[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 105 (Thursday, June 3, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 29756-29757]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-11617]


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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 16, 2021, from 11:00 
a.m. to 4:00 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 2020 
judging process; and the 2021 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 will meet on Wednesday, June 16, 2021 from 
11:00 a.m. Eastern Time until 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time. The portion of 
the meeting that is closed to the public will take place on Wednesday, 
June 16, 2021 from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be a virtual meeting by webinar. Please 
note admittance instructions under the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION 
section of this notice.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Robert Fangmeyer, Director, Baldrige 
Performance Excellence Program, email [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Authority: 15 U.S.C. 3711a(d)(1) as amended, 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 
16, 2021 from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time. The

[[Page 29757]]

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, 
service companies, small businesses, nonprofits, health care providers, 
and educational institutions. The primary purpose of this meeting is to 
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. During the closed session on June 16, 2021 from 2:00 p.m. to 
4:00 p.m. the Judges Panel will discuss lessons learned from the 2020 
judging process and the 2021 Award process. The agenda may change to 
accommodate Judges Panel business. The final agenda will be posted on 
the NIST website at https://www.nist.gov/baldrige/how-baldrige-works/baldrige-community/judges-panel.
    The open portion of the meeting from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.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 of organizations who would like to 
offer comments and suggestions related to the Panel's business are 
invited to request a place on the agenda. Approximately 30 minutes will 
be reserved for public comments and speaking times will be assigned on 
a first-come, first-serve basis. The amount of time per speaker will be 
determined by the number of requests received but is likely to be about 
three minutes each. Questions from the public will not be considered 
during this period. Requests must be submitted by email to Robyn Verner 
at [email protected] and must be received by 4:00 p.m. Eastern 
Time, June 9, 2021 to be considered. 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 participate 
are invited to submit written statements by email to 
[email protected] or 301-975-2361.
    Admittance instructions: All participants will be attending via 
webinar. Please contact Ms. Verner by email at [email protected] or 
301-975-2361 for detailed instructions on how to join the webinar. All 
requests must be received by 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Wednesday, June, 
9, 2021.
    The portion of the meeting from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time 
will include discussions on lessons learned from the 2020 judging 
process and on the 2021 Award process, and is closed to the public in 
order to protect the proprietary data to be examined and discussed. The 
Chief Financial Officer and Assistant Secretary for Administration, 
with the concurrence of the Assistant General Counsel for Employment, 
Litigation and Information, formally determined, 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.
    Pursuant to 41 CFR 102-3.150(b), this Federal Register notice for 
this meeting is being published fewer than 15 calendar days prior to 
the meeting as exceptional circumstances exist due to COVID-19.

Alicia Chambers,
NIST Executive Secretariat.
[FR Doc. 2021-11617 Filed 6-2-21; 8:45 am]
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