[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 222 (Thursday, November 19, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60012-60018]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-27781]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Office of the Secretary

[Docket Number--DOT-OST-2009-0294]


Request for OMB Clearance of an Information Collection Renewal

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, DOT.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Office of the Secretary, Office of Small and Disadvantaged 
Business Utilization (OSDBU), invites public comments regarding the 
Department of Transportation's intention to request the Office of 
Management and Budget's (OMB) approval to renew an information 
collection. The collection is in regard to the Disadvantaged Business 
Enterprise American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Bonding Assistance 
Reimbursable Fee Program (DBE ARRA BAP) application form. The 
continuation of the collection is necessary to determine the 
applicant's eligibility and approve or deny a bond fee reimbursement. 
We are required to publish this notice in the Federal Register by the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

DATES: Written comments should be submitted by January 17, 2010.

ADDRESSES: You may submit a comment by utilizing the DMS identifier 
number, DOT-OST-2009-0294 through one of the following methods:
    Web site: http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the instructions for 
submitting comments on the DOT electronic docket site.
    Fax: 1-202-493-2251.
    Mail: Docket Management Facility; U.S. Department of 
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., West Building, Room W12-
140, Washington, DC 20590-001.
    Hand Delivery: Room W12-140 on the ground level of the West 
Building, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. 
and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal Holidays.
    Instructions: All comments must include the agency name and DMS 
Docket Number DOT-OST-2009-0294. Note that all comments received will 
be posted without change to http://www.regulations.gov, including any 
personal information provided. You should know that anyone is able to 
search the electronic form of all comments received into any of our 
dockets by the name of the individual submitting the comment (or 
signing the comment, if submitted on behalf of an association, 
business, labor union, etc.) You may review DOT's complete Privacy Act 
Statement in the Federal Register published on http://www.regulations.gov. The comments you provide to a Federal Department 
or Agency through regulations.gov are collected voluntarily and may be 
publicly disclosed in a rulemaking docket or on the Internet.
    Instructions: For access to the docket to read background documents 
or comments, go to http://www.regulations.gov at any time or to Room 
W12-140 on the ground level of the West Building, 1200 New Jersey 
Avenue, SE., Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through 
Friday, except Wednesdays and Federal holidays.
    If you wish to receive confirmation of receipt of your written 
comments, please include a self-addressed, stamped postcard with the 
following statement: ``Comments on Docket DOT-OST-2009-0294.'' The 
Docket Clerk will date stamp the postcard prior to returning it to you 
via the U.S. mail. Please note that due to delays in the delivery of 
U.S. mail to Federal offices in Washington, DC, we recommend that 
persons consider an alternative method (Internet, fax, or professional 
delivery service) to submit comments to the docket and ensure their 
timely receipt at U.S. DOT.
    Comments: We particularly request your comments on the accuracy of 
the estimated burden; ways to enhance the quality, usefulness, and 
clarity of the collected information; and ways to minimize the 
collection burden without reducing the quality of the information 
collected including additional use of automated collection techniques 
or other forms of information technology.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Nancy Strine, Manager, Financial 
Assistance Division, Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business 
Utilization, Office of the Secretary, U.S. Department of 
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., Room W56-448, Washington, 
DC 20590. Phone number 202-366-1930, fax number 202-366-1930. Office 
hours are from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except 
Federal holidays.

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SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Estimate of burden hours for information requested:
    Respondents: Certified Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBEs) 
that are pursuing, in the process, or have obtained contracts on ARRA 
transportation infrastructure projects. US DOT/OSDBU spoke to the SBA 
Surety Bond Guarantee Program personnel and a representative of the 
Surety and Fidelity Association of America (SFAA) who represents the 
small and emerging businesses to obtain the required estimates. The 
average bond for a small and emerging business or DBE is between 
$250,000 and $500,000. To calculate the universe US DOT/OSDBU can 
serve, an average bond is estimated to be $350,000. The Bonding Premium 
Fee charged by the Sureties is a range of 2 to 3% of the total bond, so 
using an average premium of 2.5% on a $350,000 bond the DBE would pay 
$8,750. The SBA Surety Guarantee Bond Program Principal Fee is 
currently set to .729% of the contract price, or bond amount. For a 
$350,000 bond, the SBA principal fee is $2,551. The average amount of 
financial assistance is $11,300.00 per DBE on one application, 
submittal to include both eligible fees. Using these estimates, the 
number of DBEs that US DOT/OSDBU can assist with $20 million is 
approximately 1,770.
    Form: U.S. Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) American 
Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009 Bonding Assistance Reimbursable 
Fee Program DOT Form F4504.
    Respondents: 1770.
    Frequency: Once.
    Estimated Average Burden per Response: 2 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 3540 hours.
    OMB Approval No.: OMB Control Number: 2105-0562.
    Title: U.S Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) American 
Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009 Bonding Assistance Reimbursable 
Fee Program DOT Form F4504
    Type of Review: Renewal.
    1. Needs and Uses: The information collected will be from a DBE 
working on a transportation infrastructure ARRA funded project. Under 
the DBE ARRA BAP program, DBEs performing on transportation and 
infrastructure projects receiving ARRA funding assistance from any DOT 
mode of transportation such as Federal Highway Administration, (FHWA), 
Federal Transit Administration (FTA), Federal Aviation Administration 
(FAA), Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Maritime Administration 
(MARAD) will receive financial bonding assistance in the form of 
bonding fee cost reimbursement. This provision is applicable to a 
subcontract or prime contract at any tier in the construction project. 
Under this program DOT will directly reimburse DBEs the premiums paid 
to the surety company for performance, payment or bid/proposal bonds. 
The range of the premium fee is between 1-3% of the total bond amount. 
In the event the DBE also obtains a bond guarantee from Small Business 
Administration's (SBA) Surety Bond Guarantee Program (SBGP), the DOT 
will also reimburse the DBE for the small business concern (principal) 
fee of .729% of the contract price. The information collected will be 
used by DOT OSDBU to verify eligibility, including whether the 
applicant is a current certified DBE.
    2. Burden Statement: This collection is for DBEs working on 
transportation infrastructure ARRA funded projects. DBEs are small 
businesses. Efforts have been made to simplify the application form, 
keeping it to one page with three page instructions to assist the DBE 
to submit a complete application package to expedite reimbursement and 
minimize burden. In addition a sample letter to show how to indicate 
the Federal project number is included. Applicants will be able to find 
further guidance at http://www.dot.gov/recovery/ost/. A coordinated 
effort has been made with the DOT Operating Administrations to minimize 
duplicative reporting. OSDBU's intent is to give this subsidy 
reimbursement fee to the DBEs trying to obtain surety bonding to assist 
DBEs to become more competitive and perform on more transportation 
infrastructure projects receiving ARRA funding assistance from any DOT 
mode of transportation and minimize cash flow difficulties. Every 
applicant we have spoken to since August 28, 2009 (program launch date) 
has told us the application is self-explanatory and they have not had 
any difficulties in filling it out or understanding the content and 
requirements.

    Issued in Washington, DC on November 13, 2009.
Brandon Neal,
Director, Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization, 
Office of the Secretary, U.S. Department of Transportation.
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[FR Doc. E9-27781 Filed 11-18-09; 8:45 am]
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