Rules and Regulations. 30-Day notice of submission of information collection approval from the Office of Management and Budget and request for comments

Agency: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), DOT
Action: 30-Day notice of submission of information collection approval from the Office of Management and Budget and request for comments
Citation: FR Doc. 2011-22966 · Docket No. FHWA-2011-0099

Summary

As part of a Federal Government-wide effort to streamline the process to seek feedback from the public on service delivery, FHWA has submitted a Generic Information Collection Request (Generic ICR): “Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery ” to OMB for approval under the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq. ).

Dates

Please submit comments by October 11, 2011.

Supplementary Information

Title: Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery. Background: 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. The FHWA received no comments in response to the 60-day notice published in the Federal Register of December 22, 2010 (75 FR 80542) [Page 17183]. Below we provide FHWA's projected average estimates for the next three years: Respondents: State and local governments, highway industry organizations, and the general public. Estimated Average Annual Burden: The burden hours per response will vary with each survey; however, we estimate an average burden of 15 minutes for each survey. Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: We estimate that FHWA will survey approximately 21,000 respondents annually during the next 3 years. Therefore, the estimated total annual burden is 5,200 hours. Authority: The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995; 44 U.S.C. Chapter 35, as amended; and 49 CFR 1.48. Issued on: September 2, 2011. Michael Howell, Acting Chief, Management Programs and Analysis Division. [FR Doc. 2011-22966 Filed 9-7-11; 8:45 am]