[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 2 (Friday, January 3, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 397-398]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-74]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY


Departmental Offices/Federal Consulting Group; Proposed 
Collection: Comment Request

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Department of the Treasury, as part of its continuing 
effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general 
public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment 
on proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by 
the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 3506 
(c)(2)(A)). Currently, the Federal Consulting Group within the 
Department of the Treasury is soliciting comments concerning the 
American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI).

DATES: Written comments should be received on or before March 4, 2003 
to be assured of consideration.

ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments to the Federal Consulting Group, 
Attention: Bernard Lubran, 1700 G Street, NW., Washington DC 20552, 
(202) 906-5642, [email protected]

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
copies of the form(s) and instructions should be directed to the 
Federal Consulting Group, Attention: Bernard Lubran, 1700 G Street, 
NW., Washington DC 20552, (202) 906-5642, [email protected]

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title: American Customer Satisfaction Index Survey.
    OMB Number: 3090-0271.
    Abstract: The following summary of the proposed renewal of an 
information collection activity is designed to continue to support a 
means to consistently measure and compare customer satisfaction with 
federal government agency programs and/or services within the Executive 
Branch. The Federal Consulting Group of the Department of the Treasury 
serves as the executive agent for this project, and has partnered with 
the CFI Group to offer the ACSI to federal government agencies (``the 
partnership'').
    The General Services Administration selected the ACSI in 1999 
through a competitive procurement process as the vehicle for obtaining 
the required information. From 1999 to 2001, the General Services 
Administration served as the executive agent for the ACSI, and in 2001, 
the General Services Administration transferred the OMB clearance to 
the Department of the Treasury.
    The CFI Group, a leader in customer satisfaction and customer 
experience management, offers a comprehensive system that quantifies 
the effects of quality improvements on citizen satisfaction. The CFI 
Group has developed the software and licenses it to the National 
Quality Research Center at the University of Michigan which produces 
the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). This national economic 
indicator, published quarterly in the Wall Street Journal, was 
introduced in 1994 by Professor Claes Fornell under the auspices of the 
University of Michigan, the American Society for Quality (ASQ), and the 
CFI Group. IT monitors and benchmarks customer satisfaction across more 
than 200 companies and U.S. federal agencies.
    The ACSI is the only cross-industry, cross-agency methodology for 
obtaining comparable measures of customer satisfaction with federal 
government programs and/or services. Along with other economic 
objectives--such as employment and growth--the quality of output (goods 
and services) is a part of measuring living standards. The ACSI's 
ultimate purpose is to help improve the quality of goods and services 
available to American citizens.
    The surveys that comprise the federal government's portion of the 
ACSI will be completely subject to the Privacy Act 1074, Public Law 93-
579, December 31, 1974 (5 U.S.C. 522a). The agency information 
collection will be used solely for the purpose of the survey. The ACSI 
partnership will not be authorized to release any agency information 
upon completion of the survey without first obtaining permission from 
the Federal Consulting Group and the participating agency. In no case 
shall any new system of records containing privacy information be 
developed by the Federal Consulting Group, participating agencies, or 
the contractor collecting the data. In addition, participating federal 
agencies may only provide information used to randomly select 
respondents from among established systems of records provided for such 
routine uses.
    This survey asks no questions of a sensitive nature, such as sexual 
behavior and attitudes, religious beliefs, and other matters that are 
commonly considered private.
    Current Actions: Proposed renewal of collection of information.
    Type of Review: Renewal.
    Affected Public: Individuals or households/business or other for-
profit/not-for-profit institutions/farms/Federal Government/State, 
Local, or Tribal Government.

Estimated Number of Respondents

    Participation by federal agencies in the ACSI is expected to vary 
as new customer segment measures are added or deleted. However, based 
on historical records, projected estimates for fiscal years 2003 
through 2005 are as follows:

Fiscal Year 2003--35 Customer Satisfaction Surveys

    Respondents: 9,100; annual responses: 9,100; average minutes per 
response: 17.0; burden hours: 2,578.

Fiscal Year 2004--50 Customer Satisfaction Surveys

    Respondents: 13,000; annual responses: 13,000; average minutes per 
response: 17.0; burden hours: 3,683.

Fiscal Year 2005--100 Customer Satisfaction Surveys

    Respondents: 26,000; annual responses: 26,000; average minutes per 
response: 17.0; burden hours: 7,367.
    Request for Comments: Comments submitted in response to this notice 
will

[[Page 398]]

be summarized and/or included in the request for OMB approval. All 
comments will become a matter of pubic record. Comments are invited on: 
(a) Whether the collection of information is necessary for the proper 
performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the 
information shall have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the 
agency's estimate of the burden of the collection of information; (c) 
ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information on 
respondents, including through the use of automated collection 
techniques or other forms of information technology; and (d) estimates 
of capital or start-up costs and costs of operation, maintenance, and 
purchase of services to provide information.

    Dated: December 26, 2002.
Bernard A. Lubran
Project Manager, Federal Consulting Group.
[FR Doc. 03-74 Filed 1-2-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4810-25-P