2012 Precanvass Supporting Statement Part B 08242010

3

SUPPORTING STATEMENT

U.S. Department of Commerce

U.S. Census Bureau

Commodity Flow Survey Precanvass Component of the 2012 Economic Census

OMB Control Number 0607-0921

B. Collections of Information Employing Statistical Methods

1. Target Universe and Sampling

The approximately 100,000 establishments selected for the Precanvass will be taken from the Census Bureau’s Business Register. The Business Register is a comprehensive centralized listing of business establishments throughout the United States. It is based upon information from the Economic Census and is updated using Company Organization Survey results and administrative data from other government agencies such as the Internal Revenue Service.

We will select most auxiliary establishments in NAICS 4931 and 551114. In addition, we will select approximately 35,000 establishments in all other NAICS codes (listed above) which are sufficiently large, or important enough by industry and/or geography, that we expect the establishment is likely to be selected with certainty in the 2012 CFS. We will also include approximately 13,000 small establishments from NAICS 45411 and approximately 12,000 small establishments from NAICS 5111. These industries have a high occurrence of non-shipping establishments, which the Precanvass will identify and eliminate from the 2012 CFS universe.

2. Procedures for Collecting Data

Each establishment in the Precanvass will be mailed a questionnaire and accompanying letter on or about January 10, 2011. Responses will be mailed back in the return envelope provided or reported electronically.

Mail Follow-up will occur on or about February 10, 2011.

Telephone Follow-up will occur on or about March 10, 2011.

3. Methods for Maximizing Response Rates

This information collection will maximize response through the following actions:

• Emphasize the mandatory and confidential nature of the report, as provided by Title 13, U.S.C.

• Provide a newly developed electronic reporting option.

• Use of yes/no check box style questions where possible to promote ease of reporting.

• Toll-free telephone assistance for any business that has questions about completing its Precanvass questionnaire.

• Mail follow-up for all non-response establishments, supplemented by telephone follow-up for non-response auxiliary establishments.

Based on data from the 2007 CFS Precanvass, the expected rate of return is 77%.

4. Testing of Procedures

We will use procedures based on the results and experiences gained in the conduct and review of the previous Commodity Flow Surveys, as well as the considerable body of experience with related economic censuses and surveys.

5. Contacts for Planning, Implementation and Statistical Aspects

Planning and implementation of the CFS is conducted under the direction of:

Donna Lee Hambric

Assistant Division Chief for

Current Service and Transportation Programs

Service Sector Statistics Division

U.S. Census Bureau

Washington, D.C. 20233

Telephone: (301) 763-2639

Statistical methodology is developed under the direction of:

Ruth E. Detlefsen

Assistant Division Chief

for Research and Methodology

Service Sector Statistics Division

U.S. Census Bureau

Washington, D.C. 20233

Telephone: (301) 763-5171

Attachments

A. Proposed Survey Materials

(1) Questionnaire: CFS-0001(2012)

(2) Cover Letter: CFS-0001-L(2012)

B. Summary of Changes to the 2012 CFS Precanvass Questionnaire