Rule Designates Biobased Items for Federal Agency Purchase
Long-awaited rule designates six biobased items for federal procurement.
Compiled by staff
Published: Mar 9, 2006
A final rule scheduled for publication Friday encourages federal agencies to purchase six biobased items to encourage the use of biobased products by the government.
Created in the 2002 Farm Bill, the Federal Biobased Products Preferred Procurement Program designates mobile equipment hydraulic fluids; biobased roof coatings; water tank coatings; diesel fuel additives; penetrating lubricants and; bedding, bed linens and towels.
"The designation of these six biobased items presents new economic opportunities for U.S. farmers and ranchers," says Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns. "This is an historic step toward increasing the use of biobased products by the federal government, which will lead to greater acceptance of biobased products, lower prices and more variety of biobased products in the market. I encourage all federal agencies to quickly adopt preferences for biobased products in their purchases."
USDA earlier published a proposed rule designating these six items and conducted a 60-day public comment period. Federal agencies must give preference to biobased products in government purchases within one year.
The final rule to be published in the March 10, 2006 Federal Register designates six items, which are generic groupings of biobased products. Two of the designated items, water tank coatings and bedding, bed linens, and towels, have fewer than two suppliers of the biobased products that fall within these items. Consequently, federal agencies will not have to give these items preference in procurement until there are two or more suppliers. USDA will issue a Federal Register notice when at least two suppliers are making these items available.
The final rule announced Thursday is the first of a series of rules that will be issued designating biobased items. USDA currently has identified about 150 items for which it is collecting test data needed for the additional designations of items that will extend preferred procurement status to include all qualifying biobased products.
To enable federal agencies to have easy access to biobased product information, manufacturers of qualifying biobased products that fall within the designated items are invited to post product and contact information on the web site for the Federal Biobased Products Preferred Procurement Program at www.biobased.oce.usda.gov.
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