[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 30 (Wednesday, February 17, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9907-9908]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-03177]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Census Bureau


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment 
Request; Manufacturers' Unfilled Orders Survey

AGENCY: Census Bureau, Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of Information Collection, request for comment.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce, in accordance with the Paperwork 
Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, invites the general public and other 
Federal agencies to comment on proposed, and continuing information 
collections, which helps us assess the impact of our information 
collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting burden. The 
purpose of this notice is to allow for 60 days of public comment on the 
proposed extension of the Manufacturers' Unfilled Orders Survey, prior 
to the submission of the information collection request (ICR) to OMB 
for approval.

DATES: To ensure consideration, comments regarding this proposed 
information collection must be received on or before April 19, 2021.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit written comments by 
email to [email protected]. Please reference the Manufacturers' 
Unfilled Orders Survey in the subject line of your comments. You may 
also submit comments, identified by Docket Number USBC-2021-0005, to 
the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. All 
comments received are part of the public record. No comments will be 
posted to http://www.regulations.gov for public viewing until after the 
comment period has closed. Comments will generally be posted without 
change. All Personally Identifiable Information (for example, name and 
address) voluntarily submitted by the commenter may be publicly 
accessible. Do not submit Confidential Business Information or 
otherwise sensitive or protected information. You may submit

[[Page 9908]]

attachments to electronic comments in Microsoft Word, Excel, or Adobe 
PDF file formats.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
specific questions related to collection activities should be directed 
to Carol Aristone, Assistant Division Chief, Manufacturing, Corporate 
Profits, and Business Dynamics, 301-763-7062, 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

    The data collected in the Manufacturers' Unfilled Orders (M3UFO) 
Survey will be used to benchmark the new and unfilled orders 
information published in the monthly Manufacturers' Shipments, 
Inventories, and Orders (M3) Survey. The M3 Survey collects monthly 
data on the value of shipments, inventories, and new and unfilled 
orders from manufacturing companies. The orders, as well as the 
shipments and inventory data, are valuable tools for analysts of 
business cycle conditions. The data are used by the Bureau of Economic 
Analysis, the Council of Economic Advisers, the Federal Reserve Board, 
the Conference Board, as well as businesses, trade associations, and 
the media.
    The monthly M3 Survey estimates are based on a panel of 
approximately 5,000 reporting units that represent approximately 3,100 
companies and provide an indication of month-to-month change for the 
Manufacturing Sector. These reporting units may be divisions of 
diversified large companies, large homogenous companies, or single-unit 
manufacturers. The M3 estimates are periodically benchmarked to 
comprehensive data on the manufacturing sector from the Annual Survey 
of Manufactures (ASM), the Economic Census (shipments and inventories) 
and the M3UFO Survey, which is the subject of this notice. To obtain 
more accurate M3 estimates of unfilled orders, which are also used in 
deriving M3 estimates of new orders, we conduct the M3UFO Survey 
annually to be used as the source for benchmarking M3 unfilled orders 
data.
    Additionally, the M3UFO data are used to determine which North 
American Industry Classification System (NAICS) industries continue to 
maintain unfilled orders; this is done in order to minimize burden on 
businesses by only requesting unfilled orders as part of the monthly M3 
Survey for industries that still maintain unfilled orders.
    Unfilled orders data are not currently collected in the ASM or the 
Economic Census. Research is currently being conducted on the 
feasibility of adding M3UFO questions to the ASM for Survey Year 2021 
at the establishment levels. A combination of phone and in-person 
cognitive interviews with up to 40 respondents, over two rounds will 
begin in October 2020 and will likely conclude by March 2021.
    There are no changes to the MA-3000 form, which is used to conduct 
the M3UFO survey.

II. Method of Collection

    The Census Bureau will collect information by internet and 
telephone follow-up. All respondents receive an initial letter with 
their authentication code for registration and submission by internet. 
Companies are asked to respond to the survey within 30 days of receipt. 
Letters encouraging participation are mailed to companies that have not 
responded by the designated time. Telephone follow-up and email 
reminders are conducted to obtain response from delinquent companies.

III. Data

    OMB Control Number: 0607-0561.
    Form Number(s): MA-3000.
    Type of Review: Regular submission, Request for an Extension, 
without Change, of a Currently Approved Collection.
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profit organizations; Not-
for-profit institutions.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 6,000.
    Estimated Time per Response: .50 hour.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 3,000.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $0. (This is not the cost of 
respondents' time, but the indirect costs respondents may incur for 
such things as purchases of specialized software or hardware needed to 
report, or expenditures for accounting or records maintenance services 
required specifically by the collection.)
    Respondent's Obligation: Mandatory.
    Legal Authority: Title 13 U.S.C. Section 131 and 182.

IV. Request for Comments

    We are soliciting public comments to permit the Department/Bureau 
to: (a) Evaluate whether the proposed information collection is 
necessary for the proper functions of the Department, including whether 
the information will have practical utility; (b) Evaluate the accuracy 
of our estimate of the time and cost burden for this proposed 
collection, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions 
used; (c) Evaluate ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of 
the information to be collected; and (d) Minimize the reporting burden 
on those who are to respond, including the use of automated collection 
techniques or other forms of information technology.
    Comments that you submit in response to this notice are a matter of 
public record. We will include, or summarize, each comment in our 
request to OMB to approve this ICR. Before including your address, 
phone number, email address, or other personal identifying information 
in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment--
including your personal identifying information--may be made publicly 
available at any time. While you may ask us in your comment to withhold 
your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot 
guarantee that we will be able to do so.

Sheleen Dumas,
Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of the Chief Information 
Officer, Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2021-03177 Filed 2-16-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P