Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 98 Part 3.djvu/699

 PUBLIC LAW 98-577—OCT. 30, 1984

98 STAT. 3071

accordance with the requirements of subsection Gs). The preceding sentence does not apply in the case of a qualification requirement for which a waiver is in effect under subsection (c)(2). "(f) Except in an emergency as determined by the head of the agency, whenever the head of the agency determines not to enforce a qualification requirement for a solicitation, the agency may not thereafter enforce that qualification requirement unless the agency complies with the requirements of subsection (b).". (b) The amendment made by subsection (a) shall apply with respect to solicitations issued more than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act.

Effective date. 41 USC 253c note.

VALIDATION OF PROPRIETARY DATA RESTRICTIONS

SEC. 203. (a) Title III of the Act is amended by inserting after section 303D (as added by section 202 of this Act) the following new section: "VALIDATION OF PROPRIETARY DATA RESTRICTIONS

"SEC. 303E. (a) A contract for property or services entered into by an executive agency which provides for the delivery of technical data, shall provide that— "(1) a contractor or subcontractor at any tier shall be prepared to furnish to the contracting officer a written justification for any restriction asserted by the contractor or subcontractor on the right of the United States to use such technical data; and "(2) the contracting officer may review the validity of any restriction asserted by the contractor or by a subcontractor under the contract on the right of the United States to use technical data furnished to the United States under the contract if the contracting officer determines that reasonable grounds exist to question the current validity of the asserted restriction and that the continued adherence to the asserted restriction by the United States would make it impracticable to procure the item competitively at a later time. "(b) If after such review the contracting officer determines that a challenge to the asserted restriction is warranted, the contracting officer shall provide written notice to the contractor or subcontractor asserting the restriction. Such notice shall state— "(1) the grounds for challenging the asserted restriction; and "(2) the requirement for a response within 60 days justifying the current validity of the asserted restriction. "(c) If a contractor or subcontractor asserting a restriction subject to this section submits to the contracting officer a written request, showing the need for additional time to comply with the requirement to justify the current validity of the asserted restriction, additional time to adequately permit the submission of such justification shall be provided by the contracting officer as appropriate. If a party asserting a restriction receives notices of challenges to restrictions on technical data from more than one contracting officer, and notifies each contracting officer of the existence of more than one challenge, the contracting officer initiating the first in time challenge, after consultation with the party asserting the restriction and the other contracting officers, shall formulate a schedule of responses to each of the challenges that will afford the party asserting the restriction with an equitable opportunity to respond to each such challenge.

Science and technology. 41 USC 253d.

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