[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 99 (Tuesday, May 22, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23636-23637]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-10914]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Institute of Standards and Technology


Judges Panel of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award

AGENCY: National Institute of Standards and Technology, Department of 
Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of partially closed meeting.

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SUMMARY: The Judges Panel of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality 
Award (Judges Panel) will meet on Wednesday, June 6, 2018, from 9:00 
a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Eastern time. The purpose of this meeting is to 
discuss and review the role and responsibilities of the Judges Panel 
and information received from the National Institute of Standards and 
Technology (NIST) in order to ensure the integrity of the Malcolm 
Baldrige National Quality Award (Award) selection process. The agenda 
will include: Judges Panel roles and processes; Baldrige Program 
updates; new business/public comment; lessons learned from the 2017 
judging process; and the 2018 Award process. A portion of this meeting 
is closed to the public in order to protect the proprietary data to be 
examined and discussed.

DATES: The Judges Panel meeting will be held on Wednesday, June 6, 
2018, from 9:00 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. Eastern time. The portion of the 
meeting from 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. will include discussions on the 
Judges Panel roles and processes and Baldrige program updates. This 
session is open to the public. Please note admittance instructions 
under the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this notice. The portion 
of the meeting from 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. will include discussions on 
lessons learned from the 2017 judging process and on the 2018 Award 
process. This session is closed to the public in order to protect the 
proprietary data to be examined and discussed.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the National Institute of 
Standards and Technology, Building 215, Room C103, 100 Bureau Drive, 
Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Robert Fangmeyer, Director, Baldrige 
Performance Excellence Program, National Institute of Standards and 
Technology, 100 Bureau Drive, Mail Stop 1020, Gaithersburg, Maryland 
20899-1020, at telephone number (301) 975-2360, or by email at 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

    Authority: 15 U.S.C. 3711a(d)(1) and the Federal Advisory 
Committee Act, as amended, 5 U.S.C. App.

    Pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act, as amended, 5 
U.S.C. App., notice is hereby given that the Judges Panel of the 
Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award will meet on Wednesday, June 6, 
2018 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Eastern time. The Judges Panel is 
composed of twelve members, appointed by the Secretary of Commerce, 
chosen for their familiarity with quality improvement operations and 
competitiveness issues of manufacturing companies, services companies, 
small businesses, nonprofits, health care providers, and educational 
institutions. The Judges Panel will assemble to discuss and review the 
role and responsibilities of the Judges Panel and information received 
from NIST in order to ensure the integrity of the Malcolm Baldrige 
National Quality Award selection process. The agenda will include: 
Judges Panel roles and processes; Baldrige Program updates; new 
business/public comment; lessons learned from the 2017 judging process; 
and the 2018 Award process. A portion of this meeting is closed to the 
public in order to protect the proprietary data to be examined and 
discussed.
    The portion of the meeting from 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Eastern 
time will include discussions on the Judges Panel roles and processes 
and Baldrige program updates and is open to the public. Individuals and 
representatives

[[Page 23637]]

of organizations who would like to offer comments related to the Judges 
Panel general process are invited to request a place on the agenda. 
Approximately one-half hour will be reserved for public comments, and 
speaking times will be assigned on a first-come, first-served basis. 
The amount of time per speaker will be determined by the number of 
requests received, but is likely to be about 3 minutes each. The exact 
time for public comments will be included in the final agenda that will 
be posted on the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program website at 
https://patapsco.nist.gov/BoardofExam/Examiners_Judge2.cfm. Questions 
from the public will not be considered during this period. Speakers who 
wish to expand upon their oral statements, those who had wished to 
speak, but could not be accommodated on the agenda, and those who were 
unable to attend in person are invited to submit written statements to 
the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program, Attention Robyn Verner, 
National Institute of Standards and Technology, 100 Bureau Drive, Mail 
Stop 1020, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899-1020, via fax at 301-975-4967 
or electronically by email to [email protected].
    All visitors to the National Institute of Standards and Technology 
site will have to pre-register to be admitted. Please submit your name, 
time of arrival, email address and phone number to Robyn Verner no 
later than 4:00 p.m. Eastern time, Thursday, May 31, 2018, and she will 
provide you with instructions for admittance. Non-U.S. citizens must 
submit additional information; please contact Robyn Verner by email at 
[email protected] or by phone at (301) 975-2702. Also, please note 
that under the REAL ID Act of 2005 (Pub. L. 109-13), federal agencies, 
including NIST, can only accept a state-issued driver's license or 
identification card for access to federal facilities if issued by 
states that are REAL ID compliant or have an extension. NIST also 
currently accepts other forms of federal-issued identification in lieu 
of a state-issued driver's license. For detailed information please 
contact Ms. Verner or visit: http://www.nist.gov/public_affairs/visitor/.
    The portion of the meeting from 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Eastern 
time will include discussions on lessons learned from the 2017 judging 
process and on the 2018 Award process, and is closed to the public in 
order to protect the proprietary data to be examined and discussed. The 
Acting Chief Financial Officer and Assistant Secretary for 
Administration, with the concurrence of the Assistant General Counsel 
for Employment, Litigation and Information, formally determined on 
March 7, 2018, pursuant to Section 10(d) of the Federal Advisory 
Committee Act, as amended by Section 5(c) of the Government in Sunshine 
Act, Public Law 94-409, that a portion of the meeting of the Judges 
Panel may be closed to the public in accordance with 5 U.S.C. 
552b(c)(4) because the meeting is likely to disclose trade secrets and 
commercial or financial information obtained from a person which is 
privileged or confidential and 5 U.S.C. 552b(c)(9)(B) because for a 
government agency the meeting is likely to disclose information that 
could significantly frustrate implementation of a proposed agency 
action. Portions of the meeting involve examination of prior year Award 
applicant data. Award applicant data are directly related to the 
commercial activities and confidential information of the applicants.

Kevin A. Kimball,
Chief of Staff.
[FR Doc. 2018-10914 Filed 5-21-18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-13-P