[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 84 (Friday, May 1, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24998-24999]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-10214]


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SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION


Data Collection Available for Public Comments

ACTION: 60-day notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Small Business Administration (SBA) intends to request 
approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for the 
collection of information described below. The Paperwork Reduction Act 
(PRA) of 1995 44 U.S.C Chapter 35 requires federal agencies to publish 
a notice in the Federal Register concerning each proposed collection of 
information before submission to OMB, and to allow 60 days for public 
comment in response to the notice. This notice complies with that 
requirement.

DATES: Submit comments on or before June 30, 2015.

ADDRESSES: Send all comments to Brittany Borg, Contracting Officer 
Representative, Office of Entrepreneurial Development, U.S. Small 
Business Administration, 409 3rd

[[Page 24999]]

Street SW., Suite 6200, Washington, DC 20416.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Brittany Borg, Contracting Officer 
Representative, 202-401-1354, [email protected] or Curtis B. Rich, 
Management Analyst, 202-205-7030, [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a request for the collection of new 
information.
    In October 1 2014, the Small Business Administration (SBA)'s Office 
of Entrepreneurial Development (OED) began the ScaleUp America 
initiative to expand the delivery of proven best practices in 
entrepreneurship education to reach more growth-oriented small business 
owners. Through this initiative, organizations in eight communities 
across the U.S. have been selected to deliver targeted and intensive 
assistance to established, growth-oriented small businesses and 
entrepreneurs. ScaleUp program goals include the growth of 
participating businesses, the strengthening of local entrepreneurial 
ecosystems (e.g. the network of supportive resources available to the 
entrepreneur), and the creation of jobs and economic growth in targeted 
communities.
    SBA is conducting an evaluation of the ScaleUp America initiative 
to assess the education services provided to the participants, the 
effect of the assistance on achieving the business goals of the 
participants, participant satisfaction with the assistance, and lessons 
learned and recommendations provided by the participants. Through the 
quarterly and annual reports provided by ScaleUp administrators, SBA 
has the ability to collect some data on the participants and program 
activities. However, in order to develop a more systematic analysis on 
the full range of topics mentioned above, including the participants' 
feedback, SBA needs to collect survey and interview data from 
participants who attended the program, as well as from individual 
entrepreneurs who are recruited as members of a community-specific 
comparison group.
    Specifically, SBA proposes the use of four instruments for data 
collection and analysis. These instruments are: (1) Participant Intake 
Survey, (2) Comparison Group Member Intake Survey and (3) Participant 
Follow-up Survey. SBA plans to administer each of these survey 
instruments to more than nine individuals. In addition, SBA plans to 
interview two participants or community members in each of the eight 
ScaleUp communities regarding program impact and successes or 
challenges.
    Each of the proposed surveys will be administered electronically 
and will contain both open- and close-ended questions. The types of 
information that will be collected in the instruments can be found in 
the ``Summary of Information Collection'' section below. Quantitative 
analysis (the primary method of data analysis for the survey data) and 
qualitative analysis (the primary method of data analysis for the 
interview data) will be used on the data collected. Quantitative 
analysis will consist of univariate and multivariate statistical 
analyses, while qualitative analysis will consist of establishing clear 
rules for interpretation and finding themes in the qualitative data. 
The information collected and analyzed from these instruments will 
contribute to performance metrics and program goals, as well as 
recommendations on improving program practices.

(a) Solicitation of Public Comments

    SBA is requesting comments on (a) whether the collection of 
information is necessary for the agency to properly perform its 
functions; (b) whether the burden estimates are accurate; (c) whether 
there are ways to minimize the burden, including through the use of 
automated techniques or other forms of information technology; and (d) 
whether there are ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of 
the information collected.

(b) Summary of Information Collection

                                  Burden Estimates for ScaleUp Data Collection
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                                         Number of:                   Burden per (minutes):
                             --------------------------------------------------------------------  Total burden
                                Respondents    Non-respondents    Respondents    Non-respondents      (hours)
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    Total...................             880              1680  ..............  ................           520.0
                             -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Participant intake survey...             272                 0              20                 0            90.7
Comparison group member                  320              1680              25                 7           329.3
 intake survey..............
Participant follow-up survey             272                 0              20                 0            90.7
ScaleUp and community member              16                 0              35                 5             9.3
 interviews.................
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Curtis B. Rich,
Management Analyst.
[FR Doc. 2015-10214 Filed 4-30-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 8025-01-P