These procedures govern the Board's issuance of decisions,
upon the request of an agency disbursing or certifying official, or
agency head, on questions involving payment of travel or relocation
expenses that were formerly issued by the Comptroller General under
31 U.S.C.  3529.  Section 204 of the General Accounting Office Act
of 1996, Pub. L. 104-316, transfers the authority to issue these
decisions to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget,
and authorizes the Director to delegate the authority to perform
that function to another agency or agencies.  The Director has
delegated the authority to issue these decisions to the
Administrator of General Services, who has redelegated that
function to the General Services Administration Board of Contract
Appeals.    

	(a)   Request for decision.




		(1)  A disbursing or certifying official of an agency, or
the head of an agency, may request from the Board a decision
(referred to as a "Section 3529 decision") on a question involving
a payment the disbursing official or head of agency will make, or
a voucher presented to a certifying official for certification,
which concerns the following type of claim made against the United
States by a federal civilian employee:




			(i) a claim for reimbursement of expenses incurred
while on official temporary duty travel; and 




			(ii) a claim for reimbursement of expenses incurred
in connection with relocation to a new duty station.  




		(2)	A request for a Section 3529 decision shall be in
writing; no particular form is required.  The request must refer to
a specific payment or voucher; it may not seek general legal
advice.  The request should --




			(i)  Explain why the official is seeking a Section
3529 decision, rather than taking action on his or her own
regarding the matter;




			(ii)  State the question presented and include
citations to applicable statutes, regulations, and cases; 




			(iii) Include --




			   (A)  The name, address, telephone number, and
facsimile machine number (if available) of the official making the
request; 




			   (B)  The name, address, telephone number, and
facsimile number (if available) of the employee affected by the
specific payment or voucher; and




			   (C)  Any other information which the official
believes the Board should consider; and




			(iv)  Be sent to the Office of the Clerk of the
Board, Room 7022, General Services Administration Building, 1800 F
Street, NW, Washington, DC  20405.  The Clerk's telephone number
is:  (202) 501-0116.  The Clerk's facsimile machine number is (202)
501-0664.  The Board's working hours are 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.,
Eastern Time, on each day other than a Saturday, Sunday, or federal
holiday.  




	(b)	Notice of docketing.  A request for a Section 3529
decision will be docketed by the Office of the Clerk of the Board. 
A written notice of docketing will be sent promptly to the official
and the affected employee.  The notice of docketing will identify
the judge to whom the request has been assigned.




	(c)	Service of copy.  The official submitting a request for
a Section 3529 decision shall send to the affected employee copies
of all material provided to the Board.  All submissions to the
Board shall indicate that a copy has been provided to the affected
employee.

	If the affected employee wishes to submit any additional
information to the Board, he or she must submit such information
within 30 calendar days after receiving the copy of the request for
decision and supporting material (or within 60 calendar days after
receiving the copy, if the affected employee is located outside the
50 states and the District of Columbia).  To expedite proceedings,
if the employee does not wish to make an additional submission, the
employee should so notify the Board and the agency.

  	(a)  Requests for additional time.  The agency or the affected
employee may request additional time to make any filing. 




	(b)  Conferences.  The judge will not engage in ex parte
communications involving the underlying facts or merits of the
request.  The judge may hold a conference with the agency and the
affected employee, at any time, for any purpose.  The judge may
provide the participants a memorandum reflecting the results of a
conference.




  	(c)  Additional submissions.  The judge may require the
submission of additional information at any time.  






RULE 505




DECISIONS





	The judge will issue a written decision based upon the record,
which includes submissions by the agency and the affected employee,
and information provided during conferences.  The agency and the
affected employee will each be furnished a copy of the decision by
the Office of the Clerk of the Board.  In addition, all Board
decisions are posted weekly on the Internet.  The Board's Internet
address is:  www.gsbca.gsa.gov.






RULE 506




RECONSIDERATION OF BOARD DECISION




	A request for reconsideration may be made by the agency or the
affected employee.  Such requests must be received by the Board
within 30 calendar days after the date the decision was issued (or
within 60 calendar days after the date the decision was issued, if
the agency or the affected employee making the request is located
outside the 50 states and the District of Columbia).  The request
for reconsideration should state the reasons why the Board should
consider the request.  Mere disagreement with a decision or re-
argument of points already made is not a sufficient ground for
seeking reconsideration.