0702-AAHR Supporting Statement A [Final]

SUPPORTING STATEMENT – PART A

DA Civilian Employment and Marketing Feedback – OMB Control Number 0702-XXXX

A.  JUSTIFICATION

1.  Need for the Information Collection

The information collection consists of focus groups to gather insights on the awareness of non-federal employees with Department of Army (DA) designated critical skills of career opportunities within government services (GS) and their attitudes toward such employment. This information will be used to assess DA employment marketing campaigns (recruiting for government service (GS) positions) intended to address current and projected shortfalls in DA Civilian critical occupations and to set specific marketing objectives, strategies and tactics to recruit. This information will be used to more effectively market to ultimately recruit for and fill DA Civilian critical occupations.

Collection of information is required in response to the following regulations to support the tracking and accountability of personnel: Army Regulation 601-208, dated 16 July 2013, which gives the Army Marketing and Research Group (AMRG) the responsibility for marketing support for Department of the Army Civilian recruiting. This regulation grants authority to AMRG for marketing in support of Army uniformed and Civilian recruiting efforts and therefore to conduct research to that end. Department of the Army General Order 2012-16 dated 27 September 2012; establishment of the Army Marketing and Research Group. This general order affirms the establishment of the AMRG for marketing in support of uniformed and civilian recruiting and to conduct research to inform marketing efforts therein. Department of the Army General Order 2012-01, dated 11 June 2012. Assignment of Functions and Responsibilities within Headquarters, Department of the Army. This general order assigns marketing functions and responsibilities in support of total Army recruiting to AMRG. In order to assume these functions and responsibilities research must be conducted to inform all efforts. 10 United States Code, Section 2358, Research and Development Projects, allows for research projects that are of potential interest.

2.  Use of the Information

Information collection for this study will be completed in two phases. Phase I will be Focus Groups. Phase I Focus Groups is being reviewed for approval. Phase II will be Quantitative (survey) which will be submitted for OMB approval after the focus groups are conducted as the focus groups will inform the content of the Phase II survey. This application pertains to Phase I Focus Groups. Focus groups are to be informed by workshops conducted with current Army Civilian personnel subject matter experts in an iterative manner so that workshops precede each focus group. Results from the Phase I Focus Groups will be discussed in a subject manner expert workshop and also used to develop the Quantitative survey to be used in Phase II. The data collected from these activities will be supplemented with review of recent Army branding and marketing practices as well as of recent and projected hiring needs of DA Civilians.

The respondents/participants are college students through mid-career professionals external to DA Civilian service. Focus group participants will be prospective candidates for DA Civilian employment who are either college juniors, seniors or graduate students currently pursuing a major that aligns with one of the following careers; or professionals currently employed at different career stages (junior and mid-level) in one of the following mission-critical careers: Civil Engineering, Electronics Engineering, Contracting, or Information Technology Management.

Potential participants will be recruited by the local focus group facilities, using several sources, such as: their own lists of people who have agreed to participate in focus groups (each facility develops its own data base of potential participants through multiple sources, such as advertisements and notifications in websites and local publications, flyers and other collateral materials at target locations (e.g., colleges, churches, shopping areas, office complexes), client lists from prior projects); and databases from other focus group facilities with which they have a reciprocal relationship.

The role of the focus group facility is to recruit participants and provide a site in which to conduct focus groups, they do not participate in the actual research information collection. Any personal contact information is used by the focus group facility and not given to the researchers. No personally identifiable information will be given to, collected or retained by those involved in the research (the Army, its contractor Rand, or subcontractors Prizma and Echo Cove Research). In other words, those who have access to personal information (focus group facility) are not involved in the research; and those involved in the research (the Army, its contractor Rand, or subcontractors Prizma and Echo Cove Research) do not have access to personally identifiable information.

Potential respondents will first be contacted via telephone. During a short interview they will be asked a set of questions to determine if they qualify for the study. Those participants who fully qualify will be offered a time to go to a focus group facility. They will receive one call to remind them about the group. Once the participant arrives at the focus group facility, they will be formally verbally recruited into the study, read a consent document, presented with the PRA Agency Disclosure Notice by the focus group moderator, and verbally invited to stay for the focus groups. The focus groups will be conducted by an Army contractor (RAND, and their subcontractor, Echo Cove Research).

Participants PII will be protected by the recruitment and participation process, as follows: Recruiters working the focus group facility (not Army, RAND, Prizma or Echo Cove), will telephone potential participants from lists that include only name, phone number, and relevant demographic categories (e.g., age, gender, occupation, years in occupation). Race and Ethnicity will be asked in accordance with OMB standards on federal data on race and ethnicity, and data will not be reported by race and/or ethnicity. Participants will be checked into the focus group facility by facility staff (who have no relationship with RAND, Prizma or Echo Cove). The focus group staff will record their first name (not their last name) and basic demographic information useful to the moderator (e.g., age, occupation, years in occupation). The moderator will receive only this information for each respondent. In the focus group report, when it is necessary to qualify the nature of a comment, it will done only using the key demographic criteria (for example, “… one respondent, who was employed as a civil engineer, reported that…….”). None of this information used by the researchers will be able to be combined to identify an individual.

Participants will be responding to the information collection verbally through various focus group exercises. The collection will take place in-person with moderators. The only physical information that may be collected will be blank sheets of paper on which respondents have write responses to questions before discussion (so the discussion will not bias their perspective.) We have included a placeholder for the OMB control number and expiration date on all instruments and this information is also provided in the Agency Disclosure Notice that is both read and physically provided to respondents before the focus groups begin.

Results from the focus groups will be documented in a Report of Findings. The report will consist of the following sections: 1) Background (Project Objective, Research Objective); Research Methodology; Executive Summary (Conclusions and Key Insights, Recommendations); Detailed Findings (Employment goals and expectations; Desired tangible and intangible benefits; Awareness and perceptions of different employer types: private company, government agency, own business; Perceptions of US Army as American institution; Awareness and knowledge of civilian employment in US Military/Army, Reactions to Army civilian employment positioning concepts and messages).

The information (there will be no data elements) collected will be used by the Department of the Army (DA), specifically the Army Marketing and Research Group, to understand the awareness of critical skills of career opportunities within government services (GS) and attitudes toward such employment. The AMRG and ultimately the DA own the collection of the data. RAND/Prizma as contractors to on this project own the execution of collection of information. This information will be used to assess DA employment marketing campaigns (recruiting for government service (GS) positions) which are intended to address current and projected shortfalls in DA Civilian critical occupations and to set specific marketing objectives, strategies and tactics to recruit.

3.  Use of Information Technology

Dissemination of information about the study will be provided electronically. The focus groups will be conducted in-person and notes may be taken electronically. The public (focus group participants) will be provided informed consent on paper. We estimate that 90% of the information collected will be electronically captured by researchers who record the focus groups and their insights. The final Report on Findings will be provided to the Army electronically. We have planned the study this way in order to increase the use of information technology.

4.  Non-duplication

There is no known duplication of this effort for the DA Civilian Marketing study; there is no other similar information currently available that can be used for this purpose.

5.  Burden on Small Business

This information collection does not impose a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small businesses or entities.

6.  Less Frequent Collection

This is a one-time information collection, so if it were conducted less frequently there would be no information collection.

If the information is not collected, Army Marketing and Research Group-DA Civilian Brand mission will be negatively impacted by lack of information on potential civilian hires needed to fill critical occupations. Such information is needed to design marketing and advertising efforts dedicated to this program. Research indicates there is a lack of entry level and mid-career technical experts. Lack of appropriate marketing and advertising mechanisms will delay the potential fill of these critical positions. The information collection requirement is necessary to provide the data needed to understand the best strategies and implementation tactics to build awareness and spark interest in Army civilian opportunities and fill critical occupations. As this is a one-time collection, it could not be conducted less frequently

7.  Paperwork Reduction Act Guidelines

There are no such special requirements as delineated in 5 CFR 1320.5(d)(2). Collection will be conducted in a manner consistent with these guidelines.

8.  Consultation and Public Comments

Part A: PUBLIC NOTICE

The date of the collection’s 60-day Federal Register Notice, 81 FRN 8944, is 23 February 2016. No comments were received.

The date of the collection’s 30-day Federal Register Notice, 81 FR 91142, is 16 December 2016.

Part B: CONSULTATION

The sponsoring agency consulted with Army Civilian Human Resources Agency, Army G1 Civilian Personnel, and Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civilian Personnel offices along with subject matter experts in mission critical occupation hiring. The information is not available elsewhere. A workshop including Army Civilian subject matter experts has been conducted to inform the focus groups. A second workshop will be conducted following the focus groups to inform the viability of survey instrument, and a third workshop will review the recommendations based on survey outcomes.

9.  Gifts or Payment

A gift will be provided to the respondent. Per industry standard, focus group participants will receive a gift of approximately $100 - $125 (depending on level of work experience) as an incentive to participate. Industry standard is based on Governmental researcher experience and informal and formal queries of focus group moderators, facilities and training institution. The authority to provide payments for general research participation is permitted per DoD Instruction 3216.02.

10.  Confidentiality

The role of the focus group facility is to recruit participants and provide a site in which to conduct focus groups, they do not participate in the actual research information collection. Any personal contact information and information collected in the screener is used by the focus group facility in order to recruit participants and not given to the researchers. No personally identifiable information will be given to, collected, or retained by those involved in the research (the Army, its contractor Rand, or subcontractors Prizma and Echo Cove Research). None of the information used by the researchers will be able to be combined to identify an individual. In other words, those who have access to personal information (focus group facility) are not involved in the research; and those involved in the research (the Army, its contractor Rand, or subcontractors Prizma and Echo Cove Research) do not have access to personally identifiable information. For the reasons described above, a PIA is not required.

A Privacy Act Statement is not required because there is no personally identifying information (PII) or other data elements being stored as a system of records. Information collected from respondents will be primarily attitudinal. Respondents will be asked what is important to people in their careers and their attitudes towards different types of employers. Respondents will not be asked to submit proprietary information, trade secrets or confidential information. Respondents will be assured that their comments will be used for research purposes only and that any quotations or other focus group data included in the final report will be identified only by generic, non-personally-identifiable descriptors.

Respondents for the focus groups will be assured that their answers will be confidential. Focus group participants will be recorded anonymously. Any PII collected in order to recruit participants for the study will be disposed of by conclusion of the study. No PII will be stored or included in the report that summarizes the focus group discussions. A System of Records Notice (SORN) is not required because records are not being stored and therefore are not retrievable by PII.

No Records Retention and Disposition Schedule is required, as individual information is not being collected. Records will be kept by the facility that recruits participants in a current file until no longer needed to conduct business and will be destroyed following the focus groups.

11.  Sensitive Questions

Respondents will be asked what is important to people in their careers and their attitudes towards different types of employers. They will be asked questions regarding their gender, race, and ethnicity — with race and ethnicity being asked in accordance with OMB standards — during the recruitment process. The purpose of this is to ensure we receive views from a variety of people. The information will be used strictly for recruiting purposes by the focus group facility and will not be given to, collected or retained by those involved in the research. This information will not be included at an individual level in any reports. None of the information used by the researchers will be able to be combined to identify an individual. No other PII will be requested and SSN will not be asked.

12.  Respondent Burden, and its Labor Costs

a. Estimation of Respondent Burden

Estimation of Respondent Burden Hours
	Number of Respondents	Number of Responses per Respondent	Number of Total Annual Responses	Response Time (Amount of time needed to complete the collection instrument)	Respondent Burden Hours (Total Annual Responses multiplied by Response Time) Please compute these into hours)
Marketing DA Civilian Focus Groups	128	1	128	1.5 hours	192 hours
Total	128	1	128	1.5 hours	192 hours

b. Labor Cost of Respondent Burden

Labor Cost of Respondent Burden
	Number of Responses	Response Time per Response	Respondent Hourly Wage	Labor Burden per Response (Response Time multiplied by Respondent Hourly Wage)	Total Labor Burden (Number of Respondents multiplied by Response Time multiplied by Respondent Hourly Wage)
Marketing DA Civilian Focus Groups	128	1.5 hours	$30	$45	$5,760
Total	128	1.5 hours	$30	$45	$5,760

Hourly wages from Dept. of Labor (http://www.careeronestop.org/toolkit/wages/find-salary) as of June 2016 for the careers field perspectives we are looking for with regard to this study are as follows: College student with a part-time job (likely above the federal minimum wage of $7.25); Civil Engineer (beginning/low $25.27, mid-level/median $39.45); Electronics Engineer (beginning/low $29.70, mid-level/median $46.05); Contracting (Managers, beginning/low $25.96, mid-level/median $50.51); Information Technology Management (Computer and Info Systems Managers, beginning/low $37.73, mid-level/median $61.37); Average of these (Minimum wage: $7.25, Beginning/low: $29.67, Mid-level/median: $49.35) is approximately $30 per hour.

13.  Respondent Costs Other Than Burden Hour Costs

There are no capital or start-up costs to respondents. There are no O&M costs to respondents.

14.  Cost to the Federal Government

The DA Civilian Marketing study uses the Army’s Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) for studies and analysis to execute and administer the project (https://dap.dau.mil/acquipedia/Pages/ArticleDetails.aspx?aid=5e3079b8-44f2-43df-a0e7-9f379e8c48ed). The (FFRDC) was contracted to develop the research plan, execute the work, and to manage and integrate the results from the study’s components.

The data collection cost for Phase I (Focus Groups) is $13,120.

	Marketing DA Civilian Focus Groups
Number of Responses	128
Processing Time Per Response (in hours)	.5
Hourly Wage of Worker(s) Processing Responses	$130
Cost to Process Each Response (Processing Time Per Response multiplied by Hourly Wage of Worker(s) Processing Responses)	$65
Total Cost to Process Responses (Cost to Process Each Response multiplied by Number of Responses	$8,320

Operational and Maintenance Costs
Equipment	Printing	Postage	Software Purchases	Licensing Costs	Other – Focus Group Facility Rental	Total
$0	$0	$0	$0	$0	$4,800	$4,800

Total Cost to the Federal Government
Operational and Maintenance Costs	Labor Cost to the Federal Government	Total Cost (O&M Costs + Labor Cost)
$4,800	$8,320	$13,120

15.  Reasons for Change in Burden

This is a new information collection with a new associated burden.

16.  Publication of Results

The results of the collection of this information will be published in the form of a report of focus group discussions that will be kept internal to the Army. This will not be published externally.

17.  Non-Display of OMB Expiration Date

The Army is not seeking exemption from display of the OMB expiration date.

18.  Exceptions to "Certification for Paperwork Reduction Submissions"

The Army is not asking for exceptions to the Paperwork Reduction Act Submission.

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