Designation of Biobased Items for Federal Procurement

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is amending the guidelines for designating biobased products for Federal procurement, to add nine sections to designate items, including subcategories, within which biobased products will be afforded Federal procurement preference. USDA also is establishing minimum biobased content for each of these items and subcategories. In addition, USDA is amending the guidelines by providing exemptions to the Department of Defense and the National Aeronautic and Space Administration from the preferred procurement requirements. USDA is also making minor technical amendments to several sections of the guidelines to update information on the applicable Web site citation and to provide additional information on products that may overlap with products designated for preferred procurement under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Comprehensive Procurement Guideline for Products Containing Recovered Materials.