SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Summaries for each FAR rule follow. For the actual revisions and/or amendments made by these FAR rules, refer to the specific item numbers and subjects set forth in the documents following these item summaries. FAC 2022-08 amends the FAR as follows:

Item I—Policy on Joint Ventures (FAR Case 2017-019)

This final rule amends the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) to align with the Small Business Administration (SBA) regulations regarding mentor-protégé joint ventures and to provide clarification regarding joint ventures under the 8(a) Program. The changes will allow mentor-protégé joint ventures to qualify as small businesses, or to qualify under a socioeconomic program for the purposes of participation in procurements under FAR part 19. In addition, this rule provides consistent guidance to contracting officers on how to handle joint ventures under the 8(a) Program and the small business socioeconomic programs.

Item II—Construction Contract Administration (FAR Case 2018-020)

This final rule amends the FAR to implement section 855 of the of the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 (Pub. L. 115-232), codified at 15 U.S.C. 644(w) in the Small Business Act. Section 855 requires Federal agencies to provide a notice, along with solicitations for construction contracts anticipated to be awarded to small businesses, to prospective offerors that includes information about the agency's policies or practices in complying with FAR requirements related to the timely definitization of requests for equitable adjustment on construction contracts. The notice must include data regarding the time it took the agency to definitize requests for equitable adjustment on construction contracts for the three-year period preceding the issuance of the notice.

The final FAR rule requires contracting officers to transmit in the solicitation notice on the Governmentwide point of entry information in construction solicitations anticipated to be awarded to a small business pursuant to part 19, that includes a description of agency-specific policies or procedures regarding definitization of equitable adjustments for change orders under construction contracts. Additionally, agencies are required to include past performance data in the solicitation notice, for the three fiscal years preceding the issuance of the solicitation notice, regarding the time required to definitize equitable adjustments for change orders under construction contracts using the table format provided in the FAR text, or provide the address of an agency-specific, publicly accessible website containing this information. The final rule also describes an adequate change order definitization proposal as containing sufficient information to enable the contracting officer to conduct meaningful analyses and audits of the information contained in the proposal.

Item III—Update of Historically Underutilized Business Zone Program (FAR Case 2019-007)

This final rule amends the FAR to implement changes to the SBA regulations for the Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone) Program. This rule specifies that SBA now certifies HUBZone small business concerns and HUBZone entities are no longer required to represent their HUBZone status with each offer. In addition, contracting officers may now award HUBZone set-aside and sole-source contracts at or below the simplified acquisition threshold. This rule also makes minor changes to the HUBZone protest procedures.

Item IV—Certification of Women-Owned Small Businesses (FAR Case 2020-013)

This final rule amends the FAR to align with SBA's regulations regarding certification of economically disadvantaged women-owned small business (EDWOSB) concerns and ( printed page 58219) women-owned small business (WOSB) concerns. This rule requires EDWOSBs and WOSBs participating in the Women-Owned Small Business Program (the Program) to apply for certification through SBA or a SBA-approved third-party certifier to be eligible for WOSB or EDWOSB set-aside or sole-source contracts. EDWOSB and WOSB concerns that are not certified will not be eligible for set-aside and sole-source contracts under the Program. WOSBs that do not participate in the Program may continue to represent their status, be awarded contracts outside the Program, and these contracts will continue to count toward an agency's goal for awards to WOSBs.

Item V—Technical Amendments

Administrative changes are made at FAR 4.1202, 19.102, and 19.309. The date change is to provide additional time to implement the policy addressing the assignment of North American Industry Classification System codes to orders placed under multiple award contracts, as covered by changes made by FAR case 2014-002, Set-Asides Under Multiple Award Contracts.

Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) 2022-08 is issued under the authority of the Secretary of Defense, the Administrator of General Services, and the Administrator of National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Unless otherwise specified, all Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and other directive material contained in FAC 2022-08 is effective September 23, 2022 except for Items I through IV, which are effective October 28, 2022.

John M. Tenaglia,

Principal Director, Defense Pricing and Contracting, Department of Defense.

Jeffrey A. Koses,

Senior Procurement Executive/Deputy CAO, Office of Acquisition Policy, U.S. General Services Administration.

Karla Smith Jackson,

Assistant Administrator for Procurement, Senior Procurement Executive, National Aeronautics and Space Administration.