[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 161 (Tuesday, August 21, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 46666-46668]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 07-4087]


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NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION


Emergency Clearance; Public Information Collection Requirements 
Submitted to the Office of Management and Budget; Notice

AGENCY: National Science Foundation.

ACTION: Emergency Clearance: Public Information Collection Requirements 
Submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).

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SUMMARY: The National Science Foundation (NSF) is announcing plans to 
request approval of this collection. In accordance with the requirement 
of Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. 
L. 104-13), we are providing an opportunity for public comment on this 
action. After obtaining and considering public comment, NSF will 
prepare the submission requesting that OMB approve clearance of this 
collection for no longer than 3 years.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to send comments regarding the 
burden or any other aspect of these collections of information 
requirements by September 20, 2007.

ADDRESSES: Written comments regarding the information collection and 
requests for copies of the proposed information collection request 
should be addressed to Suzanne Plimpton, Reports Clearance Officer, 
National Science Foundation, 4201 Wilson Blvd., Rm. 295, Arlington, VA 
22230, or by e-mail to [email protected], and Office of Information and 
Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, Room 10235, New 
Executive Office Building, Washington, DC 20503. Attn: John Kraemer, 
NSF Desk Officer.
    Comments: Written comments are invited on (a) whether the proposed 
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 proposed 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; or (d) ways to 
minimize the burden of the collection of 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.
    NSF has determined that it cannot reasonably comply with the normal 
clearance procedures under 5 CFR 1320 because normal clearance 
procedures are reasonably likely to prevent or disrupt the collection 
of information. NSF is requesting emergency review from OMB of this 
information collection to enable the Emergency review and approval of 
this ICR will assure continuation of the PFF evaluation that is also 
funded by the Atlantic Philanthropies. OMB approval has been requested 
for September 24, 2007. If granted, the emergency approval is only 
valid for 90 days.
    During this same period, a regular review of this information 
collection will be undertaken. During the regular review period, the 
NSF requests written comments and suggestions from the public and 
affected agencies concerning this information collection. Comments

[[Page 46667]]

are encouraged and will be accepted until October 22, 2007 to be 
assured of consideration. Comments received after that date will be 
considered to the extent practicable.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Suzanne H. Plimpton, Reports Clearance 
Officer, National Science Foundation, 4201 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 295, 
Arlington, Virginia 22230; telephone (703) 292-7556; or send e-mail to 
[email protected]. Individuals who use a telecommunications device for 
the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 
1-800-877-8339 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., Eastern time, Monday through 
Friday.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    OMB Approval Number: OMB 3145-0058.
    Expiration Date: January 31, 2010.
    Overview of this information collection: The Federal Funding 
Accountability and Transparency Act (FFATA) of 2006 (Pub. L. 109-282) 
requires agencies to make award and sub-award information available to 
be searched by the public in a single searchable Web site developed by 
the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The impetus for this Act was 
the lack of a single source of accurate, complete and timely 
information on federal government spending.\1\ The requirements and 
residual technical and policy impacts of FFATA were unanticipated at 
the time the prior information clearance package was cleared by OMB. In 
order to meet the legislative mandate and Congressional intent of 
FFATA, NSF needs a reliable source of data and the ability to validate 
the accuracy of that data. The change that is being proposed by NSF, 
therefore, is essential to ensuring compliance with FFATA requirements. 
If NSF cannot collect and validate the accuracy of award data, NSF will 
miss the deadline imposed by Congress to make award data publicly 
available by January 1, 2008.
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    \1\ Source: Chairman's Statement, Senator Tom Coburn, N.D. (R-
OK), What You Don't Know Can Hurt You: S. 2590, the ``Federal 
Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006'' (July 18, 
2006).
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    NSF is committed to providing citizens accurate, complete, and 
timely information regarding the expenditure of taxpayer funds. The 
policy change for which NSF is seeking approval will enable the 
Foundation to accomplish this goal. If NSF must follow the normal OIRA 
clearance review process, the result will be incomplete and inaccurate 
award data on OMB's single searchable Web site.

Consult With Other Agencies & the Public

    The policy change identified is consistent with a previously 
established Government-wide standard imposed by Grants.gov as part of 
its registration process. (Reference OMB Clearance Number: 4040-0001, 
Expiration Date: 04/30/2008). Grants.gov currently has 103,000 
Authorized Organizational Representatives registered in the system. As 
reiterated below, 93.1% of organizations that submitted proposals to 
NSF in FY06 are already registered in CCR. Implementing this policy 
change, will make NSF's registration requirement consistent with that 
currently in use by all other Federal granting agencies.
    NSF also plans to announce this proposed change at an upcoming 
Federal Demonstration Partnership meeting in September to gauge 
community response to this policy change. Finally, NSF plans to 
communicate with its small business community to obtain feedback as 
well as post a notice on the NSF Web site regarding the Foundation's 
plans in this area. The estimated impact of this change is described 
more fully below.

Background

    FFATA specifies requisite information (14 data elements) that must 
be included for each award, one of which is the unique identifier for 
the entity. OMB Memorandum, ``Reporting of Data Elements Required by 
the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act,'' (dated March 
30, 2007) defines the unique identifier for the entity as the Data 
Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number.
    In accordance with the OMB policy ``Use of a Universal Identifier 
by Grant Applicants,'' (June 27, 2003) [68 FR 38402], NSF collects DUNS 
numbers for all awardees. While NSF collects this information, NSF 
currently does not have a mechanism to validate the accuracy of the 
DUNS number provided by the organization during the FastLane proposal 
submission process.
    In order to meet the legislative mandate and Congressional intent 
of FFATA, NSF needs a reliable source of data to validate the accuracy 
of the DUNS number provided by the organization. NSF has identified the 
Central Contractor Registration (CCR) database as the most complete and 
accurate data source. The CCR system is managed under the Integrated 
Acquisition Environment (IAE) Presidential Management Agenda (PMA) E-
Gov initiative. IAE is sponsored by OMB and managed by the General 
Services Administration. CCR is the primary registrant database for the 
U.S. Government. CCR collects, validates, stores, and disseminates data 
in support of agency acquisition missions, including Federal agency 
contract and assistance awards.
    All contractors that do business with the Federal government and 
all grantees that use Grants.gov are required to register in CCR prior 
to conducting any transactions (e.g. submitting a grant application). 
Any organization that registers with the CCR must have a valid DUNS 
number. To ensure each organization receiving an NSF award and/or 
subaward has a valid DUNS number, NSF will require potential proposers 
to register in the CCR prior to proposal submission. This approach 
aligns with the government-wide efforts described above. The proposed 
effective date for this policy change is October 1, 2007. Requiring CCR 
registration effective October 1, 2007 will provide NSF with sufficient 
time to change NSF proposal preparation requirements to mandate this 
requirement, as well as validate DUNS numbers in preparation for 
meeting the FFATA January 1, 2008 milestone to make award data publicly 
available.

Impact of Policy Change

    NSF has analyzed the impact of this proposed policy change and the 
additional burden associated with it on the Foundation's proposer 
community. The results of this assessment are as follows:
     CCR states it takes approximately one hour for an 
organization to complete the online registration, depending upon the 
size and complexity of the organization. The one hour to complete 
registration includes the time to read the instructions and to complete 
the form online. CCR does have handbook users may refer during the 
registration process. CCR recommends factoring in an additional 15 
minutes in the instance the user references the handbook.
     NSF retrieved a list of organizations that submitted 
proposals to the Foundation in FY 2006 and used a sample (5% error) to 
determine the percentage of these organizations registered in the CCR.
     A total of 2,677 organizations submitted proposals to NSF 
in FY 2006.
     Out of the 2,677 organizations that submitted proposals to 
NSF in FY06, a random sample of 247 organizations was used to verify 
CCR registration.
     Of the 247 sample organizations, 230 were registered in 
CCR (93.1%).

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     Based on the sample analysis of FY06 data (the 247 sample 
organizations), it can be concluded that:
     93.1% of organizations that submitted proposals to NSF in 
FY06 are already registered in CCR.
     6.9% of organizations that submitted proposals to NSF in 
FY06 are not registered in CCR.
     Of the 2,677 organizations that submitted proposals to NSF 
in FY06, 184 organizations (6.9%) would be impacted by this policy 
change.
    The amount of additional burden associated with this policy change 
is 230 hours (184 organizations * 1.25 hour to register = 230 hours). 
On average, it takes CCR three days to process a registration 
submission.
    Respondents: Not-for-profit institutions, for-profit institutions, 
individuals.
    Number of Respondents: 184.
    Burden on the Public: 230 additional hours.

    Dated: August 15, 2007.
Suzanne H. Plimpton,
Reports Clearance Officer, National Science Foundation.
[FR Doc. 07-4087 Filed 8-20-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7555-01-M