§1707 — Title 41 Public Contracts | U.S. Code

Summary

New or changed government buying rules that use appropriated money and that either affect people outside the agency or impose big costs or extra work on contractors must wait 60 days after being published in the Federal Register before they take effect. The agency must put a notice in the Federal Register and allow at least 30 days for the public to send comments. The notice must include the full text or a summary and give contact details for where to get the full text and where to send comments. If there are urgent, compelling reasons, the agency head can waive the waiting rule. Even then the temporary rule must be published as temporary and opened for 30 days of public comment starting on the publication date. After reviewing comments, the agency head can issue the final rule.

Title 41, §1707

Public Contracts — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)(1)Except as provided in subsection (d), a procurement policy, regulation, procedure, or form (including an amendment or modification thereto) may not take effect until 60 days after it is published for public comment in the Federal Register pursuant to subsection (b) if it—

(A)relates to the expenditure of appropriated funds; and

(B)(i)has a significant effect beyond the internal operating procedures of the agency issuing the policy, regulation, procedure, or form; or

(ii)has a significant cost or administrative impact on contractors or offerors.

(2)A policy, regulation, procedure, or form may take effect earlier than 60 days after the publication date when there are compelling circumstances for the earlier effective date, but the effective date may not be less than 30 days after the publication date.

(b)Subject to subsection (c), the head of the agency shall have published in the Federal Register a notice of the proposed procurement policy, regulation, procedure, or form and provide for a public comment period for receiving and considering the views of all interested parties on the proposal. The length of the comment period may not be less than 30 days.

(c)Notice of a proposed procurement policy, regulation, procedure, or form prepared for publication in the Federal Register shall include—

(1)the text of the proposal or, if it is impracticable to publish the full text of the proposal, a summary of the proposal and a statement specifying the name, address, and telephone number of the officer or employee of the executive agency from whom the full text may be obtained; and

(2)a request for interested parties to submit comments on the proposal and the name and address of the officer or employee of the Federal Government designated to receive the comments.

(d)The requirements of subsections (a) and (b) may be waived by the officer authorized to issue a procurement policy, regulation, procedure, or form if urgent and compelling circumstances make compliance with the requirements impracticable.

(e)(1)A procurement policy, regulation, procedure, or form for which the requirements of subsections (a) and (b) are waived under subsection (d) is effective on a temporary basis if—

(A)a notice of the policy, regulation, procedure, or form is published in the Federal Register and includes a statement that the policy, regulation, procedure, or form is temporary; and

(B)provision is made for a public comment period of 30 days beginning on the date on which the notice is published.

(2)After considering the comments received, the head of the agency waiving the requirements of subsections (a) and (b) under subsection (d) may issue the final procurement policy, regulation, procedure, or form.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Historical and Revision Notes

Revised SectionSource (U.S. Code)Source (Statutes at Large) 170741:418b.Pub. L. 93–400, § 22, as added Pub. L. 98–577, title III, § 302(a), Oct. 30, 1984, 98 Stat. 3076; Pub. L. 103–355, title V, § 5092, Oct. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 3362, as amended Pub. L. 104–106, title XLIII, § 4321(a)(9), Feb. 10, 1996, 110 Stat. 671. In subsection (a)(2), the words “Notwithstanding the preceding sentence” are omitted as unnecessary.

§1707 Publication of Proposed Regulations

Summary

Title 41, §1707

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Historical and Revision Notes

Citations & Metadata