Notice2021-21178
Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery, 1601-0014
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
September 29, 2021
Issuing agencies
Homeland Security Department
Abstract
The Department of Homeland Security, will submit the following Information Collection Request (ICR) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and clearance in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. DHS previously published this information collection request (ICR) in the Federal Register on Thursday, May 27, 2021 at for a 60-day public comment period. There were no comments received by DHS. The purpose of this notice is to allow additional 30- days for public comments.
Full Text
<html>
<head>
<title>Federal Register, Volume 86 Issue 186 (Wednesday, September 29, 2021)</title>
</head>
<body><pre>
[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 186 (Wednesday, September 29, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 53975-53977]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2021-21178]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on
Agency Service Delivery, 1601-0014
AGENCY: Department of Homeland Security, (DHS).
ACTION: 30-Day notice and request for comments; extension without
change of a currently approved Collection, 1601-0014.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Department of Homeland Security, will submit the following
Information Collection Request (ICR) to the Office of Management and
Budget (OMB) for review and clearance in accordance with the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995. DHS previously published this information
collection request (ICR) in the Federal Register on Thursday, May 27,
2021 at for a 60-day public comment period. There were no comments
received by DHS. The purpose of this notice is to allow additional 30-
days for public comments.
DATES: Comments are encouraged and will be accepted until October 29,
2021. This process is conducted in accordance with 5 CFR 1320.1.
ADDRESSES: Written comments and recommendations for the proposed
information collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of
this notice to <a href="http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain">www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain</a>. Find this particular
information collection by electing ``Currently under 30-day Review--
Open for Public Comments'' or by using the search function.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Executive Order 12862 directs Federal
agencies to provide service to the public that matches or exceeds the
best service available in the private sector. In order to work
continuously to ensure that our programs are effective and meet our
customers' needs, Department of Homeland Security (hereafter ``the
Agency'') seeks to obtain OMB approval of a generic clearance to
collect qualitative feedback on our service delivery. By qualitative
feedback we mean information that provides useful insights on
perceptions and opinions but are not statistical surveys that yield
[[Page 53976]]
quantitative results that can be generalized to the population of
study.
This collection of information is necessary to enable the Agency to
garner customer and stakeholder feedback in an efficient, timely
manner, in accordance with our commitment to improving service
delivery. The information collected from our customers and stakeholders
will help ensure that users have an effective, efficient, and
satisfying experience with the Agency's programs. 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.
Improving agency 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. The
Agency will collect, analyze, and interpret information gathered
through this generic clearance to identify strengths and weaknesses of
current services and make improvements in service delivery based on
feedback. The solicitation of feedback will target areas such as:
Timeliness, appropriateness, accuracy of information, courtesy,
efficiency of service delivery, and resolution of issues with service
delivery. Responses will be assessed to plan and inform efforts to
improve or maintain the quality of service offered to the public. 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:
<bullet> Information gathered will be used only internally for
general service improvement and program management purposes and is not
intended for release outside of the agency (if released, procedures
outlined in Question 16 will be followed);
<bullet> Information gathered will not be used for the purpose of
substantially informing influential policy decisions; \1\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ As defined in OMB and agency Information Quality Guidelines,
``influential'' means that ``an agency can reasonably determine that
dissemination of the information will have or does have a clear and
substantial impact on important public policies or important private
sector decisions.''
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
<bullet> 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;
<bullet> The collections are voluntary;
<bullet> 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;
<bullet> The collections are non-controversial and do not raise
issues of concern to other Federal agencies;
<bullet> Any collection is targeted to the solicitation of opinions
from respondents who have experience with the program or may have
experience with the program in the near future; and
<bullet> With the exception of information needed to provide
renumeration for participants of focus groups and cognitive laboratory
studies, personally identifiable information (PII) is collected only to
the extent necessary and is not retained.
If these conditions are not met, the Agency will submit an
information collection request to OMB for approval through the normal
PRA process.
To obtain approval for a collection that meets the conditions of
this generic clearance, a standardized form will be submitted to OMB
along with supporting documentation (e.g., a copy of the comment card).
The submission will have automatic approval, unless OMB identifies
issues within 5 business days.
The types of collections that this generic clearance covers
include, but are not limited to:
<bullet> Customer comment cards/complaint forms
<bullet> Small discussion groups
<bullet> Focus Groups of customers, potential customers, delivery
partners, or other stakeholders
<bullet> Cognitive laboratory studies, such as those used to refine
questions or assess usability of a website;
<bullet> Qualitative customer satisfaction surveys (e.g., post-
transaction surveys; opt-out web surveys)
<bullet> In-person observation testing (e.g., website or software
usability tests)
The Agency has established a manager/managing entity to serve for
this generic clearance and will conduct an independent review of each
information collection to ensure compliance with the terms of this
clearance prior to submitting each collection to OMB.
If appropriate, agencies will collect information electronically
and/or use online collaboration tools to reduce burden.
Small business or other small entities may be involved in these
efforts, but the Agency will minimize the burden on them of information
collections approved under this clearance by sampling, asking for
readily available information, and using short, easy-to-complete
information collection instruments.
Without these types of feedback, the Agency will not have timely
information to adjust its services to meet customer needs.
If a confidentiality pledge is deemed useful and feasible, the
Agency will only include a pledge of confidentiality that is supported
by authority established in statute or regulation, that is supported by
disclosure and data security policies that are consistent with the
pledge, and that does not unnecessarily impede sharing of data with
other agencies for compatible confidential use. If the agency includes
a pledge of confidentiality, it will include a citation for the statute
or regulation supporting the pledge.
There is no change in the information being collected. There is no
change to the burden associated with this collection.
The Office of Management and Budget is particularly interested in
comments which:
1. Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency,
including whether the information will have practical utility;
2. Evaluate 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;
3. Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to
be collected; and
4. 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, e.g., permitting electronic
submissions of responses.
[[Page 53977]]
Analysis:
Agency: Department of Homeland Security, (DHS).
Title: Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback
on Agency Service Delivery.
OMB Number: 1601-0014.
Frequency: On Occasion.
Affected Public: Private Sector.
Number of Respondents: 184,902.
Estimated Time per Respondent: 1 Hour.
Total Burden Hours: 300,000.
Robert Dorr,
Executive Director, Business Management Directorate.
[FR Doc. 2021-21178 Filed 9-28-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 9112-FL-P
</pre></body>
</html>Indexed from Federal Register on September 29, 2021.
This is legal information, not legal advice. Laws vary by jurisdiction and change frequently. Always verify current law with official sources and consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction for advice on your specific situation.