48 CFR Chapter 2, Subchapter B - ACQUISITION PLANNING

The General Services Administration (GSA) is issuing a correction to GSAR Case 2015-G506; Adoption of Construction Project Delivery Method Involving Early Industry Engagement—Construction Manager as Constructor (CMc). The document heading carried an incorrect Regulatory Information Number (RIN) in the header. This document carries the correct RIN.

This agenda announces the proposed regulatory actions that GSA plans for the next 12 months and those that were completed since the spring 2018 edition. This agenda was developed under the guidelines of Executive Orders (E.O.) 12866, “Regulatory Planning and Review,” as amended, Executive Order 13771, “Reducing Regulation and Controlling Regulatory Costs,” and Executive Order 13563, “Improving Regulation and Regulatory Review.” GSA's purpose in publishing this agenda is to allow interested persons an opportunity to participate in the rulemaking process. GSA also invites interested persons to recommend existing significant regulations for review to determine whether they should be modified or eliminated. Published proposed and final rules may be reviewed in their entirety at the Government's rulemaking website at http://www.regulations.gov. The complete Unified Agenda will be available online at www.reginfo.gov. Because publication in the Federal Register is mandated for the regulatory flexibility agendas required by the Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 602), GSA's printed agenda entries include only: (1) Rules that are in the Agency's regulatory flexibility agenda, in accordance with the Regulatory Flexibility Act, because they are likely to have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities; and (2) Any rules that the Agency has identified for periodic review under section 610 of the Regulatory Flexibility Act. Printing of these entries is limited to fields that contain information required by the Regulatory Flexibility Act's Agenda requirements. Additional information on these entries is available in the Unified Agenda published on the internet. In addition, for fall editions of the Agenda, the entire Regulatory Plan will continue to be printed in the Federal Register, as in past years, including GSA's regulatory plan.

GSA is amending the General Services Administration Acquisition Regulation (GSAR) to remove duplicative text already contained in the Federal Acquisition Regulation.

The General Services Administration (GSA) is issuing a proposed rule amending the General Services Administration Acquisition Regulation (GSAR) to adopt an additional project delivery method for construction, construction manager as constructor (CMc). The private sector prevalently uses this type of construction project delivery method, which allows for early industry engagement by the construction contractor to provide reduced cost growth, reduced schedule growth and administrative savings. The current Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and GSAR lack detailed coverage differentiating various construction project delivery methods. GSA's policies on CMc have been previously issued through other means. By incorporating CMc into the GSAR and differentiating for various construction methods, the GSAR will provide centralized guidance that eases the burden for industry to understand and execute CMc construction contracts. Centralized guidance will also ensure consistent application of construction project principles across GSA. Additionally, integrating these requirements into the GSAR will allow industry to provide public comments through the rulemaking process.

DoD, GSA, and NASA are proposing to amend the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) to implement a new clause for use in multiple-award indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contracts that provides information on the task- and delivery-order ombudsman.

The Department of Veterans Affairs is correcting a final rule that published in the Federal Register on October 1, 2018 amending and updating its VA Acquisition Regulation (VAAR). Two instructions in the rule are unneeded and are being removed.

On September 24, 2018, DoD, GSA, and NASA published a document proposing to amend the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) to implement a section of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2017. The document heading carried an incorrect docket number. This document carries the correct docket number.

DoD is withdrawing the proposed rule on performance-based payments and progress payments that published on August 24, 2018, and is cancelling the public meeting previously scheduled to be held on October 10, 2018.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is amending and updating its VA Acquisition Regulation (VAAR) in phased increments to revise or remove any policy superseded by changes in the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), to remove procedural guidance internal to VA into the VA Acquisition Manual (VAAM), and to incorporate any new agency specific regulations or policies. These changes seek to streamline and align the VAAR with the FAR and remove outdated and duplicative requirements and reduce burden on contractors. The VAAM incorporates portions of the removed VAAR as well as other internal agency acquisition policy. VA will rewrite certain parts of the VAAR and VAAM, and as VAAR parts are rewritten, we will publish them in the Federal Register . In particular, this rulemaking revises VAAR concerning Describing Agency Needs and Contract Financing, as well as affected parts covering the Department of Veterans Affairs Acquisition Regulation System, Solicitation Provisions and Contract Clauses, and Special Procurement Controls.