[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 85 (Monday, May 4, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24524-24525]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-11697]


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 Notices
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 This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules 
 or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings 
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  Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 85 / Monday, May 4, 1998 / Notices  

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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Commodity Credit Corporation


Request for an Approval of a New Information Collection

AGENCY: Commodity Credit Corporation, USDA.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) is seeking approval 
from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to establish procedures 
for determining the computing capabilities of vendors, contractors, and 
other potential electronic commerce trading partners. Participants 
would include, but not be limited to: Contractors that supply bids to 
supply commodities for use under export donation programs; vendors that 
supply bids for transportation of commodities; and contractors that 
supply bids to store commodities.
    An Electronic Commerce Capability Survey will provide for 
submission of computing capability information from the trade. 
Currently there is no procedure in place to allow for the collection of 
computing capability information. The new procedure will allow CCC to 
collect the information needed to target specific labor and paper 
intensive processes for migration towards electronic commerce.

DATES: Comments on this notice must be received on or before July 6, 
1998 to be assured consideration.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Timothy P. Mehl, Chief, Planning and 
Analysis Division, Kansas City Commodity Office, 9200 Ward Parkway, 
Kansas City, Missouri 64114, telephone (816) 926-3536, fax (816) 926-
6767.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title: Electronic Commerce Capability Survey.
    OMB Number: New submission.
    Type of Request: Approval of a new information collection.
    Abstract: CCC conducts a variety of programs under which 
information is submitted and manually entered by CCC. A brief 
description of each of these programs is explained below.
    The Dairy and Domestic Operations Division (D&DOD) issues 
invitations for purchase of commodities for domestic and dairy programs 
on a monthly, multi-month, quarterly and yearly basis. Vendors respond 
by making offers using the form KC-327, Domestic Offer Form. D&DOD 
verifies that the KC-327 is responsive and manually enters the 
information on the form into the bid evaluation program. The keypunched 
data is then uploaded into the Processed Commodities Inventory 
Management System (PCIMS). As an alternative to keypunch, bids are 
entered manually by using PCIMS bid input screens.
    Export Operations Division (EOD) issues invitations to purchase or 
process commodities for food donation programs monthly. Special 
invitations, however, are issued throughout the month. Steamship lines 
currently respond to these invitations with offers for transportation 
via hard copy form KC-324, Steamship Line Service Offer. Responsive 
offers are analyzed by Traffic Management Division; the lowest U.S. and 
foreign flag offers for each U.S. port and foreign discharge port are 
recorded on form KC-149, Ocean Rates. Form KC-149's are reviewed for 
accuracy and form KC-148, Commodity Requests, is attached. Ocean rate 
forms and commodity request forms are forwarded to Information 
Management Processing Division (IMPD) for data entry and proof lists 
are printed for review.
    Bulk Grain Division (BGD) issues invitations as needed for purchase 
of grains for use in export donation programs. Grain export companies 
respond to these invitations for offers on form KC-331, Procurement 
Offer Form, which is a part of each invitation. At the same time BGD 
issues the invitation, EOD communicates with the Private Volunteer 
Organization (PVO) booking agent, to issue a freight tender for ocean 
freight. Once the steamship line's bid for ocean freight is received 
from the booking agent, the offers are manually recorded on a spread 
sheet. When the grain offers are evaluated, they are combined with the 
ocean freight received from the booking agent to determine lowest 
landed cost to destination. Data entry requires dual bid entry for 
verification purposes.
    CCC conducts a program to provide storage adequate to fulfill its 
program needs by contracting with commercial warehouses to store grain 
in country, sub-terminal, and terminal locations. CCC contracts for the 
use of privately owned facilities in carrying out this program. Grain, 
cotton, and processed commodity warehouse operators interested in 
storing and/or handling CCC-interest commodities are required to have 
entered into a Uniform Storage Agreement with CCC. Warehouse operators 
must meet certain standards and complete documents prior to receiving 
CCC approval. Information which is provided by warehouse operators is 
entered into the Grain Inventory Management System (GIMS) which is in 
turn used by numerous other Agency entities. CCC uses this data to 
develop policy and implement program operations.
    The current keypunching processes require entering handwritten data 
and then verifying the results. This information collection will enable 
CCC to analyze the computing capability of its trading partners and 
move processes towards electronic commerce in a logical and orderly 
fashion.
    Estimate of Burden: Public reporting burden for collecting 
information under this notice is estimated to average 15 minutes per 
response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching 
existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and 
completing and reviewing the collection of information.
    Respondents: Business and other for profit organizations.
    Respondents: 3,750.
    Estimated Number of Annual Responses per Respondent: 1.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 937 hours.
    Proposed topics for comment include: (a) whether the collection of 
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of 
the agency, including whether the information will have practical 
utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of burden including 
the validity of the methodology and assumptions used; (c) ways to 
enhance the quality, utility and clarity of the information collected; 
or (d) ways to

[[Page 24525]]

minimize the burden of the collection of the information on those who 
are to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated, 
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology. Comments regarding this 
information collection requirement may be directed to the Office of 
Information and Regulatory Affairs of OMB, Attention: Desk Officer for 
USDA, Washington, DC 20503, and to Timothy P. Mehl, Chief, Planning and 
Analysis Division, Kansas City Commodity Office, 9200 Ward Parkway, 
Kansas City, Missouri 64114, telephone (816) 926-3536, fax (816) 926-
6767.
    All comments will become a matter of public record.

    Signed at Washington, DC, April 24, 1998.
Keith Kelly,
Executive Vice President, Commodity Credit Corporation.
[FR Doc. 98-11697 Filed 5-1-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-05-P