the following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov.
Please follow the instructions for submitting comments.
Email: [email protected]. Please include docket number
DHS-2008-0059 in the subject line of the message.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
and the Office of the Chief Procurement Officer (OCPO) collect
information when inviting firms to submit bids, proposals, and offers
for public contracts for supplies and services. The information
collection is necessary for compliance with the Homeland Security
Acquisition Regulation (HSAR), 48 CFR Chapter 30, and the Small
Business Innovative Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology
Transfer (STTR) programs, 15 U.S.C 628.
For solicitations to contract made through a variety of means,
whether conducted orally or in writing, contracting officers normally
request information from prospective offerors such as pricing
information, delivery schedule compliance, and whether the offeror has
the resources (both human and financial) to accomplish requirements.
Examples of the kinds of information collected can be found in the HSAR
in Part 9, Part 19 and Part 47, along with associated solicitation
provisions and contract clauses.
Examples where collections of information occur in soliciting for
supplies/services include the issuance of draft Requests for Proposal
(RFP), Requests for Information (RFI), and Broad Agency Announcements
(BAA). The Government generally issues an RFP using the uniform
contract format with the intent of awarding a contract to one or more
prospective offerors. The RFP can require those interested in making an
offer to provide information in the following areas: Schedule (FAR
15.204-2); contract clauses (FAR 15.204-3); list of documents, exhibits
and other attachments (FAR 15.204-4) or representations and
instructions (15.204-5). Examples of collections under the HSAR
include:
3052.209-70 Prohibition on Contracts with Corporate Expatriates
3052.209-72 Organizational Conflict of Interest
3052.209-74 Limitations on Contractors Acting as Lead System
Integrators
3052.209-76 Prohibition on Federal Protective Service Guard Services
Contracts with Business Concerns Owned, Controlled, or Operated by an
Individual Convicted of a Felony
3052.219-72 Evaluation of Prime Contractor Participation in the DHS
Mentor-Prot[eacute]g[eacute] Program
3052.247-70 F.o.b. Origin Information
The DHS Science and Technology (S&T) Directorate issues BAAs
soliciting white papers and proposals from the public. DHS S&T
evaluates white papers and proposals received from the public in
response to a DHS S&T BAA using the evaluation criteria specified in
the BAA through a peer or scientific review process in accordance with
FAR 35.016(d). White paper evaluation determines those research ideas
that merit submission of a full proposal and proposal evaluation
determines those proposals that merit selection for contract award.
Unclassified white papers and proposals are typically collected via the
DHS S&T BAA secure Web site, while classified white papers and
proposals must be submitted via proper classified courier or proper
classified mailing procedures as described in the National Industrial
Security Program Operating Manual (NSPOM).
Federal agencies with an annual extramural research and development
(R&D) budget exceeding $100 million are required to participate in the
SBIR Program. Similarly, Federal agencies with an extramural R&D budget
exceeding $1 billion are required to participate in the STTR Program.
Federal agencies who participate in the SBIR and STTR programs must
collect information from the public to:
(1) Meet their reporting requirements under 15 U.S.C. 638 (b)(7),
(g)(8), (i), (j)(1)(E), (j)(3)(C), (l), (o)(10), and (v);
(2) Meet the requirement to maintain both a publicly accessible
database of SBIR/STTR award information and a government database of
SBIR/STTR award information for SBIR and STTR program evaluation under
15 U.S.C. 638 g(10, (k), (o)(9), and (o)(15); and
(3) Meet requirements for public outreach under 15 U.S.C. 638
(j)(2)(F), (o)(14), and (s).
The prior information collect request for OMB No. 1600-005 was
approved through February 28, 2015 by OMB in a Notice of OMB Action.
The information being collected is used by the Government's
contracting officers and other acquisition personnel, including
technical and legal staffs to determine adequacy of technical and
management approach, experience, responsibility, responsiveness,
expertise of the firms submitting offers, identification of members of
the public (i.e., small businesses) who qualify for, and are interested
in participating in, the DHS SBIR Program, facilitate SBIR outreach to
the public, and provide the DHS SBIR Program Office necessary and
sufficient information to determine that proposals submitted by the
public to the DHS SBIR Program meet criteria for consideration under
the program.
Failure to collect this information would adversely affect the
quality of products and services DHS receives from contractors.
Potentially, contracts would be awarded to firms without sufficient
experience and expertise, thereby placing the Department's operations
in jeopardy. Defective and inadequate contractor deliverables would
adversely affect DHS's fulfillment of the mission requirements in all
areas. Additionally, the Department would be unsuccessful in
identifying small businesses with research and development (R&D)
capabilities, which would adversely affect the mission requirements in
this area.
Many sources of the requested information use automated word
processing systems, databases, and web portal to facilitate preparation
of material to be submitted and to post and collect information. It is
common place within many of DHS's Components for submissions to be
electronic as a result of implementation of e-Government initiatives.
Information technology (i.e., electronic web portal) is used in the
collection of information to reduce the data gathering and records
management burden. DHS uses a secure Web site which the public can
propose SBIR
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research topics and submit proposals in response to SBIR solicitations.
In addition, DHS uses a web portal to review RFIs and register to
submit a white paper or proposal in response to a specific BAA. The
data collection forms standardize the collection of information that is
necessary and sufficient for the DHS SBIR Program Office to meet its
requirements under 15 U.S.C. 638.
There has been no change in the information being collected. The
reduction in the total annual burden is based on agency estimates.
First, the estimate is based on the number of expected contract awards
requiring the submission of information has been declining in the last
three years.
The Office of Management and Budget is particularly interested in
comments which:
1. Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency,
including whether the information will have practical utility;
2. Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of
the proposed collection of information, including the validity of the
methodology and assumptions used;
3. Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to
be collected; and
4. Minimize the burden of the collection of information on those
who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated,
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or
other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic
submissions of responses.
Analysis
AGENCY: Office of the Chief Procurement Officer, DHS.
Title: Solicitation of Proposal Information for Award of Public
Contracts.
OMB Number: 1600-0005.
Frequency: Annually.
Affected Public: Private Sector.
Number of Respondents: 13,612.
Estimated Time Per Respondent: 7 hours.
Total Burden Hours: 285,852.
Dated: December 4, 2014.
Carlene C. Ileto,
Executive Director, Enterprise Business Management Office.
[FR Doc. 2014-28886 Filed 12-9-14; 8:45 am]
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