Section A. Justification.
1). This information is required to monitor activities under the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) American Schools and Hospitals Abroad (ASHA) program. The ASHA program was initiated under Section 214 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended.
Since its inception, the ASHA program has provided grants to competitively selected private, non-profit universities and secondary schools, libraries and medical centers abroad that serve as centers for ideas and practices of the United States. ASHA grants are awarded to assist in capital improvements such as buildings or renovation of facilities and procurement of scientific, medical and educational equipment. ASHA has assisted over 200 institutions in more than 60 countries.
The information required for this monitoring of ASHA grant recipients is now collected with the OMB approved form # 0412-0563. The information collection approval now requested is the current ASHA application form. No revisions were made to the existing application form.
2). This information will be used by USAID officers to monitor individual competitively select private, non-profit universities and secondary schools, libraries and medical centers abroad who are recipients of grant funds under the ASHA program. The current collection of this information under the OMB approved form # 0412-0563 is now used for these same purposes.
3). The collection of information does not currently involve the use of automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological techniques or other forms of information technology.
4). The collection of information is used only for the monitoring of purchased equipment and goods using grant funds under the ASHA program. There is no other source of information that can be adequately used for this purpose.
5). The collection of information will not have a significant impact on small entities.
6). If the collection is not conducted or conducted on less than a quarterly basis it will not be possible to adequately monitor ASHA grant recipients.
7). There are no special circumstances that require the collection to be conducted in a manner inconsistent with the OMB guidelines.
8). Federal Register Notice published May 18, 2007 (72 FR 28019). No comments were received.
9). No payments or gifts were provided to any contractors or grantees.
10). An attachment to the collection instrument states, among other things,
“Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 3 hours per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. The Agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to American Schools and Hospitals Abroad, US Agency for International Development, Ronald Reagan Building, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20523-3800.”
11). The collection instrument has no questions of a sensitive nature, such as sexual behavior and attitudes, religious beliefs, or other matters that are commonly considered private.
12). Number of respondents expected annually: 75. Frequency of their response: quarterly. Total number of responses expected: 300. The average response time per respondent: 3 hours. The total annual response time (in hours) for the collection: 900. The number of respondents is based on past submissions. The frequency of their response is based on the established reporting for ASHA activities. The average response time is based on consultation with a sample of current ASHA grant fund recipients. Estimated annualized cost for the collection per respondent: $ 0.
13). Any costs involved with the collection would be considered as part of customary and usual business of private practice.
14). The information obtained through this collection is required to monitor grants under the AHSA program. The collection instruments are filed and reviewed for this purpose. The estimated annualized cost to the Federal government of this review process is approximately $ 0.
15). The total annual hours requested is a more accurate reflection of time required for this reporting requirement.
16). The results of the collection will not be published.
17). The expiration date for OMB approval will be displayed.
18). There are no exceptions to the certification statement.
| File Type | application/msword |
| File Title | Section A |
| Author | USAID |
| Last Modified By | USAID |
| File Modified | 2007-11-30 |
| File Created | 2007-11-30 |