Notice2023-27487
USAID Revisions to ADS 201 Evaluation Report Requirements
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
December 14, 2023
Issuing agencies
Agency for International Development
Abstract
USAID invites public comment on our intent to request the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB's) approval for a new information collection. The Foreign Assistance Transparency and Accountability Act (2016) and The Foundations for Evidence Based Policy-Making Act (2019) enhance the transparency, accuracy, and reliability of USAID program and activity evaluations and processes of data collection and reporting. To comply with these Acts, USAID is currently revising the policy associated with its Evaluation Report Requirements. The requirements collect information from evaluators to establish the validity of research methodologies, standardize the presentation of research, ensure accuracy, and identify any conflicts of interest that could create bias or influence data analysis, findings, or recommendations. USAID is soliciting comments for this collection.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 88 Issue 239 (Thursday, December 14, 2023)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 239 (Thursday, December 14, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 86622-86623]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2023-27487]
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Notices
Federal Register
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Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 239 / Thursday, December 14, 2023 /
Notices
[[Page 86622]]
AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
USAID Revisions to ADS 201 Evaluation Report Requirements
AGENCY: U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
ACTION: Notice of information collection; request for comment.
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SUMMARY: USAID invites public comment on our intent to request the
Office of Management and Budget's (OMB's) approval for a new
information collection. The Foreign Assistance Transparency and
Accountability Act (2016) and The Foundations for Evidence Based
Policy-Making Act (2019) enhance the transparency, accuracy, and
reliability of USAID program and activity evaluations and processes of
data collection and reporting. To comply with these Acts, USAID is
currently revising the policy associated with its Evaluation Report
Requirements. The requirements collect information from evaluators to
establish the validity of research methodologies, standardize the
presentation of research, ensure accuracy, and identify any conflicts
of interest that could create bias or influence data analysis,
findings, or recommendations. USAID is soliciting comments for this
collection.
DATES: Comments are due January 16, 2024.
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 selecting ``Currently under 30-day Review--
Open for Public Comments'' or by using the search function.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tania Alfonso, <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#87f3e6ebe1e8e9f4e8c7f2f4e6eee3a9e0e8f1"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="dfabbeb3b9b0b1acb09faaacbeb6bbf1b8b0a9">[email protected]</span></a>,
202-712-0144.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: USAID, in accordance with the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)), provides the
general public and Federal agencies with an opportunity to comment on
the proposed information collection. This proposed information
collection was previously published in the Federal Register (88 FR
18292) on March 28, 2023.\1\ This notice allows for an additional 30
days for public comments.
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\1\ USAID initially published a Notice of the proposed
information collection, ``USAID Revisions to ADS 201 Evaluation
Report Requirements,'' in the Federal Register on March 28, 2023 [88
FR 18292]. Due to a clerical error, the comment period closed after
56 days on May 23, 2023, and therefore did not meet not the
statutory 60-day comment period required by the PRA. A Federal
Register Notice published on [INSERT DATE] reopened the comment
period for an additional 4 days.
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Title of Collection: USAID Revisions to ADS 201 Evaluation Report
Requirements.
OMB Control Number: To be issued by OMB.
Type of Review: A new information collection.
Respondents/Affected Public: USAID evaluation contractors.
Estimated Number of Respondents: 32.
Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 4.25.
Estimated Time per Response: 8.25 hours.
Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 1,195 per year.
Abstract: After a contractor is hired to evaluate a program or
activity, USAID issues to the contractor three standardized information
collection forms that are designed to ensure compliance with data
quality and reporting standards as outlined in USAID's Automated
Directives System (ADS) 201 and its annexes, including: one of three
optional Evaluation Design Matrices; an Evaluation Report Template to
be used for the submission of the final, and; a Disclosure of Conflicts
of Interest to be completed by the contractor's team leaders and
researchers. The Evaluation Design Matrix provides a structured format
for the contractor to present the overall approach and methodology for
the contracted evaluation. Specifically, the optional form asks
contractors to detail key research questions, sources of information,
scope and methodology, and study limitations in the form of a table.
The Evaluation Report Template guides the evaluator in submitting a
final draft of the research report, including requiring the use of
appropriate branding and marking on the cover page, style and
formatting of the report, and required information and order of
sections. Finally, external evaluators and evaluation team members are
required to complete and submit to USAID a Disclosure of Conflicts of
Interest form to disclose all relevant facts regarding real or
potential conflicts of interest that could lead reasonable third
parties with knowledge of the relevant facts and circumstances to
conclude that the evaluator or evaluation team member is not able to
maintain independence and, thus, is not capable of exercising objective
and impartial judgment on all issues associated with conducting and
reporting the work. USAID uses the data from the collection of
information in these three types of forms for internal decision-making
and external reporting requirements to the U.S. Congress. Copies of the
information collection forms can be found in USAID's Learning Lab in
the Evaluation Toolkit. The data collected in the required forms will
be available to the public when the Final Report is posted on the
Development Experience Clearinghouse.
USAID and the Office of Management and Budget are particularly
interested in comments that:
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,
[[Page 86623]]
e.g., permitting electronic submissions of responses.
Tania Alfonso,
PPL/LER, Program Cycle Supervisory Team Lead, USAID.
[FR Doc. 2023-27487 Filed 12-13-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6116-01-P
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