1. Explain the circumstances that make the collection of information necessary. Identify any legal or administrative requirements that necessitate the collection. Attach a copy of the appropriate section of each statute and regulation mandating or authorizing the collection of information.
Enacted by the 111th Congress and signed into law by President Barack H. Obama on February 17, 2009, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), otherwise known as Public Law 111-5, establishes the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board (the Board), whose mission, in part, is “to coordinate and conduct oversight of covered funds to prevent fraud, waste, and abuse.”
Established to inform the public about actions under the ARRA, Recovery.gov is “a user-friendly, public-facing website to foster greater accountability and transparency in the use of covered funds.” A key role of Recovery.gov is to include pertinent information to enable the public to track the expenditures of Federal Government contracts, grants, and loans that expend covered funds. The site will also provide a means for the public to give feedback on the performance of projects utilizing covered funds.
To increase usability of the site, the Board, through the General Services Administration (GSA), is redesigning the site with features that enable detailed tracking of all money spent under the ARRA. To ensure that the revised site, known as Recovery.gov 2.0, deploys features that are more advanced while remaining user-friendly, GSA recommends that a series of Usability and Focus Groups be conducted as soon as feasible.
The requirement for all ARRA funding recipients to report on the required data points set forth by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in October 2009 is driving this emergency request.
2. Indicate how, by whom, and for what purpose the information is to be used. Except for a new collection, indicate the actual use the agency has made of the information received from the current collection.
The Board will use the data to enhance version 2.0 of the Recovery.gov website. All findings from the focus groups and usability testing will be documented and, as appropriate, prioritized for incorporation and rollout in the overall design schedule.
3. Describe whether, and to what extent, the collection of information involves the use of automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic submission of responses, and the basis for the decision for adopting this means of collection. Also describe any consideration of using information technology to reduce burden.
Usability testing will be conducted virtually to eliminate the need for participants to travel to testing facilities, complete survey forms, etc.
4. Describe efforts to identify duplication. Show specifically why any similar information already available cannot be used or modified for use for the purposes described in Item 2 above.
There is no duplicative information collection instrument or process.
5. If the collection of information impacts small businesses or other small entities, describe any methods used to minimize burden.
This study asks participation from average citizens interested in the ARRA. Therefore, some participants may be small business entities. In order to minimize their burden, incentives will be issued to compensate participants for their time.
6. Describe the consequence to Federal program or policy activities if the collection is not conducted or is conducted less frequently, as well as any technical or legal obstacles to reducing burden.
The legislative requirements of ARRA dictate that Recovery.gov be “a user-friendly, public-facing website.” If the collection is not conducted, there will be no adequate means for ensuring a user-friendly website. Validation of design, usability, and accessibility through comprehensive research is imperative to a successful launch of the new website.
7. Special Circumstances relating to the Guidelines of 5 CFR 1320.5:
N/A
8. Comments in Response to the Federal Register Notice and Efforts to Consult Outside the Agency
N/A- This is an emergency information collection to ensure that focus group testing on Recovery.gov 2.0 can be conducted in sufficient time before reporting begins under ARRA in October 2009.
9. Explain any decision to provide any payment or gift to respondents, other than renumeration of contractors or grantees.
An incentive of $75 per participant will be provided upon completion of the focus groups, and an incentive of $40 per participant will be provided upon completion of the usability sessions. These amounts are in line with industry standards and promote optimum show rates required to obtain validity of the information collected.
10. Describe any assurance of confidentiality provided to respondents and the basis for the assurance in statute, regulation, or agency policy.
The study will not be collecting proprietary information. All input collected will be kept confidential and used only for the purposes of this study.
11. Provide additional justification for any questions of a sensitive nature, such as sexual behavior and attitudes, religious beliefs, and other matters that are commonly considered private. This justification should include the reasons why the agency considers the questions necessary, the specific uses to be made of the information, the explanation to be given to persons from whom the information is requested, and any steps to be taken to obtain their consent.
There are no sensitive questions associated with this collection.
12. Provide estimates of the hour burden of the collection of information.
Focus group participants will be asked to spend two hours in a moderated session at a third-party facility. This study will recruit 100 focus group participants.
100 participants @ 2 hours each = 200 hours
Usability participants will be asked to spend one hour in a virtual moderated session. This study will recruit 64 usability testing participants.
64 participants @ 1 hour each = 64 hours
Total burden hours = 264 hours
13. Provide an estimate for the total annual cost burden to respondents or record keepers resulting from the collection of information. (Do not include the cost of any hour burden already reflected on the burden worksheet).
There are no costs associated with this collection.
14. Provide estimates of annualized costs to the Federal government.
The total cost to the government for collecting this research is $150,000. This cost includes:
Moderating services
Recruiting services
Focus group facility rental and stationary video
Incentives for participants
Respondent catering
Moderator travel
Conference line for virtual usability testing
Documentation of findings
Analysis
15. Explain the reasons for any program changes or adjustments reported on the burden worksheet.
N/A – This is a new collection.
16. For collections of information whose results are planned to be published, outline plans for tabulation and publication.
N/A – Although the information collected will be utilized to ensure the usability of Recovery.gov 2.0, there is no plan to publish the collected data.
17. If seeking approval to not display the expiration date for OMB approval of the information collection, explain the reasons that display would be inappropriate.
N/A
18. Explain each exception to the topics of the certification statement identified in “Certification for Paperwork Reduction Act Submissions.”
N/A – There are no exceptions.
| File Type | application/msword |
| File Title | Agency Guide for PRA Users |
| Author | N Bushi |
| Last Modified By | jennifer.dure |
| File Modified | 2009-08-24 |
| File Created | 2009-08-21 |