2015-23098. Reporting and Recordkeeping Requirements Under OMB Review

AGENCY:

Small Business Administration.

ACTION:

30-Day Notice.

SUMMARY:

The Small Business Administration (SBA) is publishing this notice to comply with requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35), which requires agencies to submit proposed reporting and recordkeeping requirements to OMB for review and approval, and to publish a notice in the Federal Register notifying the public that the agency has made such a submission. This notice also allows an additional 30 days for public comments.

DATES:

Submit comments on or before October 15, 2015.

ADDRESSES:

Comments should refer to the information collection by name and/or OMB Control Number and should be sent to: Agency Clearance Officer, Curtis Rich, Small Business Administration, 409 3rd Street SW., 5th Floor, Washington, DC 20416; and SBA Desk Officer, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, New Executive Office Building, Washington, DC 20503.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Curtis Rich, Agency Clearance Officer, [phone] [e-mail]

Copies: A copy of the Form OMB 83-1, supporting statement, and other documents submitted to OMB for review may be obtained from the Agency Clearance Officer.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

On October 1, 2014, the Small Business Administration (SBA)'s Office of Entrepreneurial Development (OED) began the ScaleUp America initiative to expand the delivery of proven best practices in entrepreneurship education to reach more growth-oriented small business owners. Through this initiative, organizations in eight communities across the U.S. have been selected to deliver targeted and intensive assistance to established, growth-oriented small businesses and entrepreneurs. ScaleUp program goals include the growth of participating businesses, the strengthening of local entrepreneurial ecosystems (e.g. the network of supportive resources available to the entrepreneur), and the creation of jobs and economic growth in targeted communities.

SBA is conducting an evaluation of the ScaleUp America initiative to assess the education services provided to the participants, the effect of the assistance on achieving the business goals of the participants, participant satisfaction with the assistance, and lessons learned and recommendations provided by the participants. Through the quarterly and annual reports provided by ScaleUp administrators, SBA has the ability to collect some data on the participants and program activities. However, in order to develop a more systematic analysis on the full range of topics mentioned above, including the participants' feedback, SBA needs to collect survey and interview data from participants who attended the program, as well as from individual entrepreneurs who are recruited as members of a community-specific comparison group.

Specifically, SBA proposes the use of four instruments for data collection and analysis. These instruments are: (1) Participant Intake Survey, (2) Comparison Group Member Intake Survey and (3) Participant Follow-up Survey. SBA plans to administer each of these survey instruments to more than nine individuals. In addition, SBA plans to interview two participants or community members in each of the eight ScaleUp communities regarding program impact and successes or challenges.

Each of the proposed surveys will be administered electronically and will contain both open- and close-ended questions. The types of information that will be collected in the instruments can be found in the “Summary of Information Collection” section below. Quantitative analysis (the primary method of data analysis for the survey data) and qualitative analysis (the primary method of data analysis for the interview data) will be used on the data collected. Quantitative analysis will consist of univariate and multivariate statistical analyses, while qualitative analysis will consist of establishing clear rules for interpretation and finding themes in the qualitative data. The information collected and analyzed from these instruments will contribute to performance metrics and program goals, as well as recommendations on improving program practices.

Solicitation of Public Comments: Comments may be submitted on (a) whether the collection of information is necessary for the agency to properly perform its functions; (b) whether the burden estimates are accurate; (c) whether there are ways to minimize the burden, including through the use of automated techniques or other forms of information technology; and (d) whether there are ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information.

Summary of Information Collections:

Title: Scaleup America Initiative.

Description of Respondents: Growth oriented Small Business Owners.

Form Number: N/A.

Estimated Annual Responses: 1,792.

Estimated Annual Hour Burden: 1,232.

Curtis B. Rich,

Management Analyst.