SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

A. Purpose

As a first step in assuring that Government contracts are not awarded to firms violating anti-trust laws, offerors on Government contracts must complete the certificate of independent price determination. The Contracting Officer will reject certificates where the offeror has deleted or modified portions of the certificate and has not furnished with the certificate a signed statement of the circumstances of disclosure of prices. Agencies are required to report to the Attorney General rejected offers where the offeror deleted or modified the certificate or the certificate is suspected of being false.

The information collection is required each time an offeror responds to a solicitation for firm-fixed price contract or fixed-price economic price adjustment contract unless the acquisition is: (1) Made under the simplified acquisition threshold; (2) at the request for technical proposals under two-step sealed bidding procedures; or (3) for utility services for which rates are set by law or regulation. The FAR rule requires a Certificate of Independent Price Determination so that contractors certify that the prices in their offer have been arrived at independently, have not been or will not be knowingly disclosed, and have not been submitted for the purpose of restricting competition. This clause does not apply to commercial items.

B. Annual Reporting Burden

A reassessment of FAR 3.103 and FAR 52.203-2 was performed. Based on the comprehensive reassessment performed, this information collection resulted in a slight decrease in the annual number of responses and an increase in the annual time burden from the previous information collection that was published in the Federal Register at 76 FR 37353 on June 27, 2011. The decrease in the annual number of responses was likely a result of updated Fiscal Year 2013 data obtained from the Federal Procurement Data System. The ( printed page 38318) increase in the annual time burden resulted from increases in the amount of time necessary to research and prepares the certification from .01 hours (less than one minute) to .25 hours (15 minutes). No public comments were received in prior years that have challenged the validity of the Government's estimate.

Respondents: 13,486.

Responses per Respondent: 76.

Total Responses: 1,024,936.

Hours per Response:.25.

Total Burden hours: 256,234.

C. Public Comments

Public comments are particularly invited on: Whether this collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of functions of the FAR, and whether it will have practical utility; whether our estimate of the public burden of this collection of information is accurate, and based on valid assumptions and methodology; ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and ways in which we can minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are to respond, through the use of appropriate technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology.

Obtaining Copies of Proposals: Requesters may obtain a copy of the information collection documents from the General Services Administration, Regulatory Secretariat Division (MVCB), 1800 F Street NW., Washington, DC 20405. ATTN: Ms. Flowers/IC 9000-0018, telephone 202-501-4755.

Please cite OMB Control No. 9000-0018, Certification of Independent Price Determination and Parent Company and Identifying Data, in all correspondence.