EDA - Customer Satisfaction Survey of EDA Applicants

OMB Control No. 0690-0030

Expiration Date: XX/XX/XXXX

In order to better our grant process, we would ask that you please take 10 minutes to help us improve your experience with the Economic Development Administration. EDA is committed to building a more transparent and accountable government, with an emphasis on greater efficiency and effectiveness.

This information collection contains requirements subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA).

Notwithstanding any other provisions of the law, no person is required to respond to, nor shall any person be subject to penalty for failure to comply with, a collection of information subject to the requirements of the PRA, unless that collection of information displays a currently valid OMB control number. The estimated response time for this collection is­­­ 10 minutes. The response time includes the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this estimate or any other aspects of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing the length of this questionnaire, to Economic Development Administration, Attn.,_______________ , via email at _______________or telephone (XXX) XXX-XXXX.

CSS II – Questions:

1. How did your organization learn about EDA? (check all that apply)

   1. EDA website

   2. Interaction with EDA staff

   3. Members of the United States Congress or their staff

   4. State elected officials

   5. Local elected officials

   6. Economic Development District

   7. www.Grants.gov

   8. Other regional planning organization

   9. Other (please specify) ______________________

2. How many grant applications has your organization submitted to EDA during the past five years?

   1. One

   2. Two

   3. Three

   4. Four

   5. If five or more, identify the number here ______

3. Did you submit your application electronically through www.grants.gov?

   1. Yes

   2. No

   3. Unsure

4. Did you encounter technical problems when submitting your application through www.grants.gov?

   1. Yes

   2. No

5. If you answered ‘Yes’ to the previous question, please indicate the nature of the problem(s) you encountered while submitting your application through www.grants.gov. (select all that apply)

   1. Incorrect DUNS number

   2. Incorrect Authorized Organization Representative (AOR)

   3. Password problems

   4. Exceeded character limit in one or more fields

   5. Unallowable characters used (such as "&")

   6. Other issues (please specify all)________________

6. When did your organization find out the result of your application?

   1. N/A

   2. Two weeks after applying

   3. One month after applying

   4. Two months after applying

   5. Up to six months after applying

7. Did you contact EDA staff during your application process, including prior to or after submitting your application?

   1. Yes

   2. No

8. Did EDA staff respond promptly to your questions?

   1. Yes

   2. No

   3. N/A

9. How likely are you to apply to EDA for a grant in the future?

   1. Not at all likely

   2. Not likely

   3. Unsure

   4. Likely to apply

   5. Will definitely apply

10. For the most recent application that your organization submitted, please rate your level of satisfaction with the assistance provided by EDA throughout the application process: (Boxes with ratings)

Ability Rating	Very dissatisfied	Dissatisfied	Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied	Satisfied	Very satisfied	N/A
Clarity of requirements as specified in the Federal Funding Opportunity
Clarity of requirements as specified in the application forms
Transparency of application process
Overall satisfaction with application process
Accessibility of staff
Quality of information provided by staff
Timeliness of staff

11. Compared to your application experience with other Federal government agencies, please indicate whether EDA's customer service was better, worse, or about the same for the factors listed below.

Ability Rating	Much worse	Worse	About the same	Better	Much better	N/A
Clarity of requirements as specified in the Federal Funding Opportunity
Clarity of requirements as specified in the application forms
Transparency of application process
Overall satisfaction with application process
Accessibility of staff
Quality of information provided by staff
Timeliness of staff

12. In 2010, EDA moved from a rolling to a quarterly grant application cycle (quarterly deadlines and quarterly competitions). The new quarterly application cycle was implemented to promote accessibility (easier to navigate), responsiveness and transparency in the EDA application process.

i) In your experience, has the quarterly application cycle made the grant application process (pick one):

1. More accessible

2. Neither more accessible nor less accessible

3. Less accessible

4. N/A

ii) In your experience, has the quarterly application cycle made the grant application process (pick one):

1. More responsive

2. Neither more responsive nor less responsive

3. Less responsive

4. N/A

iii) In your experience, has the quarterly application cycle made the grant application process (pick one):

1. More transparent

2. Neither more transparent nor less transparent

3. Less transparent

4. N/A

13. Does the quarterly application cycle affect how your organization submits its applications?

1. No effect

2. Yes, this has changed how we submit applications (Provide additional comments below)

How has the implementation of a quarterly cycle application deadline affected your organization’s submission of applications to EDA?

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

14. If your organization submitted a grant application prior to the implementation of the quarterly application process (before FY 2010) how would you rate your experience since the implementation of the quarterly application cycle compared to the previous system?

    1. Better

    2. About the same

    3. Worse

OPTIONAL

15. Please indicate the type of entity for which you are completing this survey:

• EDA funded Economic Development District (EDD)

• Regional economic development organization

• State government

• Local government

• Indian Tribe

• Institution of higher education

• Not-for-profit organization

• Other (please specify)_____________________________________

16. Which type of geographic area does your organization primarily represent?

• Rural

• Urban

17. Aside from your most recent application, approximately how many times did your organization apply for EDA grants within the last five years?

• Enter number here: _______________________________________

18. Approximately how many grants has your organization received from EDA within the last five years?

• Enter number here: _______________________________________

19. OPTIONAL: Provide the following information about your organization/ May EDA contact you for follow-up information, if necessary?

• Name

• Title

• Organization

• E-mail address

• Phone number

• Street address

• City

• State

• ZIP code

20. What recommendations would your organization make to EDA to improve the application process? _____________________________________________________________

21. Other comments ________________________________________________________

Thank you for your participation!