GSA Submits Five FAR Information Collections to OMB for Renewal; Comments Due Sept. 14

The General Services Administration's Regulatory Secretariat Division has submitted to OMB five requests to extend previously approved information collections under the Paperwork Reduction Act, all published August 14, 2026. OFPP, DoD, GSA, and NASA will consider all public comments received on or before September 14, 2026.

Prospective Subcontractor Requests for Bonds (OMB 9000-0135)

This collection is mandated by section 806(a)(3) of Public Law 102-190, as amended by sections 2091 and 8105 of the Federal Acquisition Streamlining Act of 1994. The FAR clause at 52.228-12 requires prime contractors to promptly provide a copy of a payment bond, upon request, to any prospective subcontractor or supplier offering to furnish labor or material under a construction contract for which a payment bond has been furnished pursuant to 40 U.S.C. chapter 31. The collection reports 317 respondents, 793 total annual responses, and 270 total burden hours. A 60-day notice was published at 91 FR 27052 on May 13, 2026. One comment was received; it strongly supported the extension, stating that access to payment bond information protects prospective subcontractors on federal construction projects. The FAR Council noted the comment did not change the burden estimate.

Contract Financing (OMB 9000-0138)

This clearance covers information that offerors and contractors must submit under several FAR provisions governing contract financing payments. FAR 52.232-28 requires an offeror invited to propose performance-based payment terms to include proposed contractual language, information on the contractor's investment in the contract, projected performance-based payment dates and amounts, and projected delivery dates and amounts. FAR 52.232-29 and 52.232-30 require contractors under commercial purchases pursuant to FAR part 12 to include with their payment requests an appropriately itemized statement of financing payments and other supporting information, prepared in concert with the contracting officer. FAR 52.232-31 requires an offeror invited to propose commercial financing terms to include proposed contractual language and a listing of the earliest date and greatest amount at which each financing payment may be payable. FAR 52.232-32 requires the contractor's request for performance-based payment to include any information and documentation required by the contract's description of the basis for payment, as well as a certification by a contractor official authorized to bind the contractor. The contracting officer uses the collected information to review and approve contract financing requests and to establish and administer contract financing terms. The collection reports 49 respondents, 371 total annual responses, and 742 total burden hours. A 60-day notice was published at 91 FR 27050 on May 13, 2026; no comments were received.

Architect-Engineer Qualifications, SF-330 (OMB 9000-0157)

Standard Form 330 is used under FAR 36.702(b), which requires an architect-engineer firm to provide information about its qualifications for a specific contract when the contract amount is expected to exceed the simplified acquisition threshold. Part I of the form covers contract-specific qualifications and is reviewed by a selection panel of professionals to assist in selecting the most qualified firm for a specific project; it may also be used when the contract amount is expected to be at or below the simplified acquisition threshold if the contracting officer determines its use is appropriate. Part II covers general professional qualifications and is used to determine if a firm should be solicited for architect-engineer projects; firms are encouraged to update it annually. The form collects an organizational chart of all participating firms and key personnel, descriptions of key personnel experience in five relevant projects, a description of each example project performed by the project team, and a matrix of key personnel who participated in the example projects. The document notes that the Government's right to impose submission length limitations was established in case law. The collection reports 402 respondents, 1,608 total annual responses, and 46,632 total burden hours. A 60-day notice was published at 91 FR 30304 on May 22, 2026. One comment was received recommending that the SF-330 be modernized — including publishing an official editable Microsoft Word version, updating contact information blocks, and adding proposal due dates and amendment acknowledgment fields. The FAR Council responded that such revisions would require rulemaking, and that the commenter will have the opportunity to provide feedback when proposed changes to FAR Part 36 are published for comment under FAR Case 2026-010, "Revolutionary Federal Acquisition Regulation Overhaul parts 14, 28, and 36."

Privacy Training (OMB 9000-0182)

This clearance covers information contractors must submit under FAR 52.224-3(d), which requires contractors to maintain a record of initial and annual privacy training for employees who have access to a system of records; who create, collect, use, process, store, maintain, disseminate, disclose, dispose, or otherwise handle personally identifiable information on behalf of an agency; or who design, develop, maintain, or operate a system of records. Contractors must provide documentation of completion of such training to the contracting officer if requested. The contracting officer uses the information in contract administration to establish that all applicable contractor and subcontractor employees comply with privacy training requirements. The collection reports 1,227 respondents and 49,097 recordkeepers, 1,227 total annual responses, and 147,598 total burden hours — comprising 307 reporting hours and 147,291 recordkeeping hours. A 60-day notice was published at 91 FR 30305 on May 22, 2026; no comments were received.

Telecommunications and Video Surveillance Prohibition (OMB 9000-0199)

This clearance covers representations and disclosures required under FAR provisions implementing the prohibition on contracting with entities using certain telecommunications and video surveillance services or equipment. Under FAR 52.204-26, offerors must review the list of excluded parties in SAM for entities excluded for "covered telecommunications equipment or services" and represent whether they do or do not provide or use such equipment or services. If an offeror represents that it does provide or use covered telecommunications equipment or services, FAR 52.204-24 requires it to represent whether it "will" or "will not" provide such equipment or services to the Government and, if it responds "will," to disclose for covered equipment: the producing entity's name, unique entity identifier, CAGE code, and OEM or distributor status; a description of all covered equipment including brand, model number, and item description; and an explanation of the proposed use and factors relevant to permissibility. For covered services related to item maintenance, contractors must describe all covered telecommunications services offered; for other services, they must provide the applicable Product Service Code and an explanation of the proposed use. The notice does not report separate respondent or burden hour figures distinct from those embedded in the broader collection summary.

What to Watch

All five collections share a single public comment deadline of September 14, 2026. For the SF-330 architect-engineer qualifications collection, the FAR Council has signaled that proposed changes to FAR Part 36 under FAR Case 2026-010 will be published for public comment separately, giving stakeholders a future opportunity to address the modernization recommendations raised in this review cycle.

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