9000-0066 - Justification to upload updated FAR forms SF 1413 & 1444

Justification for a no material/nonsubstantive change to a currently approved collection

OMB Control Number 9000-0066, Certain Federal Acquisition Regulation Part 22 Labor Requirements, covers the following FAR standard forms (SFs):

SF 1413, Statement and Acknowledgment; and

SF 1444, Request for Authorization of Additional Classification and Rate.

These SFs were updated as part of a review of the standard forms covered by the FAR conducted in support of Executive Order 13985 of January 20, 2021, Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government.

The review resulted in the identification of potential changes to improve the accessibility of the FAR forms. The changes are considered best practices to support readability for a variety of individuals (visual disabilities and/or learning difficulties). Adopting these changes has the advantage of making the forms easier to read for everyone.

DoD, GSA, and NASA agreed to apply a set of uniform visual improvements to the FAR standard forms. The six improvements are as follows:

1. Replace text in all CAPS with standard title form text (i.e., for each word capitalize the first letter). Use bold text to identify titles.

2. Use consistent font size; adjust form to 12-point text.

3. Replace centered text with left justified.

4. Replace italicized text with standard text.

5. Increase the space between lines of text throughout the form.

6. Move the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) statement to the end of the form for forms subject to the PRA.

A Federal Register Notice was published at 88 FR 71864 on October 18, 2023, announcing the visual updates to the forms. No policy within the standard forms has been changed; changes are visual in nature.

The agency concluded that the changes to the SFs do not impose additional information collection requirements to the paperwork burden previously approved under OMB Control Number 9000-0066.