[Federal Register: December 28, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 248)]
[Rules and Regulations]               
[Page 77879]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr28de04-21]                         

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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION

NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION

48 CFR Chapter 1

 
Federal Acquisition Regulation; Small Entity Compliance Guide

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

ACTION: Small Entity Compliance Guide.

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SUMMARY: This document is issued under the joint authority of the 
Secretary of Defense, the Administrator of General Services and the 
Administrator for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. 
This Small Entity Compliance Guide has been prepared in accordance with 
Section 212 of the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act 
of 1996. It consists of a summary of the rule appearing in Federal 
Acquisition Circular (FAC) 2001-27 which amends the FAR. An asterisk 
(*) next to a rule indicates that a regulatory flexibility analysis has 
been prepared. Interested parties may obtain further information 
regarding this rule by referring to FAC 2001-27, which precedes this 
document. These documents are also available via the Internet at http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=leavingFR.html&log=linklog&to=http://www.acqnet.gov/far
.


FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Laurieann Duarte, FAR Secretariat, 
(202) 501-4225. For clarification of content, contact Cecelia Davis at 
(202) 219-0202.

Free Trade Agreements--Australia and Morocco

    This interim rule allows contracting officers to purchase the 
products of Australia and Morocco without application of the Buy 
American Act if the acquisition is subject to the Free Trade 
Agreements. The U.S. Trade Representative negotiated Free Trade 
Agreements with Australia and Morocco, which go into effect January 1, 
2005, according to Public Laws 108-286 and 108-302. These Agreements 
join the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the Chile and 
Singapore Free Trade Agreements which are already in the FAR. The 
threshold for applicability of the Australian Free Trade Agreement is 
$58,550 (the same as other Free Trade Agreements to date), but the 
threshold for applicability of the Morocco Free Trade Agreement is 
$175,000. Because of the short statutory time frame, this is an interim 
rule. Also in this rule are changes requested by the U.S. Trade 
Representative, in the list of Least Developed Countries, and changes 
in terminology on how the FAR uses the terms ``designated country'' and 
``Trade Agreements Act.'' Some technical changes are also included.

    Dated: December 22, 2004.
Laura Auletta,
Director, Contract Policy Division.
[FR Doc. 04-28401 Filed 12-27-04; 8:45 am]