Screening Business Information for Claims of Confidentiality (APR 1984)

(a) Whenever collecting information under this contract, the Contractor agrees to comply with the following requirements:

(1) If the Contractor collects information from public sources, such as books, reports, journals, periodicals, public records, or other sources that are available to the public without restriction, the Contractor shall submit a list of these sources to the appropriate program office at the time the information is initially submitted to EPA. The Contractor shall identify the information according to source.

(2) If the Contractor collects information from a State or local Government or from a Federal agency, the Contractor shall submit a list of these sources to the appropriate program office at the time the information is initially submitted to EPA. The Contractor shall identify the information according to source.

(3) If the Contractor collects information directly from a business or from a source that represents a business or businesses, such as a trade association:

(i) Before asking for the information, the Contractor shall identify itself, explain that it is performing contractual work for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, identify the information that it is seeking to collect, explain what will be done with the information, and give the following notice:

(A) You may, if you desire, assert a business confidentiality claim covering part or all of the information. If you do assert a claim, the information will be disclosed by EPA only to the extent, and by means of the procedures, set forth in 40 CFR part 2, subpart B.

(B) If no such claim is made at the time this information is received by the Contractor, it may be made available to the public by the Environmental Protection Agency without further notice to you.

(C) The contractor shall, in accordance with FAR part 9, execute a written agreement regarding the limitations of the use of this information and forward a copy of the agreement to the Contracting Officer.

(ii) Upon receiving the information, the Contractor shall make a written notation that the notice set out above was given to the source, by whom, in what form, and on what date.

(iii) At the time the Contractor initially submits the information to the appropriate program office, the Contractor shall submit a list of these sources, identify the information according to source, and indicate whether the source made any confidentiality claim and the nature and extent of the claim.

(b) The Contractor shall keep all information collected from nonpublic sources confidential in accordance with the clause in this contract entitled “Treatment of Confidential Business Information” as if it had been furnished to the Contractor by EPA.

(c) The Contractor agrees to obtain the written consent of the Contracting Officer, after a written determination by the appropriate program office, prior to entering into any subcontract that will require the subcontractor to collect information. The Contractor agrees to include this clause, including this paragraph (c), and the clause entitled “Treatment of Confidential Business Information” in all subcontracts awarded pursuant to this contract that require the subcontractor collect information.