Proposed Submission of Information Collection for OMB Review; Comment Request; Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery

AGENCY:

Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board.

ACTION:

Notice and request for comments.

SUMMARY:

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (Access Board) invites comment on the proposed extension of its existing generic clearance for the collection of qualitative feedback on agency service delivery, which expires in January 2018 (OMB Control No. 3014-0011, Expiration: Jan. 31, 2018). This information collection was developed as part of a Federal Government-wide effort to streamline the process for seeking feedback from the public on service delivery. With this notice, the Access Board solicits comments on extension of its existing generic clearance, with proposed revisions to the type (and number) of information collection activities that reflect the agency's anticipated increasing use of customer feedback surveys over the next several years to garner qualitative feedback and improve service delivery in a timely and effective manner. Following review of comments received in response to this 60-day notice, the Access Board intends to submit a request to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to renew its generic clearance for collection of qualitative feedback for another three-year term.

DATES:

Submit comments by October 10, 2017.

ADDRESSES:

You may submit comments, by any of the following methods:

• Federal eRulemaking Portal http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the directions for sending comments.
• Email: spiegel@access-board.gov. Include ATBCB-2017-0002 in the subject line of the message.
• Fax: 202-272-0081.
• Mail or Hand Delivery/Courier: Frances Spiegel, Office of General Counsel, U.S. Access Board, 1331 F Street NW., Suite 1000, Washington, DC 20004-1111.

Instructions: All submissions received must include the agency name and docket number for this Notice (identified by ATBCB-2017-0002). All comments received, including any personal information provided, will be posted without change to http://www.regulations.gov. For this reason, please do not include information of a confidential nature in your comments, such as sensitive personal or proprietary information.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Frances Spiegel, Attorney Advisor, Office of General Counsel, U.S. Access Board, 1331 F Street NW., Suite 1000, Washington, DC 20004-1111. Phone: (202) 272-0041 (voice). Email: spiegel@access-board.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

A. Background

Under the PRA and its implementing regulations (5 CFR part 1320), Federal agencies must obtain approval from OMB for each collection of information they conduct or sponsor (e.g., contractually-required information collection by a third-party). “Collection of information,” within the meaning of the PRA, includes agency requests that pose identical questions to, or impose reporting or record keeping obligations on ten or more persons, regardless of whether response to such request is mandatory or voluntary. See 5 CFR 1320.3(c); see also 44 U.S.C. 3502(3). Before seeking clearance from OMB, agencies are generally required, among other things, to publish a 60-day notice in the Federal Register concerning any proposed information collection—including extension of a previously-approved collection—and provide an opportunity for comment. See 44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A); 5 CFR 1320.8(d)(1).

The Access Board initially requested OMB approval of a generic clearance for the collection of qualitative feedback on agency service delivery in 2011. See Notice and Request for Comments, 76 FR 38355 (June 30, 2011) (30-day notice); see also 75 FR 80542 (Dec. 22, 2010) (government-wide 60-day notice published by OMB). In 2014, we requested renewal of this generic clearance for another three-year term. See Notice and Request for Comments, 79 FR 61285 (Oct. 10, 2014) (30-day notice); Notice and Request for Comments, 79 FR 43709 (July 28, 2014) (60-day notice). OMB approved the renewal of our generic clearance, and this extension is set to expire at the end of January 2018.

B. Proposed Information Collection Request

With this notice, the Access Board provides notice of its intent to seek renewal of its existing generic clearance for the collection of qualitative feedback on agency service delivery. We anticipate seeking OMB approval for revisions to the type (and number) of information collection activities relative to our existing generic clearance that expires in January 2018. In particular, the Access Board intends to seek an increase in the number of approved respondents (and burden hours) under the generic clearance, primarily because we expect to solicit feedback from customers across a broader spectrum of agency services relating to technical assistance, training, and other education and outreach initiatives. To date, we have found the feedback garnered through qualitative customer satisfaction surveys (and similar information collections) to be beneficial, by providing useful insights in experiences, perceptions, opinions, and expectations regarding Access Board services or focusing attention on areas in need of improvement. We thus intend to seek approval for expansion of our current efforts to solicit qualitative customer feedback by seeking input from customers across a broader array of agency programs and services. Online surveys will be used unless the customer contacts the agency by phone for technical assistance or an individual otherwise expresses a preference for another survey format (i.e., fillable form in portable document format or paper survey). In addition, paper surveys may be used to garner feedback from participants at in-person trainings or similar events.

OMB Control Number: 3014-0011.

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

Type of Review: Extension with revisions.

Abstract: The proposed information collection activity facilitates collection of qualitative customer and stakeholder feedback in an efficient, timely manner, in accordance with the Federal Government's commitment to improving service delivery. By qualitative feedback we mean information collections that provide 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 insight 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 services. These collections will allow for ongoing, collaborative, and actionable communications between the Access Board and its customers and stakeholders.

Feedback collected under this generic clearance provides useful information, but it does 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 from such quantitatively-inclined information collections are likely to have, such collections might still be eligible for submission under another type of other generic clearance.

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

Burden Estimates: In the table below (Table 1), the Access Board provides estimates for the annual reporting burden under this proposed information collection. (The Access Board does not anticipate incurring any capital or other direct costs associated with this information collection. Nor will there be any costs to respondents, other than their time.)

Request for Comment: The Access Board seeks comment on any aspect of the proposed renewal of its existing generic clearance for the collection of qualitative feedback on agency service delivery, including (a) whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the Access Board's performance; (b) the accuracy of the estimated burden; (c) ways for the Access Board 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. Comments will be summarized and included in our request for OMB's approval of renewal of our existing generic clearance.