Supporting Statement

SUPPORTING STATEMENT FOR PAPERWORK REDUCTION SUBMISSION

Customer Satisfaction with NSF/BFA Grantee Cash Management Section and FastLane Financial Functions

A. JUSTIFICATION

1. CIRCUMSTANCES MAKING COLLECTION OF INFORMATION NECESSARY

On September 11, 1993, President Clinton issued Executive Order 12862, “Setting Customer Service Standards,” which clearly defined his vision that the Federal agencies will put the public first. To accomplish this, President Clinton called for a “revolution within the Federal government to change the way it does business.” He expected this process to require continual reform of government practices and operations to the end that, “when dealing with the Federal agencies, all people receive service that matches or exceeds the best service available in the private sector.” Section 1(b) of this E.O. requires agencies to “survey customers to determine the kind and quality of services they want and their level of satisfaction with existing services” and Section 1(a) requires agencies to “survey front- line employees on barriers to, and ideas for, matching the best in business.” These Presidential requirements established an ongoing need for the National Science Foundation (NSF) to engage in an interactive process of collecting information and using it to improve program services and processes.

In support of the effort to continually improve customer service, NSF plans to conduct a survey to solicit and evaluate customer feedback on the effectiveness of NSF’s post-award financial management processes. The responses will be used to develop new and improved business processes for further streamlining NSF’s post-award financial management processes based on input received directly from our valued grantee community. The survey is an extension of our commitment to providing the highest standards of customer service in financial and award management while increasing the effectiveness and integrity of our internal operations

NSF’s Office of Budget, Finance, and Award Administration (BFA), Division of Financial Management (DFM), Grantee Cash Management Section (GCMS) conducts grant payment and grant financial reporting activities for NSF programs comprised of approximately 34,000 awards to 1,700 grantee institutions.

FastLane is the National Science Foundation (NSF) online website through which grantee institution users conduct the full range of transactions between a research organization, its researchers and NSF. The FastLane Financial Functions module is where the Financial Functions User conducts financial reporting, payment request and other related financial actions with NSF on behalf of the grantee organization. More than 4,000 individuals use FastLane Financial Functions each year.

2. HOW, BY WHOM, AND PURPOSE FOR WHICH INFORMATION IS TO BE USED

The proposed customer satisfaction survey to the NSF awardee institutions will provide feedback, perspectives, and advice from the grantee community that will be used by NSF to assess system functionality and to enhance and improve our service offerings in the future.

3. USE OF AUTOMATION

The survey will be made available to respondents through the FastLane Financial Functions web site.

4. EFFORTS TO IDENTIFY DUPLICATION

The survey pertains to the unique experience of the NSF FastLane Financial Function users.

5. SMALL BUSINESS CONSIDERATIONS

Not applicable.

6. CONSEQUENCES OF LESS FREQUENT COLLECTION

Not applicable.

7. SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES FOR COLLECTION

Not applicable.

8. FEDERAL REGISTER NOTICE.

Not applicable.

OUTSIDE CONSULTATION

NSF contracted with KPMG consultants to develop the survey format and provide the on-line tool to be used for survey presentation

9. GIFTS OR REMUNERATION

Not applicable.

10. CONFIDENTIALITY PROVIDED TO RESPONDENTS

Survey participants will be informed that under freedom of information regulations the confidentiality of responses cannot be guaranteed and, if they respond, this fact should be considered. The survey not does include questions of a personal nature.

11. QUESTIONS OF A SENSITIVE NATURE

No questions of a sensitive nature will be asked.

12. ESTIMATE OF BURDEN

The survey will be made available to all FastLane Financial Function users. Based on past results, the expectation is that approximately 600 individuals will respond to the multiple choice questions and provide comments or suggestions regarding improved assistance to them by NSF. It is estimated that the average person would devote 15 minutes to complete the survey. This is a one-time survey and a follow-up questionnaire is not planned. It is estimated that 150 hours will be the total burden for the grantee Financial Function User population.

ANNUALIZED COST TO RESPONDENTS

Based on an estimated average salary of $75,000 for a business officer in NSF’s nontraditional awardee portfolio (see “Justification”), the estimated total annual cost to all respondents is $5,400.

Annualized Cost to Respondents

2008 Average Business Officers salary at organizations in NSF’s non-traditional portfolio

of awardees $75,000

Hourly Salary Based on 2,080 Annual hours

(40 hours per week for 52 weeks)

$ 36.00

Estimate of Survey Burden 150 hours

Total Annualized Cost to all Respondents $5,400

13. CAPITAL/STARTUP COSTS

Not applicable.

14. ANNUALIZED COST TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

NSF contracted with KPMG to develop the survey, collect data, administer the survey, and analyze data. KPMG’s estimated total cost is $25,500.

15. CHANGES IN BURDEN

Not applicable

16. PUBLICATION OF COLLECTION

NSF does not plan to publish the data.

17. SEEKING APPROVAL TO NOT DISPLAY OMB EXPIRATION DATE

Not applicable.

18. EXCEPTION(S) TO THE CERTIFICATION STATEMENT (19) ON OMB 83-I

There are no exceptions.

B. STATISTICAL METHODS

Not applicable.

Attachments:

1) Survey Questions