[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 144 (Friday, July 30, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41035-41036]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-16221]


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OFFICE OF GOVERNMENT ETHICS


Agency Information Collection Activities: Information Collection 
Renewal; Comment Request; Fast Track Generic Clearance for the 
Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery

AGENCY: Office of Government Ethics (OGE).

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: After publication of this second round notice, the Office of 
Government Ethics (OGE) intends to submit a renewed Generic Information 
Collection Request for the collection of qualitative feedback on agency 
service delivery for review and approval of a three-year extension 
under the Paperwork Reduction Act.
    Comments: Written comments and recommendations for the proposed 
information collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of 
this notice to 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.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Grant Anderson at the U.S. Office of 
Government Ethics; telephone: 202-482-9318; TTY: 800-877-8339; Email: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Title: Fast Track Generic Clearance for the Collection of 
Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery.
    Abstract: The proposed information collection provides a means to 
garner qualitative customer and stakeholder feedback in an efficient, 
timely manner, in accordance with the agency's commitment to improving 
service delivery. Qualitative feedback means information that provides 
useful insights on perceptions and opinions, but is not a statistical 
survey that yields 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 the 
agency and its customers and stakeholders. It will also allow feedback 
to contribute directly to the improvement of program management.
    OGE expects to use various methods (e.g., focus groups, customer 
satisfaction surveys, comment cards) to solicit feedback. Responses 
will be assessed to plan and inform efforts to improve or maintain the 
quality of service offered to the public and other agency stakeholders. 
If this information is not collected, vital feedback from customers and 
stakeholders on the agency's services will be unavailable.
    The agency will only submit a collection for approval under this 
generic clearance if it meets the following conditions:
     The collections are voluntary;
     The collections are low-burden for respondents (based on 
considerations of total burden hours, total number of respondents, or 
burden-hours per respondent) and are low-cost for both the respondents 
and the Federal Government;
     The collections are non-controversial;
     The collections are focused on the awareness, 
understanding, attitudes, preferences, or experiences of the public or 
other stakeholders in order to improve existing or future services, 
products, or communication materials;
     Personally identifiable information (PII) is collected 
only to the extent necessary;

[[Page 41036]]

     Information gathered will be used only internally for 
general service improvement and program management purposes and is not 
intended for release to the public;
     Information gathered will not be used for the purpose of 
substantially informing influential policy decisions; and
     Information gathered will yield qualitative information; 
the collections will not be designed or expected to yield statistically 
reliable results or used as though the results are generalizable to the 
population of study.
    Feedback collected under this generic clearance provides useful 
information, but it does 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 to 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.
    As a general matter, information collections submitted under this 
generic clearance will not result in any new system of records 
containing privacy information and will not ask questions of a 
sensitive nature, such as sexual behavior and attitudes, religious 
beliefs, and other matters that are commonly considered private.
    A Federal Register Notice with a 60-day comment period soliciting 
comments on this information collection was published on May 19, 2021 
(86 FR 27088). OGE did not receive any comments in response.
    OMB Number: 3209-0010.
    Type of Request: Extension.
    Affected Public: Individuals; Business or Other For-Profit 
Institutions; Not-For-Profit Institutions; State, Local, or Tribal 
Government.
    Projected average burden estimates for the next three years:
    Estimated Annual Number of Respondents: 91,425.
    Average Expected Annual Number of Activities: 39.
    Average Number of Respondents per Activity: 2,344.
    Responses per Respondent: 1.
    Annual Responses: 91,425.
    Average Minutes per Response: 3 minutes.
    Annual Burden Hours: 3,900 hours.
    Frequency: On occasion.
    Request for Comments: Agency and public comment is invited 
specifically on the need for and practical utility of this information 
collection, the accuracy of OGE's burden estimate, the enhancement of 
quality, utility and clarity of the information collected, and the 
minimization of burden (including the use of information technology). 
Comments will become a matter of public record.

    Approved: July 26, 2021.
Emory Rounds,
Director, U.S. Office of Government Ethics.
[FR Doc. 2021-16221 Filed 7-29-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6345-03-P