2022-28243. Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery

AGENCY:

Office of the Secretary, Commerce.

ACTION:

Notice of information collection, request for comment.

SUMMARY:

The Department of Commerce, in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), invites the general public and other Federal agencies to comment on proposed, and continuing information collections, which helps us assess the impact of our information collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting burden. The purpose of this notice is to allow for 60 days of public comment preceding submission of the collection to OMB.

DATES:

To ensure consideration, comments regarding this proposed information collection must be received on or before February 27, 2023.

ADDRESSES:

Interested persons are invited to submit written comments to the Department Paperwork Reduction Act Clearance Officer, Department of Commerce, Room 6616, 14th and Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20230 (or via the internet at [e-mail]. All comments received are part of the public record. Comments will generally be posted without change. Please reference OMB Control Number 0690-0030 in the subject line of your comments. Do not submit Confidential Business Information or otherwise sensitive or protected information.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Requests for additional information or copies of the information collection instrument and instructions should be directed to S. Dumas, DOC PRA Clearance Officer, Office of Policy and Governance, 14th and Constitution Avenue NW, Room 6616, Washington, DC 20230 [phone] or at [e-mail].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

Executive Order 12862 directs Federal agencies to provide service to the public that matches or exceeds the best service available in the private sector. In order to work continuously to ensure that the Department of Commerce (DOC) programs are effective and meet our customers' needs we use a generic clearance process to collect qualitative feedback on our service delivery. This collection of information is necessary to enable DOC to garner customer and stakeholder feedback in an efficient, timely manner, in accordance with our commitment to improving service delivery. The information collected from our customers and stakeholders will help ensure that users have an effective, efficient, and satisfying experience with the programs. This feedback will provide insights into customer or stakeholder perceptions, experiences and expectations, provide an early warning of issues with service, or focus attention on areas where communication, training or changes in operations might improve delivery of products or services. These collections will allow for ongoing, collaborative and actionable communications between DOC and its customers and stakeholders. It will also allow feedback to contribute directly to the improvement of program management.

Feedback collected under this generic clearance will provide useful information, but it will not yield data that can be generalized to the overall population. This type of generic clearance for qualitative information will not be used for quantitative information collections that are designed to yield reliably actionable results, such as monitoring trends over time or documenting program performance.

II. Method of Collection

The methods of collection include but are not limited to in-person surveys, telephone interviews or questionnaires, mail and email surveys, web-based products, focus groups, and comment cards.

III. Data

OMB Control Number: 0690-0030.

Form Number(s): None.

Type of Review: Regular submission (Extension and revision of a current information collection).

Affected Public: Individuals or Households, Businesses or for-profit organizations, State, Local or Tribal Government, etc.

Estimated Number of Respondents: 215,100.

Estimated Time per Response: 5 to 30 minutes for surveys; 1 to 2 hours for focus groups; 30 minutes to 1 hour for interviews.

Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 18,492.

Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $517,961.

Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.

Frequency of Requests: One-time.

Legal Authority:44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.

IV. Request for Comments

We are soliciting public comments to permit the Department/Bureau to: (a) Evaluate whether the proposed information collection is necessary for the proper functions of the Department, including whether the information will have practical utility; (b) Evaluate the accuracy of our estimate of the time and cost burden for this proposed collection, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used; (c) Evaluate ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) Minimize the reporting burden on those who are to respond, including the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology.

Comments that you submit in response to this notice are a matter of public record. We will include or summarize each comment in our request to OMB to approve this ICR. Before including your address, phone number, email address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment—including your personal identifying information—may be made publicly available at any time. While you may ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.

Dated: December 22, 2022.

Sheleen Dumas,

Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of the Chief Information Officer, Commerce Department.