Additional Information

Request for Approval Under Generic Survey of Routine Customer Feedback (OMB Control Number: 1405-0193)

TITLE OF INFORMATION COLLECTION:

Industry Usability Testing – Directorate of Defense Trade Controls IT Modernization Initiative.

PURPOSE:

The Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC) of the Department of State has both statutory and delegated authority to regulate the export and temporary import of defense-related goods and defense services under the Arms Export Control Act (AECA) (22 U.S.C. 2751 et seq.) and its implementing regulations, the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) (22 CFR 120-130).

Because of the unique needs of DDTC to collect very specific data from exporters in the defense industry, and the need to share that data with Federal interagency partners, a multitude of information technology systems have historically been used, each performing a discrete function. As new programmatic requirements have been promulgated, whether in response to new legislation, changing geopolitical events, or interagency requirements, the IT systems which DDTC uses have become outmoded and obsolete. Moreover, as the information security posture of the United States Government has transformed and improved, DDTC’s legacy systems have been unable to keep pace with the changes that are required of Executive agencies. In response to these changing circumstances, in 2015 DDTC began a modernization initiative that will replace its legacy IT systems with a single portal case management system (CMS) which will allow both industry users and DDTC staff to smoothly and securely navigate the registration, licensing, and compliance functions of the Directorate.

In addition to replacing the DDTC-specific systems that industry users interact with, DDTC is redesigning its IT systems to collate with the International Trade Data System (ITDS). ITDS is a government-wide initiative among agencies that have oversight of imports and exports to consolidate licensing and shipping information into a single portal with uniform data fields and a high degree of interoperability. ITDS is designed to eliminate traders having to submit duplicative information to separate agencies, thus vastly reducing the total burden associated with exporting and importing commodities from the United States.

This information collection will allow industry users to interact with DDTC staff as the phased implementation of the CMS begins. Because the focus of the CMS will be on user experience, information security, and usability, it is very important for DDTC staff to receive accurate and timely feedback so that the system can achieve the greatest possible buy-in and be reflexive to the needs of industry.

DDTC will be hosting three industry engagement sessions which will take the form of interactive webinars. These webinars will host a maximum of 100 participants and last approximately 1 hour each; therefore, the total hourly burden will be 300 hours. These sessions will be announced via web notice on the DDTC website and open to any participants who are registered with DDTC on a first-come, first-served basis up to the maximum number of participants allowed in the webinar. In the web notice, DDTC will list the topics that are proposed for discussion. While this webinar will allow time for question-and-answer participation, the basis of the discussion will be the following questions:

• When you access the system, what options do you prefer to have displayed on the home screen?

• Besides the authentication certificate used to access the system, what other user authentication methods do you currently have available at your company?

• What are some improvements you would like to see over the current DDTC systems?

• Are there features available on other IT systems you use which are not available on the current DDTC systems? If so, what are they?

• What features would you like to see on the new IT system to make submissions easier?

• How can the submission of supplemental/amplifying documentation be improved over the current systems?

• How can account administration (e.g., access to files, roles, management of passwords or PINs, account sharing, etc.) be improved?

• How can the tracking of submissions be improved?

• What types of reports would you like to run in the new CMS?

Industry users will also be able to send follow-up questions and suggestions to the IT project team directly via email at PM_DDTCProjectTeam@state.gov.