SUPPORTING STATEMENT
FOR INFORMATION COLLECTION SUBMISSION
OMB CONTROL NO.9000-0088, TRAVEL COSTS
A. JUSTIFICATION.
1. Administrative requirements. FAR 31.205-46, Travel costs, requires that, except in extraordinary and temporary situation, costs incurred by a contractor for lodging, meals, and incidental expenses shall be considered to be reasonable and allowable only to the extent that they do not exceed on a daily basis the per diem rates in effect as set forth in the Federal Travel Regulation (FTR) for travel in the conterminous 48 United States. The FTR and FAR 31.205-46(a)(3)(iv) requires that expenses for travel be substantiated by documentary evidence in the form of a receipt to support expenditures in excess of $75.
Specifically, subparagraph (iv) says, “Documentation to support actual costs incurred shall be in accordance with the contractor’s established practices, subject to paragraph (a)(7) of this subsection, and provided that a receipt is required for each expenditure of $75.00 or more. The approved justification required by paragraph (a)(3)(ii) and, if applicable, paragraph (a)(3)(iii) of this subsection must be retained.”
2. Uses of information. The information is used by contracting officers to ensure that the Government does not reimburse contractors for excessive travel costs.
3. Consideration of information technology. We use improved information technology to the maximum extent practicable. Where both the Government agency and contractors are capable of electronic interchange, the contractors may submit this information collection requirement electronically.
4. Efforts to identify duplication. This requirement is being issued under the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) which has been developed to standardize Federal procurement practices and eliminate unnecessary duplication.
5. If the collection of information impacts small businesses or other entities, describe methods used to minimize burden. The burden applied to small businesses is the minimum consistent with applicable laws, Executive orders, regulations, and prudent business practices.
6. Describe consequence to Federal program or policy activities if the collection is not conducted or is conducted less frequently. Collection of information on a basis other than contract-by-contract is not practical.
7. Special circumstances for collection. Collection is consistent with guidelines in 5 CFR 1320.6.
8. Efforts to consult with persons outside the agency. A 60-day notice was published in the Federal Register at 81 FR 13368 on March 14, 2016. One comment was received.
Comment: The respondent expressed support for the requirement that Federal contractors justify any method that results in reimbursements of more than the per diem rates. FAR 31.205 applies the same standard to Federal employees; the burden is fairly imposed upon contractors.
Response: The Government appreciates and acknowledges the comment.
A 30-day notice was published in the Federal Register at 81 FR 36307 on June 6, 2016.
9. Explanation of any decision to provide any payment or gift to respondents, other than reenumeration of contractors or guarantees. Not applicable.
10. Describe assurance of confidentiality provided to respondents. This information is disclosed only to the extent consistent with prudent business practices and current regulations.
11. Additional justification for questions of a sensitive nature. No sensitive questions are involved.
12 & 13. Estimated total annual public hour and cost burden. Reporting cost to the public is caused by the compliance with the conditions for authority to exceed the stated per diem limit. The requirement documentary evidence is consistent with the applicable travel regulations.
Annual Reporting Burden
Estimated respondents/yr 5800
Responses annually per respondent x 10
Total annual justification per year 58,000
Estimated hours per justification x.25
Estimated total burden hours 14,500
Estimated cost to public ($31.62*) $458,490
The estimated cost per response is $7.905.
14. Estimated cost to the Government. Time required for Governmentwide review is estimated at .25 hours per response.
Annual Reviewing Burden and Cost
Reviewing time/hr. . .25
Responses/yr x 58,000
Review time/yr 14,500
Average wages/hr(inc. OH & Benefits) x $31.62*
Total Government cost $ 458,490
* We estimated an hourly rate equivalent to a GS-9, Step-5, or $23.25 per hour (base pay), plus 36.45 percent overhead burden, which is the rate mandated by OMB for A-76 public-private competitions, and results in an hourly rate of $31.62.
15. Explain reasons for program changes or adjustments reported in Item 13 or 14. This submission requests an extension of OMB approval of an information collection in the FAR. The information collection requirement in the FAR remains unchanged. There is no centralized database that collects the information associated with this requirement; therefore, previously accepted estimates were used. Given that more automation (and therefore, less-costly manpower) is needed for producing and reviewing the artifacts, the overall cost to the Government is lower.
16. Outline plans for published results of information collections. Results will not be tabulated or published.
Approval not to display expiration date. Not applicable.
Explanation of exception to certification statement. Not applicable.
Collections of Information Employing Statistical Methods. Statistical methods are not used in this information collection.
| File Type | application/msword |
| File Title | SUPPORTING STATEMENT |
| Author | Network Administrator |
| Last Modified By | NicoleDBynum |
| File Modified | 2016-06-07 |
| File Created | 2016-05-31 |