January 9, 1997
MEMORANDUM FOR AGENCY CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICERS, AND SENIOR PROCUREMENT EXECUTIVES
(original signed by)
Sally Katzen /signed/
Administrator
Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs
(original signed by)
Steven Kelman /signed/
Administrator
Office of Federal Procurement Policy
SUBJECT: Year 2000 Federal Acquisition Guidance
Many commercial information technology products in the marketplace
and systems that agencies are acquiring may experience operational
difficulties at the turn of the century. This is the result of
the inability of many of those products and systems to accommodate
the change from the year 1999 to the year 2000. We must anticipate
and address this problem now by acquiring, wherever possible,
only products and systems that are or will be year 2000 compliant.
To assist agencies in acquiring information technology products
and systems that are year 2000 compliant, procurement guidance
was recently developed for inclusion in the Federal Acquisition
Regulations (FAR) at the suggestion of the Interagency Working
Group on the Year 2000. This guidance was issued earlier this
month in Federal Acquisition Circular 9025 (62 FR 273). It will
provide Year 2000 information to agencies that will be helpful
when awarding new information technology contracts or modifying
older ones. A copy of the guidance is attached.
Each of us needs to become personally involved to ensure that
only year 2000 compliant products and systems are acquired. Please
assure that your agency's managers and computer and procurement
professionals follow the new FAR guidance in all of your agency's information technology contracts. Additional information about the Year 2000 issue, helpful procurement practices, and sources of compliant products is available on the Interagency Working Group's
home page which is located on the Internet at: http://www.itpolicy.gsa.gov.
Please contact Larry Wolfe (202) 5011126 of the General
Services Administration with any questions about the year 2000
FAR guidance, or Ed Springer of the Office of Information and
Regulatory Affairs (202) 3953785 with any questions about
this memorandum.
Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.
Attachment
[EXCERPTS FROM FEDERAL REGISTER NOTICE]
DATED JANUARY 2, 1997
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
48 CFR Part 39
[FAC 90-45; FAR Case 96-607; Item XV]
Federal Acquisition Regulation; Year 2000 Compliance
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
Many information technology systems will have operational difficulties due to the use of two digit years in date representations. While commonly thought to be a problem of
old legacy systems, it can also be a problem in information technology
services and products that are for sale today.
At the recommendation of the Chief Information Officers Council
and the interagency working group on the year 2000, the Federal
Government intends to only acquire products that will work in
the year 2000. This interim rule is intended to assist in the
implementation of that intent. It provides a uniform approach
and definition for addressing the year 2000 problem in the many,
unique information technology acquisitions that will occur between
now and the year 2000.
The rule defines the term year 2000 compliant. It also requires that agencies assure that when acquiring information technology which will be required to perform data/time processing in-volving dates subsequent to December 31, 1999, the solicita-tions and contracts either require year 2000 compliant tech-nology, or require that noncompliant information technology
be upgraded to be compliant in a timely manner. The rule also
recommends that agency solicitations describe existing infor-mation
technology that will be used with the information technology to
be acquired and identify whether the existing information technology
is Year 2000 compliant. Additional information about the year
2000 problem and the activities of the interagency working group
on the year 2000 can be found on the group's home page located
at URL http://www itpolicy.gsa.gov.
48 CFR Part 39 is amended as set forth below:
PART 39 ACQUISITION OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
1. The authority citation for 48 CFR Part 39 continues to read
as follows:
Authority: 40 U.S.C. 486(c); 10 U.S.C. chapter 137; and 42 U.S.C.
2473(c).
2. Section 39.002 is amended by adding, in alphabetical order,
the definition 'Year 2000 compliant' to read as follows:
39.002 Definitions.
* * * * *
Year 2000 compliant means information technology that accurately processes date/time data (including, but not limited to, calculating, comparing, and sequencing) from, into, and between the twentieth and twentyfirst centuries, and the years 1999 and 2000 and leap year calculations. Furthermore, Year 2000 compliant information technology, when used in combination with other information technology, shall accurately process date/time data if the other information technology properly exchanges date/time data with it.
39.106 [Redesignated as 39.107]
3. Section 39.106 is redesignated as 39.107, and a new section
39.106 is added to read as follows:
39.106 Year 2000 compliance.
When acquiring information technology which will be required to
perform data/time processing involving dates subsequent to December
31, 1999, agencies shall ensure that solicitations and contracts
(a) Require the information technology to be Year 2000 compliant;
or
(b) Require that noncompliant information technology be
upgraded to be Year 2000 compliant prior to the earlier of (1)
the earliest date on which the information technology may be required
to perform date/time processing involving dates later than December
31, 1999, or (2) December 31, 1999; and
(c) As appropriate, describe existing information technology that
will be used with the information technology to be acquired and
identify whether the existing information technology is Year 2000
compliant.
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