    [Federal Register Volume 85, Number 168 (Friday, August 28, 2020)]
    [Notices]
    [Pages 53318-53319]
    From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
    [FR Doc No: 2020-18942]

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    DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

    Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

    August 25, 2020.
        The Department of Agriculture will submit the following information
    collection requirement(s) to OMB for review and clearance under the
    Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13 on or after the date
    of publication of this notice. Comments are requested regarding:
    Whether the collection of information is necessary for the proper
    performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the
    information will have practical utility; the accuracy of the agency's
    estimate of burden including the validity of the methodology and
    assumptions used; ways to enhance the quality, utility and clarity of
    the information to be collected; and ways to 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. Comments regarding these information collections are best
    assured of having their full effect if received by September 28, 2020.
    Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information
    collection should be submitted within 30 days of the publication of
    this notice on the following website www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain.
    Find this particular information collection by selecting ``Currently
    under 30-day Review--Open for Public Comments'' or by using the search
    function.
        An agency may not conduct or sponsor a collection of information
    unless the collection of information displays a currently valid OMB
    control number and the agency informs

    [[Page 53319]]

    potential persons who are to respond to the collection of information
    that such persons are not required to respond to the collection of
    information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number.

    Agricultural Marketing Service

        Title: Generic Information Collection and Clearance of Qualitative
    Feedback on Agency Service Delivery.
        OMB Control Number: 0581-0269.
        Summary of Collection: Executive Order 12862 directs Federal
    agencies to provide service to the public that matches or exceeds the
    best service available in the private sector. Improving Agricultural
    Marketing Service (AMS) programs requires ongoing assessment of service
    delivery, by which we mean systematic review of the operation of a
    program compared to a set of explicit or implicit standards, as a means
    of contributing to the continuous improvement of the program.
        Need and Use of the Information: The information collection
    activity will garner qualitative customer and stakeholder feedback in
    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 AMS and its customers and
    stakeholders. It will also allow feedback to contribute directly to the
    improvement of program management. Feedback collected under this
    generic clearance will provide useful information, but it will 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 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.
        Description of Respondents: Farms; Business or other for-profit;
    Not-for-profit Institutions and State, Local or Tribal Government.
        Number of Respondents: 100,000.
        Frequency of Responses: Reporting: On occasion.
        Total Burden Hours: 50,000.

    Agricultural Marketing Service

        Title: USDA Web Based Supply Chain Management System (WBSCM).
        OMB Control Number: 0581-0273.
        Summary of Collection: Section 32 of the Act of August 24, 1935, as
    amended (Section 32 Pub. L. 74-320; 7 U.S.C. 612(c); Sections 6(a) and
    (e), 13, and 17 of the National School Lunch Act, as amended, (42
    U.S.C. 1751, 1761, and 1766) in addition to several other acts
    authorize the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) Procurement Branches
    to prepare and issue announcements for the purchase and sale of
    perishable agricultural commodities. AMS purchases agricultural
    commodities for the Section 32 and 6a & e National School Lunch
    Program/Child & Adult Care Food Program; Nutrition Service Incentive
    Program; Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations; Commodity
    Supplemental Food Program; The Emergency Food Assistance Program and
    Disaster Feeding in addition to providing support for commodity markets
    with surplus inventory.
        Need and Use of the Information: AMS issues solicitation for offers
    in order to solicit bids for commodities for delivery to domestic
    nutrition assistance programs. Vendors respond by making electronic
    offers using the secure Web Based Supply Chain Management System
    (WBSCM). Vendors must be registered, and have an ID and password, in
    order to submit bids electronically through WBSCM via the internet. The
    information will change in response to the needs of the domestic
    feeding programs and each solicitation. Information collected has been
    consolidated into three processes--a New Vendor Application, Bid
    Solicitation, and Contract Delivery, Invoice Submission and Inspection
    Results. The data collected from vendors assists AMS with making a
    determination whether a business is viable and capable of supplying
    product to the Federal government.
        Description of Respondents: Business or other for profit; Farms.
        Number of Respondents: 330.
        Frequency of Responses: Reporting: On occasion; Weekly; Monthly;
    Quarterly.
        Total Burden Hours: 48,376.

    Ruth Brown,
    Departmental Information Collection Clearance Officer.
    [FR Doc. 2020-18942 Filed 8-27-20; 8:45 am]
    BILLING CODE 3410-02-P