FAR Council Opens PRA Comment Window for Overhaul Parts 9, 27, 47
The paperwork burden estimate hasn't been published yet, so contractors are being asked to comment on a number they can't see.
TL;DR
The FAR Council is requesting public comment on the Paperwork Reduction Act information-collection changes tied to FAR Case 2026-011, its proposed overhaul of Parts 9, 27, and 47, covering contractor qualifications, patents and data rights, and transportation. This is a separate process from the proposed rule's own comment period. The PRA notice, published September 23, asks for input on necessity, burden accuracy, and ways to reduce the collection load. The proposed rule itself appeared September 18, running 100 pages and carrying a 60-day comment window that closes October 19, 2026.
The PRA notice for FAR Case 2026-011 follows the same template the FAR Council used for Case 2026-010, published the same day in the Federal Register. Both are part of the Council's 12-case implementation of Executive Order 14275, which directs a top-to-bottom restructuring of the Federal Acquisition Regulation.
Part 27 is the portion most likely to create new information-collection obligations. It governs patents, data rights, and copyrights in federal contracting, an area where documentation requirements scale quickly when rules change. The proposed rule's 100-page text (91 FR 59584) covers Parts 9, 27, 47, and 52, and contractors who work with technical data or IP deliverables should cross-reference the proposed rule against the PRA request to understand what new reporting or marking requirements may be in play.
The PRA comment period and the proposed rule comment period are distinct. The proposed rule's window closes October 19, 2026. The PRA notice invites comments on the collection itself, whether the information has practical utility, whether the burden estimate is accurate, and how to reduce the collection load. The notice doesn't state a separate closing date, but PRA submissions typically run 30 to 60 days from publication.
This is the second of four RFO-related proposed rules published so far, with eight more cases still to drop as the FAR Council moves through its overhaul.
Published ·Deep Fathom