[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 214 (Monday, November 5, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 55354-55355]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-24131]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY


Agency Information Collection Extension

AGENCY: U.S. Department of Energy.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Energy (DOE), pursuant to the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995), intends to extend for three years, an 
information collection request with the Office of Management and Budget 
(OMB).

DATES: Comments regarding this proposed information collection must be 
received on or before January 4, 2019. If you anticipate difficulty in 
submitting comments within that period, contact the person listed below 
as soon as possible.

ADDRESSES: Written comments may be sent to Courtney Bracey by email at 
[email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Courtney Bracey, 
[email protected], (301) 903-1844.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the 
extended 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 of the proposed collection of 
information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions 
used; (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. This information collection request contains:
    (1) OMB No. {1910-5178{time} ;
    (2) Information Collection Request Title: Portfolio Analysis and 
Management System (PAMS);
    (3) Type of Review: {extension{time} ;
    (4) Purpose: This existing collection is based on the Health 
Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Electronic Handbooks 
software. Discretionary financial assistance proposals continue to be 
collected using Grants.gov but are imported into PAMS for use by the 
program offices. Under the existing information collection, an external 
interface in PAMS allows two other types of proposal submission: DOE 
National Laboratories are able to submit proposals for technical work 
authorizations directly into PAMS, while other Federal Agencies will be 
able to submit Proposals for interagency awards directly into PAMS. 
External users from all institution types are able to submit 
Solicitation Letters of Intent and Pre-proposals directly into PAMS. 
All applicants, whether they submitted

[[Page 55355]]

through Grants.gov or PAMS, are able to register with PAMS to view the 
proposals that were submitted. They also are able to maintain a minimal 
amount of information in their personal profile. The existing 
collection automates and streamlines the submission, tracking, and 
correspondence portions of financial award pre-review processes.
    The information collected is used by DOE to select applicants and 
projects for financial awards;
    (5) Annual Estimated Number of Respondents: {The following numbers 
are calculated using the average of data received in fiscal year 2015 
through fiscal year 2018. 6,533 PAMS new registrants, who are to 
include 9,700 submitters of lab proposals, interagency proposals, pre-
proposals, and Letters Of Intent (LOI) (assuming one person per 
estimated submission) and 10,900 reviewers of proposals submitted 
through Grants.gov;
    (6) Annual Estimated Number of Total Responses: Annual Estimated 
Number of Total Responses: The Office of Science receives about 370 DOE 
national laboratory and interagency proposals per year, based on an 
average number of submissions received for (fiscal year 2015 through 
fiscal year 2018) and about 4,600 pre-proposals and letters of intent 
per year, based on an average of the data collected between fiscal year 
2015 and fiscal year 2018;
    (7) Annual Estimated Number of Burden Hours: The time it takes to 
complete a form depends upon the type of form being completed. External 
users will need to register with PAMS in order to access the system. It 
takes approximately 30 minutes for external users to complete the forms 
required to become a registered PAMS user. Both LOI and pre-proposal 
forms take 15 minutes each, whereas completing a lab/interagency 
proposal will take about 3 hours. The reviewers require about 3 hour of 
analysis, per submission. Based on the annual estimated number of 
responses, broken down by DOE national laboratory, letter of intent and 
pre-proposal, the annual estimated time required for reviewers to 
complete analysis or responses and the time required for external users 
to register with PAMS, the estimated annual number of burden hours is 
30,150;
    (8) Annual Estimated Reporting and Recordkeeping Cost Burden: $0.
    Statutory Authority: Section 641 of the Department of Energy 
Organization Act, codified at 42 U.S.C. 7251.

    Signed in Washington, DC, on October 22, 2018.
Vasilios Kountouris,
Director, Office of Information Technology and Services, Office of 
Science, Department of Energy.
[FR Doc. 2018-24131 Filed 11-2-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6450-01-P