Comment Request Entitled Small Business Competitiveness Demonstration Program

OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET

Office of Federal Procurement Policy

Comment Request Entitled Small Business Competitiveness

Demonstration Program

AGENCY: Office of Federal Procurement Policy (OFPP), Office of

Management and Budget (OMB).

ACTION: Notice of request regarding the reinstatement, with changes, of

a previously approved collection (OMB Clearance 9000-0100) for which

approval is now being requested by OFPP.

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SUMMARY: Under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995

(44 U.S.C. Chapter 35), OFPP notified the public concerning a request

to reinstate, with changes, a previously approved information

collection requirement concerning the Small Business Competitiveness

Demonstration Program. A request for public comment was published at 63

FR 51962, September 29, 1998. No comments were received. This is a

second request for comments and notice that the proposed information

collection has been submitted to OMB for approval.

COMMENTS: Comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect

of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing

this burden should be submitted to Edward Springer at the Office of

Management and Budget, Desk Officer for OMB, Room 10236, New Executive

Office Building, Washington, DC 20503. Please cite the Small Business

Competitiveness Demonstration Program.

DATES: Comments may be submitted on or before July 1, 1999.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Linda G. Williams, Deputy Associate

Administrator, Office of Federal Procurement Policy, 202-395-3302.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

A. Purpose

The Small Business Competitiveness Demonstration Program Act of

1988 (Title VII, Public Law 100-656), as amended, established the Small

Business Competitiveness Demonstration Program (Program). The Program

was established to (1) demonstrate whether or not small businesses in

certain industry groups can compete successfully on an unrestricted

basis for Federal contracts, and (2) to demonstrate whether or not

targets goaling and management techniques can expand Federal contract

opportunities for small businesses in industry categories where such

opportunities historically have been low despite adequate numbers of

small business contractors in the economy. Section 401 of the Small

Business Reauthorization Act of 1997 (Public Law 105-135) extends the

Program indefinitely.

Under the current Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), small

businesses are required only to represent their status (i.e., whether

small, small disadvantaged, or women-owned small businesses). Section

714(c) of the Small Business Competitiveness Demonstration Program Act

requires each participating agency to collect data pertaining to the

size as well as the status of the small business concern receiving any

award for services in the designated industry groups and products or

services in the agencies' ten targeted industry categories. The size of

the small business is collected in terms of the number of employees or

dollar volume of sales. The number of employees is based on the average

of the pay periods for the last twelve months. The volume of sales is

based on the average annual gross revenue for the last three fiscal

years (See FAR 19.101). The size information is collected during the

solicitation process as part of the representation requirement. This

data will be used to evaluate the small business impact of the Program.

The former information collection requirements set forth in Section

714(b) of the Small Business Competitiveness Demonstration Program Act,

pertaining to the simplified system to collect data on the

participation of small business concerns as subcontractors under prime

contracts for architectural and engineering (A&E) services, expired on

September 30, 1997. Accordingly, this proposed reinstatement excludes

that data collection requirement.

B. Annual Reporting Burden

Public reporting burden for this collection of information is

estimated to average five minutes per response, including the time to

gather the information and complete the solicitation provision. The

annual

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reporting burden is estimated as follows: Respondents, 603,524;

responses per respondent, 1; total annual responses, 603,524;

preparation hours per response, .08333, and total response burden

hours, 50,273. The collection is voluntary.

Copies of the Proposal

A copy of the Paperwork proposal is available from the Office of

Federal Procurement Policy, Room 352, OEOB, Washington, DC 20503.

Please cite the Small Business Competitiveness Demonstration Program in

all correspondence.

Deidre A. Lee,

Administrator.

[FR Doc. 99-13880 Filed 6-1-99; 8:45 am]

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