B-198809, B-199575 L/M, OCT 9, 1980
Highlights
GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION: YOU HAVE REQUESTED OUR COMMENTS ON A PROPOSED AMENDMENT TO SUBCHAPTER F OF THE FEDERAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT REGULATIONS (FPMR) (PART 101-36). WE ARE OPPOSED TO THE AMENDMENT. THE PROCEDURES SPECIFIED BY FIPS PUB 71 OR FED-STD 1003 ARE REQUIRED TO BE USED IN THE DESIGN AND PROCUREMENT OF ALL DATA COMMUNICATIONS AND AUTOMATIC DATA PROCESSING (ADP) SYSTEMS. WHEN AN AGENCY DETERMINES THAT INTEROPERABILITY WITH NATIONAL COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM (NCS) FACILITIES IS REQUIRED. FED-STD 1003 ESTABLISHED BY THE GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION (GSA) IS APPLICABLE. FIPS PUB 71 ESTABLISHED BY THE NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS (NBS) IS APPLICABLE. THERE ARE SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN FIPS PUB 71 AND FED-STD 1003.
B-198809, B-199575 L/M, OCT 9, 1980
OFFICE OF GENERAL COUNSEL
PHILIP G. READ, GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION:
YOU HAVE REQUESTED OUR COMMENTS ON A PROPOSED AMENDMENT TO SUBCHAPTER F OF THE FEDERAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT REGULATIONS (FPMR) (PART 101-36). THE PROPOSED AMENDMENT PROVIDES FOR STANDARD TERMINOLOGY TO BE USED IN SOLICITATION DOCUMENTS REGARDING THE APPLICATION OF FEDERAL INFORMATION PROCESSING STANDARDS PUBLICATION (FIPS PUB) 71 AND FEDERAL STANDARD (FED- STD) 1003. WE ARE OPPOSED TO THE AMENDMENT.
UNDER THE TERMS OF THE PROPOSED AMENDMENT, THE PROCEDURES SPECIFIED BY FIPS PUB 71 OR FED-STD 1003 ARE REQUIRED TO BE USED IN THE DESIGN AND PROCUREMENT OF ALL DATA COMMUNICATIONS AND AUTOMATIC DATA PROCESSING (ADP) SYSTEMS, EQUIPMENT AND SERVICES USING BIT-ORIENTED SYNCHRONOUS DATA LINK CONTROL PROCEDURES OR EMPLOYED IN COMPUTER NETWORKING OR TELEPROCESSING ENVIRONMENTS USING BIT-ORIENTED DATA COMMUNICATIONS. WHEN AN AGENCY DETERMINES THAT INTEROPERABILITY WITH NATIONAL COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM (NCS) FACILITIES IS REQUIRED, FED-STD 1003 ESTABLISHED BY THE GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION (GSA) IS APPLICABLE. WHEN NO REQUIREMENT FOR INTEROPERATION WITH NCS FACILITIES EXISTS, FIPS PUB 71 ESTABLISHED BY THE NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS (NBS) IS APPLICABLE.
WE BELIEVE THAT THERE SHOULD BE ONE UNIFORM STANDARD FOR ADVANCE DATA COMMUNICATION CONTROL PROCEDURES (ADCCP). ALTHOUGH BOTH FIPS PUB 71 AND FED-STD 1003 ADOPT, IN PART, THE AMERICAN NATIONAL STANDARDS INSTITUTE'S STANDARD FOR ADCCP (X3.66-1979), THERE ARE SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN FIPS PUB 71 AND FED-STD 1003. ACCORDINGLY, WE DO NOT BELIEVE THAT THE PROPOSED AMENDMENT SHOULD BE ISSUED AT THIS TIME, AND RECOMMEND THAT GSA AND NBS WORK TOGETHER TO ESTABLISH A UNIFORM STANDARD FOR ADCCP.