SUPPORTING STATEMENT FOR REQUEST FOR APPROVAL
UNDER THE PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT AND 5 CFR 1320
Section A. Justification
1. The U.S. Agency for International Development, under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended, engages in a broad range of sustainable economic assistance activities that provide technical and academic training in the United States and abroad for foreign nationals. Since its inception, USAID has trained over 300,000 individuals in the United States. Worldwide, in FY 2006 there were 426,675 individuals around the world who participated in training events sponsored USAID.
These training programs - in the United States, in the trainee’s host country, or in third countries other than the U.S. or host country - must be tracked, analyzed, and reported in order for the Agency to be accountable for the public funds provided for this purpose. Since 1999 TraiNet has collected, stored, and reported data on all Agency participant training based on operational requirements stated in the Automated Directives System focused on participant training (ADS 253).
2. TraiNet meets the need for standardized data and defined data collection requirements to generate information for centralized, aggregated reporting to Congress, OMB, State Department, DHS, and other governmental agencies as might be required. A series of annual reports to the Department of State and the White House, and other unscheduled periodic reports are routinely generated or supplemented using data that is available only from the TraiNet collection.
3. TraiNet takes full advantage of contemporary information technology to improve data collection, share information between entities engaged together in training activities, establish data standards, and to aggregate reliable training information on an Agency-wide basis. Data collection from, and data exchange with USAID contractors and grantees is conducted through the TraiNet web application. Consequently, USAID units, as well as their contractors and grantees for training activities, are able to reduce duplicative data entry tasks, generate required report from the TraiNet system, and eliminate the manual completion of reports required by USAID.
4. TraiNet does not duplicate effort. It has replaced and reduced effort required to meet USAID training management requirements. Certain forms and reports previously approved and operational are no longer be separately prepared. Some reports and forms are automated for output from TraiNet, triggered by specific data entry.
5. TraiNet will not have an adverse impact on small business entities except insofar as they enter into a written agreement with USAID to administer and manage training activities consistent with uniform, standard USAID requirements.
6. USAID cannot reduce the accuracy or frequency of collecting this information without losing its ability to properly account for its training activities and the disbursing of U.S. public funds in support thereof.
7. Because TraiNet will be used for time-critical data transfers in some cases, certain information will be required to be entered more often than quarterly. For example, timely issuance of a form DS-2019 and enrollment in the health and accident insurance coverage program for trainees present in the United States will be initiated and updated through TraiNet, and often there is less than a three-month lead time between the nomination of a trainee and his/her arrival date in the United States.
8. Notice on this information collection was published in the Federal Register on November 5, 2007, volume 72, page 62428. No comments were received.
9. Not applicable.
10. Information will be disclosed outside USAID only as provided by law.
11. No sensitive information is being collected.
12. Estimated hours of the burden of the collection of information:
All information collected in the TraiNet system is already gathered, and reviewed as appropriate (lawyers, accountants, etc.), for other required purposes by the respondents. No time has been estimated for gathering and reviewing data, therefore, as an additional burden for TraiNet reporting.
TraiNet technologically modernizes and upgrades data reporting that has been previously approved by OMB and required by USAID. The estimated hourly burden relates only to the reporting of necessary information on training activities; however, TraiNet also offers respondents a tool for managing training within the context of the reengineered USAID work environment focused on strategic objectives and a results framework of analysis.
Based on October 2007 data available from a computer search an analysis of the TraiNet database, we estimate annual averages utilizing TraiNet as follows:
Number of respondents: 350
Frequency of responses: every 2-30 days, depending on volume of training activity.
Total number of responses expected: 11,261
Average response time per full effort response: 10.2 minutes
Average response time per respondent:
11,261 X 10.2 minutes divided by 350 respondents divided by 60 minutes = 5.4 hours annual average per respondent.
Total annual response time:
11,261 X 10.2 minutes divided by 60 minutes = 1,914 hours.
The burden per response is not expected to vary between respondents although the number of responses per respondent will vary, and often significantly. For all respondents, if the initial entry report takes an average 10 minutes and is called a “full effort”, then the subsequent change of status entries take less time, and they can vary depending on the type of training activity. Each entry of data on a training activity, whether full effort or reduced effort, generates in TraiNet a computer-controlled output that constitutes data collection by USAID.
The average annualized cost to respondents for the hour burden for the collection can be estimated as:
$30,000 annual salary divided by 260 days divided by 8 hours = $14.42 per hour x 5.4 hours annually = $77.87 x 2.0 benefits/overhead burden = $155.74.
13. There is no cost to respondents for using TraiNet beyond the cost of the burden of hours described in 12 and 14. TraiNet software and technical operations support will be provided without charge by AID/EGAT to all qualified users.
14. There are no other expenses which would have not been incurred without the collection of information through TraiNet beyond the burden of hours described in
15. The current inventory estimate of 1,914 hours is based on the actual volume of responses collected by participating entities during FY06.
Prior inventory hours where estimated based on collected US training levels from FY 1996. Training levels have declined from a decade ago.
The number of US participants has declined sharply from 17,629 in FY1995 to 4,589 in FY2006. The US participant decline has been partially (but not completely) offset by the increase in reported Third Country and In Country training.
Therefore, the overall net result is a difference of 706 less total burden hours from the numbers reported in the original submission.
16. Not applicable.
17. Not applicable.
18. Not applicable.
Section B. Collections of Information Employing Statistical Methods
The collection of this data does not employ statistical methods.
OMB
Paperwork Reduction Act Submission
Supporting Statement Page
| File Type | application/msword |
| File Title | SUPPORTING STATEMENT FOR REQUEST FOR APPROVAL |
| Last Modified By | USAID |
| File Modified | 2008-02-08 |
| File Created | 2008-02-08 |