Change Notice

[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 42 (Friday, March 2, 2012)]

[Rules and Regulations]

[Pages 12930-12933]

From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]

[FR Doc No: 2012-4488]

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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION

NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION

48 CFR Parts 13 and 19

[FAC 2005-56; FAR Case 2011-004; Item IV; Docket 2011-0004, Sequence 1] RIN 9000-AL88

Federal Acquisition Regulation: Socioeconomic Program Parity

AGENCY: Department of Defense (DoD), General Services Administration (GSA), and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

ACTION: Final rule.

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SUMMARY: DoD, GSA, and NASA have adopted as final, with changes, the interim rule amending the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) to implement a section of the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010 that clarifies that there is no order of precedence among the small business socioeconomic contracting programs. Accordingly, this final rule amends the FAR to clarify the existence of socioeconomic parity and that contracting officers may exercise discretion when determining whether an acquisition will be restricted to small businesses participating in the 8(a) Business Development Program (8(a)), Historically Underutilized Business Zones (HUBZone) Program, Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) Program, or the Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) Program.

DATES: Effective Date: April 2, 2012.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Karlos Morgan, Procurement Analyst, at 202-501-2364 for clarification of content. For information pertaining to status or publication schedules, contact the Regulatory Secretariat at 202-501-4755. Please cite FAC 2005-56, FAR Case 2011-004.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: