SUPPORTING STATEMENT
Industry Partner Survey
JUSTIFICATION
Need for the Information Collection
The Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) is a Department of Defense (DoD) Agency and the mission is to make the world safer by reducing the threat of weapons of mass destruction. DTRA’s industry partners, under contract to the agency, play a vital role in the performance DTRA’s very diverse mission. Industry provides the agency a comprehensive set of tools which range from world-class research and development activities to project management services in the Former Soviet Union to commercial services/equipment.
DTRA’s industry partners include both large and small business concerns along with institutions of higher education. DTRA is collecting survey information in order to benchmark the contract relationships and solicit best practices directly from this very important community.
Use of the Information
This is a new collection as DTRA has not previously surveyed the industry partners. As noted above, the survey will be distributed to industry partners for the express purpose of further improving DTRA’s business relationships with DTRA’s contractor community. DTRA plans to utilize this survey information in subsequent business process reengineering initiatives which leverage the industry partnerships to better support the warfighter.
Further, DTRA is required under the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) to maintain an active industry outreach program. DTRA plans to use the survey results to develop constructive agendas for subsequent outreach conferences with our contractor community.
Use of Information Technology
The survey will be hosted on an independent application service provider’s website and only aggregated response information will be provided to DTRA. DTRA personnel will not see individual responses. In addition, safeguards have been built into the system which prevents the service provider from identifying individual respondents. The data collection process is totally electronic.
An e-mail with the internet service provider’s internet address link for this survey will be sent to vendors that have received DTRA contracts greater than $100,000 since October 1, 2002; major Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) subcontractors; and vendors that have bid unsuccessfully on DTRA contracts greater than $100,000 since October 1, 2002.
Non-Duplication
As previously noted, this is the first time that DTRA has collected contract relationship benchmarking/best practices information from industry partners. DTRA’s industry partners are the only source of this information as there is no comparable database. Electronic collection via survey is deemed to be the best method to gather this information.
Burden on Small Business
Completing the survey will be optional and on a non-attribution basis. Additionally, the survey will be accomplished 100% online with a user-friendly format.
Less Frequent Collection
This is the first time that DTRA has collected benchmarking/best practices contract information from DTRA’s industry partners. At this time, DTRA plans for this collection to be a one time event. DTRA will submit a subsequent OMB Form 83-I for approval should DTRA determine that another industry survey is required.
Paperwork Reduction Act Guidelines
There are no special circumstances that require this collection to be conducted in a manner inconsistent with the guidelines in 5 CFR 1320.5(d)(2).
Consultation and Public Comments
a. This information collection was published in the Federal
Register on August 21, 2006 (71 FR 48541).
Comments received as a result of the 60-Day Notice:
No comments were received.
c. This survey instrument was beta-tested with 8 representatives from industry with similar backgrounds to the DTRA vendor Points of Contact (POC’s) who would be responding to the survey. These 8 industry representatives were consulted on question reliability/consistent interpretation and were requested to validate question focus areas.
Gifts or Payment
No payment or gift will be provided to the respondents.
Confidentiality
As noted previously in paragraph 3, the survey information will be completely confidential and anonymous. The survey is hosted on an independent application service provider’s website and only aggregated response information is provided to DTRA. Demographic data will be used for statistical analysis only. DTRA personnel will not see any individual responses. In addition, safeguards have been built into the system preventing the application service provider from identifying individual respondents.
Sensitive Questions
There are no sensitive questions asked in this information collection.
Estimates of Respondent Burden
Estimation of Respondent Respondent Burden:
Response per respondent: 1
Number of respondents: 209
Hours per Response: .33 hrs
Total Burden: 69.60 hrs
b. Annual Cost to Respondent: None, this is a single survey and DTRA has no plans for a follow-on survey activities.
13. Respondent Costs Other Than Burden Hour Costs
a. Total capital and start-up cost component: There are no start-up costs associated with this information collection. Respondents will complete the survey using the application provider’s website, no special software will be required.
b. Total average annual operational and maintenance cost: None
Cost to the Federal Government
a. Survey Development: 100 hrs @ 115.00/hr $11,500
This includes meeting, developing the survey instrument/questions, beta-testing, as well as putting the survey up for on-line data collection.
b. Survey Analysis: 240 hrs @ 100.00/hr $24,000
This includes downloading the data from the web server, uploading into StatPac for analysis, as well as running analyses on the various demographic slices, analyzing the comments, questions, etc. and preparing reports of the data analysis.
Total One Time Cost to Federal Government: $35,500
15. Reasons for Change in Burden
None, as this is the first time DTRA has collected this information.
16. Publication Plans/Time Schedule
The survey data will be collected from an online survey hosted by an application service provider. Survey data will be analyzed using StatPac survey software. Analysis will be done by a Management Consultant, under an existing DTRA support contract.
DTRA plans to e-mail the survey invitations within 2 weeks after OMB approval and the respondents will have another 2 weeks to complete the online survey. DTRA estimates that the statistical analysis and the publication of summary results on DTRA’s public website will be completed within 12 weeks of the survey closing date.
17. Non-Display of OMB Expiration Date
Approval not to display an expiration date is not being sought.
Exceptions to “Certification for Paperwork Reduction Submissions”
No exceptions to the certification statement are being sought.
COLLECTIONS OF INFORMATION EMPLOYING STATISTICAL METHODS
This collection does not employ statistical methods for sampling.
| File Type | application/msword |
| File Title | SUPPORTING STATEMENT |
| Author | eavesc |
| Last Modified By | pltoppings |
| File Modified | 2006-12-04 |
| File Created | 2006-07-24 |