SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

A. Background

The General Services Administration (GSA) is amending the General Services Administration Acquisition Regulation (GSAR) to update the text addressing GSAR 505 Publicizing Contract Actions, Subpart 505.1 Dissemination of Information, Subpart 505.2 Synopses of Proposed Contract Actions, and 505.5 Paid Advertisements. This rule is a result of the General Services Administration Acquisition Manual (GSAM) Rewrite initiative undertaken by GSA to revise the GSAM to maintain consistency with the FAR and implement streamlined and innovative acquisition procedures that contractors, offerors, and GSA contracting personnel can utilize when entering into and administering contractual relationships. The GSAM incorporates the General Services Administration Acquisition Regulation (GSAR) as well as internal agency acquisition policy.

GSA will rewrite each part of the GSAR and GSAM, and as each GSAR part is rewritten, will publish it in the Federal Register .

This rule covers the GSAR portion of Part 505. Currently, Subparts 505.1, 505.2 and 505.5 are identified as “shaded” for regulatory coverage; however, the agency has deemed, during the rewrite process, these Subparts as non-regulatory because the coverage addresses internal agency acquisition policy. These Subparts have been revised and will be moved to the non-regulatory portion of the GSAM.

There were no public comments received in response to the Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking published in the Federal Register at 71 FR 7910, February 15, 2006.

This is not a significant regulatory action and, therefore, was not subject to review under Section 6(b) of Executive Order 12866, Regulatory Planning and Review, dated September 30, 1993. This rule is not a major rule under 5 U.S.C. 804.

B. Regulatory Flexibility Act

The General Services Administration does not expect this proposed rule to have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities within the meaning of the Regulatory Flexibility Act, 5 U.S.C. 601, et seq., because the revisions are not considered substantive. The revisions only update and reorganize existing coverage. An Initial Regulatory Flexibility Analysis has, therefore, not been performed. We invite comments from small businesses and other interested parties. GSA will consider comments from small entities concerning the affected GSAR Part 505 in accordance with 5 U.S.C. 610. Interested parties must submit such comments separately and should cite 5 U.S.C. 601, et seq. (GSAR case 2008-G503), in correspondence.

C. Paperwork Reduction Act

The Paperwork Reduction Act does not apply because the proposed changes to the GSAM do not impose information collection requirements that require the approval of the Office of Management and Budget under 44 U.S.C. 3501, et seq.

Therefore, under the authority of 40 U.S.C. 121(c), GSA proposes to remove 48 CFR part 505.