2017-18593. Request for Comments on the Renewal of a Previously Approved Information Collection: Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery

AGENCY:

Maritime Administration, Department of Transportation.

ACTION:

Notice and request for comments.

SUMMARY:

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces that the Information Collection Request (ICR) abstracted below is being forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and comments. The collection involves collecting, analyzing, and interpreting information to identify strengths and weaknesses of current services and make improvements in service delivery based on feedback. If this information is not collected, vital feedback from customers and stakeholders on the Agency's services will be unavailable. A Federal Register Notice with a 60-day comment period soliciting comments on the following information collection was published on May 19, 2017, (Federal Register 23123, Vol. 82, No. 96).

DATES:

Comments must be submitted on or before October 2, 2017.

ADDRESSES:

Send comments regarding the burden estimate, including suggestions for reducing the burden, to the Office of Management and Budget, Attention: Desk Officer for the Office of the Secretary of Transportation, 725 17th Street NW., Washington, DC 20503.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Barbara Jackson, 202-366-0615, Office of Management and Administrative Services, Maritime Administration, Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., W26-494, Washington, DC 20590.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the Department's performance; (b) the accuracy of the estimated burden; (c) ways for the Department to enhance the quality, utility and clarity of the information collection; and (d) ways that the burden could be minimized without reducing the quality of the collected information. The agency will summarize and/or include your comments in the request for OMB's clearance of this information collection.

Title: Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery.

OMB Control Number: 2133-0543.

Type of Request: Renewal of a Previously Approved Information Collection.

Abstract: The information collection activity will garner qualitative customer and stakeholder feedback in an efficient, timely manner, in accordance with the Administration's commitment to improving service delivery. By qualitative feedback we mean information that provides useful insights on perceptions and opinions, but are not statistical surveys that yield quantitative results that can be generalized to the population of study. 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 the Agency 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. Such data uses require more rigorous designs that address: the target population to which generalizations will be made, the sampling frame, the sample design (including stratification and clustering), the precision requirements or power calculations that justify the proposed sample size, the expected response rate, methods for assessing potential non-response bias, the protocols for data collection, and any testing procedures that were or will be undertaken prior to fielding the study. Depending on the degree of influence the results are likely to have, such collections may still be eligible for submission for other generic mechanisms that are designed to yield quantitative results.

Respondents: Individuals and Households, Businesses and Organizations, State, Local or Tribal Government.

Affected Public: Individuals and Households, Businesses and Organizations, State, Local or Tribal Government.

Estimated Number of Respondents: 8,696.

Estimated Number of Responses: 8,696.

Estimated Hours per Response: 10 minutes.

Annual Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 1,449.

Frequency of Response: Annually.

(Authority: The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995; 44 U.S.C. Chapter 35, as amended; and 49 CFR 1.93.).

* * * * *

By Order of the Maritime Administrator.

Dated: August 29, 2017.

T. Mitchell Hudson, Jr.,

Secretary, Maritime Administration.