Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) Client Impact Surveys

NIST MEP Management Information Reporting Procedures

5.4(Appendix) Summary of Questions, Sample Project List, and Survey Questions

The attached information is a sample of what your clients will receive in the pre-notification package with the letter.

SUMMARY OF QUESTIONS YOU WILL BE ASKED

Simple Facts:

• You will be asked a total of 14 questions.

• We estimate approximately 8 minutes to complete the phone survey.

• Interviews are scheduled for [Month] 17^th through [Month] 14^th, [Year].

• An interviewer will be conducting the interview.

• We sincerely appreciate your time and comments.

QUESTIONNAIRE OUTLINE

Questions 1 will ask for “yes” and “no” responses to general questions regarding actions and changes your establishment undertook as a direct result of services received from your local MEP Center.

Questions 2-6 will ask for dollar values on differences in your establishment’s sales and savings over the past 12 months, as a direct result of services received from your local MEP Center. Please be prepared to report your answers in dollar amounts.

1. Did your establishment experience a sales increase over the past 12 months and by how much?

2. Total dollar value for sales retained due to services.

3. Did you experience a cost savings in labor, materials, energy, overhead or other areas?

4. Regarding employment levels: were you able to retain jobs, and/or create new jobs?

Questions 7-9 will cover your establishment’s investments over the past 12 months.

1. Were the following areas of your establishment able to increase investments due to services received?

• Information Systems or Software

• Workforce practices or employee skills

• Plant or equipment

• Any other areas of business

2. Has your establishment been able to avoid any unnecessary investments over the past 12 months and how much was saved?

3. As a direct result of services received, did your establishment save on any investments and how much was saved?

Questions 10-12 provide an opportunity for you to identify your biggest business challenges and your overall satisfaction with services you received.

We hope that you find answering these questions useful to the development of your establishment. We understand that taking time to prepare for the survey may be necessary. However, the more prepared you are, the shorter the questionnaire becomes. Thank you again for your comments and answers.¹

NOTE: This questionnaire contains collection of information requirements subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA). Notwithstanding any other provisions of the law, no person is required to respond to, nor shall any person be subject to penalty for failure to comply with, a collection of information subject to the requirements of the PRA, unless that collection of information displays a currently valid OMB Control Number.  The estimated response time for this questionnaire is 8 minutes.  The response time includes the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information.  Send comments regarding this estimate or any other aspects of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing the length of this questionnaire, to the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Attn., Kenneth P. Voytek, 100 Bureau Drive, MS 4800, Gaithersburg, MD 20899-4800,301-975-4614 (phone), 301-963-6556 (fax), [email protected] (email).

OMB Control No. 0693-0021 Expiration Date: XX-XX-2011

F eedback from Our Clients

Our organization is committed to evaluating success based on the effect we have on our clients. Please help us provide you with more effective services in the future by sharing your feedback with us.

Your participation is greatly appreciated. Thank you for your time.

As you respond, please keep these projects in mind. Ongoing or recently closed projects may not be listed. Please keep those in mind as well.
Project	Our Project Manager(s)	Other Service Provider (if any)	Dates

NOTE: This questionnaire contains collection of information requirements subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA). Notwithstanding any other provisions of the law, no person is required to respond to, nor shall any person be subject to penalty for failure to comply with, a collection of information subject to the requirements of the PRA, unless that collection of information displays a currently valid OMB Control Number.  The estimated response time for this questionnaire is 8 minutes.  The response time includes the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information.  Send comments regarding this estimate or any other aspects of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing the length of this questionnaire, to the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Attn., Kenneth P. Voytek, 100 Bureau Drive, MS 4800, Gaithersburg, MD 20899-4800,301-975-4614 (phone), 301-963-6556 (fax), [email protected] (email).

OMB Control No. 0693-0021 Expiration Date: XX-XX-2011

1. Did the services you received lead you to:

   • Take actions that you would otherwise not have taken?

     1. Yes 8 Don’t know

     2. No 9 Refused

   • Take actions more quickly?

     1. Yes 8 Don’t know

     2. No 9 Refused

   • Take actions at lower cost?

     1. Yes 8 Don’t know

     2. No 9 Refused

2. Did the services you received directly lead to an increase in sales at your establishment over the past 12 months?

   1. Yes How much? $_____________________

   2. No 8 Don’t know 9 Refused

3. Did the services you received directly lead you to create any jobs over the past 12 months?

   1. Yes How many? _____________

   2. No 8 Don’t know 9 Refused

4. Over the past 12 months, did the services you received directly lead you to retain sales that would have otherwise been lost?

   1. Yes How much? $_____________________

   2. No 8 Don’t know 9 Refused

5. Did the services you received lead you to retain any jobs over the past 12 months?

   1. Yes How many? _____________

   2. No 8 Don’t know 9 Refused

6. Did the services you received directly result in cost savings in labor, materials, energy, overhead, or other areas over what would otherwise have been spent in the past 12 months?

   1. Yes How much? $____________________

   2. No 8 Don’t know 9 Refused

7. As a result of the services you received, has your establishment increased its investment over the past 12 months in:

   • Plant or equipment?

     1. Yes How Much? $_______________________

     2. No 8 Don’t know 9 Refused

   • Information systems or software?

     1. Yes How much? $_______________________

     2. No 8 Don’t know 9 Refused

   • Workforce practices or employee skills?

     1. Yes How much? $________________________

     2. No 8 Don’t know 9 Refused

   • Other areas of business?

     1. Yes How much? $________________________

     2. No 8 Don’t know 9 Refused

8. As a result of the services you received, did your establishment avoid any unnecessary investments?

   1. Yes How much was saved? $__________________________

   2. No 8 Don’t know 9 Refused

9. As a result of the services you received, did your establishment save on any investments that were made?

   1. Yes How much was saved? $__________________________

   2. No 8 Don’t know 9 Refused

10. Based on the benefits that resulted from the service provided, would you recommend this MEP center to other companies, assuming that are not direct competitors? _____

10. Would recommend without hesitation >> 5 Would recommend but with some hesitation >> 1 Would not recommend

11. What are the three biggest business challenges your company faces over the next 12 months? (open-ended – list up to three)

12. Do you have any suggestions or comments for the Center?

13. For analytical purposes, we would like to verify who completed this survey.

What is your job title?

What is your name?

14. Do you have any comments or suggestions for [Center Name]?

1

3