[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 177 (Friday, September 12, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54753-54754]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-21712]


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OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT


Submission for Review: Generic Clearance for the Collection of 
Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery

AGENCY: U.S. Office of Personnel Management.

ACTION: 60-day notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Office of Chief Information Officer, Office of Personnel 
Management (OPM) offers the general public and other Federal agencies 
the opportunity to comment on an information collection request (ICR) 
3206-0257, ``Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative 
Feedback on Agency Service Delivery.'' As required by the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995, (Pub. L. 104-13, 44 U.S.C. chapter 35) as 
amended by the Clinger-Cohen Act (Pub. L. 104-106), OPM is soliciting 
comments for this collection.

DATES: Comments are encouraged and will be accepted until November 12, 
2014. This process is conducted in accordance with 5 CFR 1320.1.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit written comments on 
the proposed information collection to the Office of the Chief 
Information Officer, Records Management and Data Policy, Office of 
Personnel Management, 1900 E. Street NW., Washington, DC 20415, 
Attention: Paperwork Reduction Act Officer or sent by email to 
[email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: A copy of this ICR, with applicable 
supporting documentation, may be obtained by contacting the Office of 
the Chief Information Officer, Records Management and Data Policy, 
Office of Personnel Management, 1900 E. Street NW., Washington, DC 
20503, Attention: Paperwork Reduction Act Officer or sent by email to 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The proposed information collection activity 
provides a means to garner qualitative customer and stakeholder 
feedback in

[[Page 54754]]

an efficient, timely manner, in accordance with the Administration's 
commitment to improving service delivery. By qualitative feedback we 
mean information that provides useful insights on perceptions and 
opinions, but are 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. These collections will allow for ongoing, collaborative and 
actionable communications between the Office of Personnel Management 
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 the Office of Personnel Management's services will be 
unavailable.
    The Office of Personnel Management will only submit a collection 
for approval under this generic clearance if it meets the following 
conditions:
     The collections are voluntary;
     The collections are low-burden for respondents (based on 
considerations of total burden hours, total number of respondents, or 
burden-hours per respondent) and are low-cost for both the respondents 
and the Federal Government;
     The collections are non-controversial and do not raise 
issues of concern to other Federal agencies;
     Any 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 will be used only internally for 
general service improvement and program management purposes and is not 
intended for release outside of the agency;
     Information gathered will not be used for the purpose of 
substantially informing influential policy decisions; and
     Information gathered will yield qualitative information; 
the collections 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, 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 non-response bias, the protocols for data collection, and any 
testing procedures that were or will be undertaken prior to fielding 
the 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, information collections 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.
    The Office of Management and Budget is particularly interested in 
comments that:
    1. Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is 
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, 
including whether the information will have practical utility;
    2. Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of 
the proposed 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, including through the use of appropriate automated, 
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic 
submissions of responses.

Analysis

    Agency: Officer of the Chief Information Officer, Records 
Management and Data Policy, Office of Personnel Management.
    Title: Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback 
on Agency Service Delivery.
    OMB Number: 3206-0257.
    Frequency: On Occasion.
    Affected Public: General Public.
    Number of Respondents: 691,631.
    Estimated Time per Respondent: 10 minutes.
    Total Burden Hours: 119,394 hours.

U.S. Office of Personnel Management.
Katherine Archuleta,
Director.
[FR Doc. 2014-21712 Filed 9-11-14; 8:45 am]
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