[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 37 (Tuesday, February 25, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10469-10470]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-03853]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Agricultural Marketing Service

[Doc. No. AMS-FV-14-0003; FV14-900-1]


Notice of Request for a Revision to and Extension of Approval of 
an Information Collection: Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service 
Delivery

AGENCY: Agricultural Marketing Service, USDA.

ACTION: Revision to and extension of approval of an information 
collection; comment request.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 
U.S.C. Chapter 35), this notice announces the Agricultural Marketing 
Service's (AMS) intention to request approval from the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB), for a revision to and an extension of 
approval of an information collection associated with qualitative 
customer and stakeholder feedback on service delivery by ANS.

DATES: All comments received by April 28, 2014 will be considered.
    Additional Information: Contact Andrew Hatch, Supervisory Marketing 
Specialist, Marketing Order and Agreement Division, Fruit and Vegetable 
Program, Agricultural Marketing Service, U.S. Department of 
Agriculture, 1400 Independence Avenue SW., Stop 0237, Room 1406-S, 
Washington, DC 20250-0237. Phone: (202) 720-2491. Fax: (202) 720-8938. 
Email: [email protected].
    Comments: Comments are welcome and should reference OMB N 0581-0269 
and AMS' Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery, and the date 
and page number of this issue of the Federal Register. Comments may be 
submitted by mail to the Docket Clerk, Fruit and Vegetable Program, 
AMS, USDA, 1400 Independence Avenue SW., Stop 0237, Room 1406-S, 
Washington, DC 20250-0237; Fax: (202) 720-8938; or submitted online at 
www.regulations.gov. All comments received will be available for public 
inspection in the Office of the Docket Clerk during regular USDA 
business hours or they can be viewed at www.regulations.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title: Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback 
on Agency Service Delivery-AMS.
    OMB Number: 0581-0269.
    Expiration Date of Approval: June 30, 2014.
    Type of Request: Revision to and extension of approval of an 
information collection.
    Abstract: The proposed information collection activity provides a 
means for AMS to garner qualitative customer and stakeholder feedback 
in an efficient, timely manner, in accordance with AMS' commitment to 
improving service delivery.
    By qualitative feedback we mean information that provides useful 
insights on perceptions and opinions, but 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. This collection will allow for ongoing, collaborative and 
actionable communications between AMS and its customers and 
stakeholders. It will also allow feedback to contribute directly to the 
improvement of program management.
    The solicitation of feedback will target areas such as: Timeliness, 
appropriateness, accuracy of information, courtesy, efficiency of 
service delivery, and resolution of issues with service delivery. 
Responses will be assessed to plan and inform efforts to improve or 
maintain the quality of service offered to the public. If this 
information is not collected, vital feedback from customers and 
stakeholders on AMS services will be unavailable. AMS will only submit 
a collection for approval under this generic clearance if it meets the 
following conditions:
     The collection is voluntary;
     The collection is low-burden for respondents (based on 
considerations of total burden hours, total number of respondents, or 
burden-hours per respondent) and is low-cost for respondents and the 
Federal Government;
     The collection is non-controversial and does not raise 
issues of concern to other Federal agencies;
     The collection is targeted to the solicitation of opinions 
from respondents who have experience with the program or may have 
experience with the program in the near future;
     Personally identifiable information (PII) is collected 
only to the extent necessary and is not retained;
     Information gathered is intended to be used only 
internally for general service improvement and program management 
purposes and is not intended for release outside of AMS (if released, 
AMS must indicate the qualitative nature of the information);
     Information gathered will not be used for the purpose of 
substantially informing influential policy decisions; and
     Information gathered will yield qualitative information; 
the collection will not be designed or expected to yield statistically 
reliable results or used as though the results are generalizable to the 
population of study.
    Feedback collected under this generic clearance provides useful 
information,

[[Page 10470]]

but it does 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 
nonresponse bias, the protocols for data collection, and any testing 
procedures that were or will be undertaken prior to fielding this 
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.
    As a general matter, this information collection will not result in 
any new system of records containing privacy information and will not 
ask questions of a sensitive nature, such as sexual behavior and 
attitudes, religious beliefs, and other matters that are commonly 
considered private.
    AMS currently has approval from OMB for this information collection 
under Executive Order 12862. This approval is for 60,000 burden hours, 
based on our initial request to OMB in April 2011. We are asking OMB to 
approve our use of these information collection activities for three 
years.
    The purpose of this notice is to solicit comments from the public 
(as well as affected agencies) concerning our information collection. 
These comments will help us:
    (1) Evaluate whether the collection of information is necessary for 
the proper performance of the functions of AMS, including whether the 
information will have practical utility;
    (2) Evaluate the accuracy of our estimate of the burden of the 
collection of information, including the validity of the methodology 
and assumptions used;
    (3) Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to 
be collected; and
    (4) Minimize the burden of the collection of information on those 
who are to respond, through use, as appropriate, of automated, 
electronic, mechanical, and other collection technologies; e.g., 
permitting electronic submission of responses.
    Estimate of Burden: Public reporting burden for this collection of 
information is estimated to average .50 hours per response.
    Average Expected Annual Number of Activities: 8.
    Respondents: Individuals and households; businesses and 
organizations; State, local, or Tribal government agencies; academia; 
or other Federal departments.
    Estimated Annual Number of Respondents: 110,000.
    Estimated Number of Responses: 110,000.
    Estimated Annual Number of Responses per Respondent: 1.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 60,000. (Due to 
averaging, the total annual burden hours may not equal the product of 
the annual number of responses multiplied by the reporting burden per 
response.)
    All responses to this notice will be summarized and included in the 
request for OMB approval. All comments will become a matter of public 
record.

    Dated: February 18, 2014.
Rex A. Barnes,
Associate Administrator, Agricultural Marketing Service.
[FR Doc. 2014-03853 Filed 2-24-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-02-P