SUPPORTING STATEMENT
COPS Budget Detail Worksheets
Part A. Justification:
Necessity of Information Collection
The Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) was established under the authority of the Attorney General to implement Title I of the “crime bill,” the Public Safety Partnership and Community Policing Act of 1994 (the Act). The Act authorizes the Attorney General to make grants to States, units of local government, Indian tribal governments, other public and private entities, and multi-jurisdictional or regional consortia thereof to increase police presence, to expand and improve cooperative efforts between law enforcement agencies and members of the community, to address crime and disorder problems, and otherwise to enhance public safety.
The Attorney General has authorized the COPS Office to establish grant and cooperative agreement programs to advance community policing as well as the criteria used to determine eligibility for these programs. As part of all COPS Office grant and cooperative agreement applications, an applicant must submit budget information detailing their request for federal funding.
All applicants for COPS Office funding will be required to complete:
SF-424;
COPS Application Attachment to SF-424 (OMB Number: 1103-0098); and
Budget Detail Worksheets (OMB Number: 1103-0097).
Each of these forms will be included as part of the application kit that the applicant receives. The applicants will also be provided with the COPS Application Guide (1103-0095) that provides instruction for how to apply for COPS Office funding.
The total respondent burden hours for all COPS Office application collection instrument is estimated to be 13 hours.
This is broken out as follows:
1) COPS Application Attachment to SF-424 average: 10 hours
Budget Detail Worksheets: 2 hours
Application Guide: 1 hour for review of guidance
As stated above, the COPS Office will also be using the SF-424. The burden hours associated with the SF-424 were not accounted for in this total, as these burden hours are already accounted for on this government-wide form.
The total number of respondents annually for COPS Office programs is estimated to be 6,200. The total number of annual hours requested for each of the four parts of the application is 80,600.
This is broken out as follows:
1) COPS Application Attachment to SF-424: 62,000 annual hours
2) Budget Detail Worksheets: 12,400 annual hours
3) COPS Application Guide: 6,200 annual hours
The Budget Detail Worksheets are a standard set of worksheets designed to capture requested funding for all COPS Office grant and cooperative agreement applications. The budget categories include: Sworn Officer Positions, Civilian/Other Personnel, Equipment/Technology, Other Costs, Supplies, Travel/Training, Contracts/Consultants, and Indirect Costs. Applicants complete one set of Budget Detail Worksheets per grant or cooperative agreement program. The Budget Detail Worksheets eliminate the need for the multiple budget forms per program type.
Needs and Uses
The information collected on the Budget Detail Worksheets will be used in the evaluation of each applicant’s request for funding. The Budget Detail Worksheets will be reviewed to ensure that all requested funding is allowable under the COPS grant program for which the applicant is applying. If an applicant is chosen to receive an award the information submitted in the Budget Detail Worksheets will be analyzed by COPS Office staff and used to determine the applicant agency’s final award amount. Incomplete budget worksheets or requesting funding for unallowable positions/items can jeopardize and applicant’s success in being awarded federal funding.
Efforts to Minimize Burden
The Budget Detail Worksheets were the result of a COPS Office business process reengineering effort aimed at standardization as required under the grant streamlining requirements of P.L. 106-107, the Federal Financial Assistance Management Improvement Act of 1999, as well as the President’s Management Agenda E-grants Initiative. The form standardizes the budget forms across all COPS Office programs and should reduce the burden on applicants due the applicant’s ability to use the same form for multiple programs, thus reducing the need for applicant’s to learn how to complete multiple differing forms. The budget worksheets were designed to simplify the process for requesting funding by providing easy to understand computations and instructions in each section.
The Budget Detail Worksheets have been developed for use online through the government-wide E-Government Initiative, Grants.gov. Those applicants that apply for funding online via Grants.gov will benefit from electronic forms that provide auto-calculations, pre-filled fields and other time saving features. This will greatly simplify the process for applicants and will decrease the error-rate of submissions, thus reducing the burden hours for applicants.
It is anticipated that all potential applicants will be notified at least sixty days prior to the application deadline date so that sufficient time will be allowed to gather the necessary budget information to complete the Budget Detail Worksheets.
Efforts to Identify Duplication
There is no duplicative effort.
Methods to Minimize Burden on Small Business
This collection instrument will have no significant impact on small business.
Consequences of Less Frequent Collection
Funding for the COPS Office’s grant and cooperative agreement programs is appropriated on an annual basis. For additional funds in future years, applicants may be required to reapply to the program. Interested agencies cannot become eligible for COPS grants without first completing application information relating to their budget requirements. Thus, less frequent collection is not possible.
Special Circumstances Influencing Collection
There are no special circumstances that would influence the collection of information pertaining to the Budget Detail Worksheets.
Reasons for Inconsistencies with 5 CFR 1320.6
The 60 and 30 day federal register notices have been published and no comments were received..
Payment or Gift to Respondents
The COPS Office does not provide any payment or gift to respondents. Furthermore, it is not permitted under the terms of the grants.
Assurance of Confidentiality
No assurance of confidentiality has been made to respondents.
Justification for Sensitive Questions
There are no questions of a sensitive nature. No information commonly considered as private is included in the proposed requested information.
Estimate of Hour Burden
COPS Office Programs |
Annual Number of Responses for Budget Detail Worksheets |
Hours Per Response |
Community Policing Development |
200 |
2 |
COPS in Schools |
2,000 |
1 |
Interoperable Communications Technology Program |
100 |
3 |
Methamphetamine Grant Program |
100 |
2 |
Safe Schools Initiative/Secure Our Schools |
200 |
1 |
Technology Grant Program |
400 |
3 |
Tribal Programs |
200 |
3 |
Universal Hiring Program |
2,000 |
1 |
Additional Specialized Program Appropriated Annually (i.e., Homeland Security Overtime Program, etc.) |
1,000 |
2 |
|
6,200 Annual Responses |
2 Average Hours Per Response |
As the chart above illustrates, there may be as many as 6,200 COPS Office applicants annually who will be required to complete the Budget Detail Worksheets. The estimated average hourly burden to the grantees is 2 hours for each respondent.
2 hours per respondent x 6,200 respondents = 12,400 hours
There is no record keeping burden for this collection.
Total Respondent Burden: 12,400 hours
Estimate of Cost Burden
Completing the Budget Detail Worksheets will not generate any costs other than those associated with the applicants’ time. Therefore, the estimated burden cost is 0.
Estimated Annualized Cost to Federal Government
The estimated annualized cost to the Federal Government for reviewing, compiling, and processing the projected 6,200 grant applications is approximately 1 hour per form. No special equipment, other than currently in-use computing equipment is required. The cost to the Federal Government is as follows:
1 hour per form X 6,200 forms = 6,200 hours
6,200 hours @ $23.05 per hour = $142,910 for budget review
Total Annualized Cost to the Federal Government for reviewing the Budget Detail Worksheets = $142,910.
Reason for Change in Burden
There is no change in burden requested for this collection.
Publication
This data collection will not be published.
Request not to Display OMB Control Number
The COPS Office will display the OMB approval number and expiration date on the upper right hand corner of the collection instrument.
Exceptions to Certification Statement
The COPS Office does not request an exception to the certification of this information collection.
Part B. Statistical Methods:
This collection of information does not require the employment of statistical methods.
| File Type | application/msword |
| File Title | SUPPORTING STATEMENT |
| Author | Preferred Customer |
| Last Modified By | lbryant |
| File Modified | 2008-02-12 |
| File Created | 2008-02-12 |