[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 170 (Wednesday, September 2, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 53114-53115]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-21735]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Institute of Standards and Technology


Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Malcolm 
Baldrige National Quality Award Application (MBNQA)

AGENCY: National Institute of Standards and Technology, Commerce.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce, as part of its continuing effort 
to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public 
and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on 
proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before November 2, 
2015.

ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments to Jennifer Jessup, Departmental 
Paperwork Clearance Officer, Department of Commerce, Room 6616, 14th 
and Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20230 (or via the Internet 
at [email protected]).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
copies of the information collection instrument and instructions should 
be directed to Dawn Bailey, Baldrige Performance Excellence Program, 
100 Bureau Drive, Stop 1020, Gaithersburg, MD, 20899, 301-975-3074, 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

    The Department of Commerce is responsible for the Baldrige 
Performance Excellence Program (BPEP) and the Malcolm Baldrige National 
Quality Award (MBNQA), the nation's highest award for organizational 
performance excellence. Directly associated with this award is the 
Board of Examiners, an integral volunteer workforce for BPEP. NIST 
manages BPEP. An applicant organization for the MBNQA is required to 
perform two steps: (1) The applicant organization self-certifies that 
it meets eligibility requirements with an eligibility form; and (2) the 
applicant organization prepares and completes an application package. 
BPEP will assist with or offer advice on any questions or issues that 
the applicant may have concerning the eligibility or application 
processes; this includes BPEP staff manning a hotline during the week 
and on weekends for organizations to call or email. With the help of 
the Board of Examiners, BPEP will use the eligibility forms and 
application package to assess and provide feedback on the applicant's 
performance excellence practices. These practices could lead to a MBNQA 
awarded by the President of the United States or his delegate.
    Per Public Law 100-107 (Malcolm Baldrige National Quality 
Improvement Act of 1987), the MBNQA helps to stimulate American 
companies to improve quality and productivity for the pride of 
recognition while obtaining a competitive edge through increased 
profits; recognizes the achievements of those companies that improve 
the quality of their goods and services and provide an example to 
others; establishes guidelines and criteria that can be used by 
business, industrial, governmental, and other organizations in 
evaluating their own quality improvement efforts; and provides specific 
guidance for other American organizations that wish to learn how to 
manage for high quality by making available detailed information on how 
winning organizations were able to change their cultures and achieve 
eminence.
    The application to be a member of the Board of Examiners is a one-
step, secure, online process. Each year, BPEP recruits highly skilled 
experts in the fields of manufacturing, service, small business, health 
care, education, and nonprofit, the six Award eligibility categories, 
to evaluate the applications that BPEP receives. Examiners serve for a 
one-year term; participation on the board is entirely voluntary. 
Examiners receive three- to four-days of free on-site training 
(depending on experience level); this training has been nationally 
recognized for two consecutive years as part of the number-one 
leadership development program in the military/government category of 
the Leadership 500 Awards, sponsored by HR.com.
    BPEP's mission to improve the competitiveness and performance of 
U.S. organizations for the benefit of all U.S. residents.

II. Method of Collection

    MBNQA applicant organizations must comply in writing according to 
the Eligibility Certification Form and Baldrige Award Application Form 
available at http://www.nist.gov/baldrige/enter/how_to_apply.cfm. 
Information on the application for the Board of Examiners can be found 
at http://www.nist.gov/baldrige/examiners/index.cfm. BPEP will 
electronically send a unique user ID and password (separate emails) on 
how applicants to the Board of Examiners can apply to the secure 
system.

III. Data

    OMB Control Number: 0693-0006.
    Form Number(s): None.
    Type of Review:. Revision of a current information collection.
    Affected Public: Business, health care, education, or other for-
profit organizations; health care, education, and other nonprofit 
organizations; and individuals or households.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 580 (30 Applications for MBNQA and 
550 Applicants for the Board of Examiners).
    Estimated Time per Response: 74 hours for applications for MBNQA, 
and 1 hour for applications for the Board of Examiners.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 2,770 (MBNQA = 2,220 and Board 
of Examiners = 550).
    Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: MBNQA = $1,610-$79,610 
(application and site visit fees vary depending on profit nature of 
organization and its sector [e.g., smallest fee is for a nonprofit K-12 
school, largest fee is for a global manufacturer]; additionally, only 
25% of applications pay site visit fees that again vary depending on 
number of sites and sector of the organization) and Board of Examiners: 
$0.

IV. Request for Comments

    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 
(including hours and cost) of the proposed collection of information; 
(c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the 
collection of information on respondents, including through the use of 
automated collection techniques or other forms of information 
technology.

[[Page 53115]]

    Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized 
and/or included in the request for OMB approval of this information 
collection; they also will become a matter of public record.

    Dated: August 28, 2015.
Glenna Mickelson,
Management Analyst, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 2015-21735 Filed 9-1-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-13-P