[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 197 (Tuesday, October 13, 1998)] [Notices] [Pages 54723-54725] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 98-27314] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT [Docket No. FR-4386-D-01] Revocation and Redelegation of Procurement Authority AGENCY: Office of the Chief Procurement Officer, HUD. ACTION: Notice of revocation and redelegation of procurement authority. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: In this Notice, the Chief Procurement Officer revokes all current redelegations of procurement authority and redelegates procurement authority to the Director, Office of Procurement and Contracts. The Director, Office of Procurement and Contracts further redelegates certain procurement authority to each Director, Field Contracting Operations. EFFECTIVE DATE: October 6, 1998. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Edward L. Girovasi, Jr., Director, Policy and Field Operations Division, Office of Procurement and Contracts, Room 5262, Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451 7th Street SW, Washington, DC 20410; telephone (202) 708-0294 (this is not a toll-free number). Hearing or speech-impaired individuals may access this number via TTY by calling the toll-free Federal Information Relay Service at 1-800-877-8339. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: HUD is implementing a major agency-wide improvement effort. The details of this reform effort are set forth in the HUD 2020 Management Reform Plan, which was published in the Federal Register on August 12, 1997 (62 FR 43204). The reforms are directed toward: (1) empowering people and communities to improve themselves; and (2) restoring the public trust in the Department's programs and operations. In an accompanying Notice published elsewhere in today's Federal Register, the Secretary of HUD transfers the designation of Senior Procurement Executive from the Assistant Secretary for Administration to the Chief Procurement Officer, and transfers all Departmental procurement authority to [[Page 54724]] the Chief Procurement Officer. In this Notice, the Chief Procurement Officer revokes all existing procurement authority previously redelegated, including the Notice of Revocation and Redelegation of Procurement Authority published in the Federal Register on August 4, 1995 (60 FR 39963), and with respect to the Government National Mortgage Association (GNMA), the Notice of Redelegation of Procurement Authority, published in the Federal Register on April 15, 1994 (59 FR 18277). The Chief Procurement Officer then redelegates this authority to the Director, Office of Procurement and Contracts, with authority to make further redelegations to qualified headquarters and field staff. The Director, Office of Procurement and Contracts further redelegates certain authority to each Director, Field Contracting Operations. While this Notice revokes GNMA's procurement authority with respect to GNMA's programmatic functions, this Notice does not preclude or limit the authority of GNMA to enter into and enforce its non- procurement agreements with the issuers of mortgage-backed securities, to guarantee such securities and to exercise its ownership rights in the mortgages constituting the trust or pool against which the securities are issued, as authorized under section 306(g) of the National Housing Act (12 U.S.C. 1721) and 24 CFR part 300 et seq. As a result of these changes, all operational contracting activities, except simplified acquisitions and contract ordering, will be performed by Office of Procurement and Contracts staff in headquarters and field offices. Consolidating all operational activity within a single office, which reports directly to the Chief Procurement Officer, will assure that the Department's procurement reform initiatives and policies are implemented in a consistent manner. Accordingly, the Chief Procurement Officer revokes and redelegates authority, and the Director, Office of Procurement and Contracts further redelegates authority as follows: Section A. Authority Revoked This document revokes the Notice of Revocation and Redelegation of Procurement Authority published in the Federal Register on August 4, 1995 (60 FR 39963), which had previously redelegated all Departmental procurement authority. Included within the authority revoked by the present document is procurement authority with respect to GNMA's programmatic functions, which had been redelegated to the President of GNMA in the Notice of Redelegation of Procurement Authority, published in the Federal Register on April 15, 1994 (59 FR 18277), and was left unchanged by the August 4, 1995 Federal Register notice. Section B. Authority Redelegated The Chief Procurement Officer, designated as the Department's Senior Procurement Executive, redelegates to the Director, Office of Procurement and Contracts, designated as the Department's principal Contracting Officer, the power and authority to: 1. Enter into, administer, and/or terminate all procurement contracts and interagency agreements for property and services required by the Department (including the placement of paid advertisements in newspapers) and make related determinations and findings; 2. Order debarment, suspension, and/or limited denial of participation sanctions, pursuant to HUD regulations at 24 CFR part 24; and 3. Further redelegate the following authority which has been redelegated in this notice, to the headquarters and field personnel identified below, provided they meet experience, education, and training requirements established by the Chief Procurement Officer: (a) The authority identified in Section B.1. above, to qualified headquarters Office of Procurement and Contracts personnel by way of Certificates of Appointment; (b) The authority identified in Section B.1. above, and the authority to order limited denial of participation sanctions identified in Section B.2. above, to the Directors, Field Contracting Operations; and (c) To qualified Departmental employees, the authority to engage in the following purchasing procedures: (i) Simplified acquisitions (FAR Part 13); (ii) Issuance of orders under contracts established by other Government sources (FAR Part 8, e.g., GSA Federal Supply Schedules) or under pre-priced indefinite-delivery contracts established by the Department; and (iii) Purchases using the Governmentwide Commercial Credit Card system in accordance with the Department's directives governing credit card purchasing. Authority redelegated to the Commercial Credit Card Program Administrator may be further redelegated by the Program Administrator to qualified headquarters employees for purchases within the micropurchase threshold established in FAR Part 13. Section C. Authority Further Redelegated The Director, Office of Procurement and Contracts, hereby designates each Director, Field Contracting Operations as a Contracting Officer and redelegates to each Director, Field Contracting Operations the power and authority, subject to any limitations imposed by the Chief Procurement Officer, to: 1. Enter into, administer, and/or terminate all procurement contracts and interagency agreements for property and services required by the Department (including the placement of paid advertisements in newspapers) and make related determinations and findings with regard to: activities within his or her Field Contracting Operations service area; or, activities which may be national in scope or which cover more than one Field Contracting Operations service area when specifically delegated by the Director, Office of Procurement and Contracts; 2. Order a limited denial of participation sanction, pursuant to HUD regulations at 24 CFR 24.700; 3. Further redelegate the award and administration of an individual or class of procurement contracts or interagency agreements to another Director, Field Contracting Operations, with the concurrence of the Director, Office of Procurement and Contracts; 4. Further redelegate, by way of Certificates of Appointment, the authority redelegated in paragraph C.1., above, to Field Contracting Operations personnel, provided that they meet experience, education, and training requirements established by the Chief Procurement Officer; and 5. Further redelegate the following authority which has been redelegated in this notice, to qualified Departmental employees within the service area of the Field Contracting Operations: (a) Simplified acquisitions (FAR Part 13); (b) Issuance of orders under contracts established by other Government sources (FAR Part 8, e.g. GSA Federal Supply Schedules) or under pre-priced indefinite-delivery contracts established by the Department; and (c) Purchases using the Governmentwide Commercial Credit Card system, in accordance with the Department's directives governing credit card purchasing. Authority redelegated to the Director, Administrative Service Center, and Director, Administrative Resources Division may be further redelegated by those Directors to qualified field personnel within the service area for purchases within the micropurchase threshold established in FAR Part 13. [[Page 54725]] Section D. No Authority To Further Redelegate Except as provided above, the authority redelegated in Sections B and C, above, do not include the authority to further redelegate. Authority: Sec. 7(d), Department of Housing and Urban Development Act (42 U.S.C. 3535(d)). Dated: October 6, 1998. V. Stephen Carberry, Chief Procurement Officer. Craig E. Durkin, Director, Office of Procurement and Contracts. [FR Doc. 98-27314 Filed 10-9-98; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4210-32-P