G&A information collection_supporting statement 11 2 2010

The Supporting Statement for OMB 0596-0217­

Federal and Non-Federal Financial Assistance Instruments

2010

Note: The USDA Forest Service is requesting OMB approval for the early renewal of the approved information collection OMB 0596-0217. Also, this request seeks approval to collect information related to the Federal Financial Assistance awards authorized by the Federal Grants and Cooperative Agreements Act.

A. Justification

1. Explain the circumstances that make the col­lection of information necessary. Iden­tify any legal or administrative require­ments that necessitate the collection. Attach a copy of the appropriate section of each statute and regulation mandating or authorizing the col­lection of information.

The USDA Forest Service is requesting early renewal of forms covered by the currently approved information collection (OMB 0596-0217). The Forest Service instruments included in this request are necessary to the Agency’s Non-Federal Financial Assistance program. Additionally, the Forest Service is requesting approval to collect new information related to Federal Financial Assistance (FFA) awards (i.e., grants and cooperative agreements) authorized by the Federal Grants and Cooperative Agreements Act (FGCAA). Specifically, the Forest Service requests:

Improvements to OMB 0596-0217 Instruments: Updates to instruments in this package were necessary to improve the Agency’s Non-Federal financial assistance program. The list of instruments associated with this request, the proposed changes, the information collected, and from whom the information is collected can be found in Appendix A: Forms, Information Collected, and Respondent. The improved instruments gather the same information that is currently being collected and do not increase the burden to cooperators.

New Information Collection: To carry out specific Forest Service activities, Congress created several authorities to assist the Agency in its mission. These authorities provide the Forest Service to utilize Federal Financial Assistance (FFA) awards (i.e., grants and cooperative agreements) under the Federal Grants and Cooperative Agreements Act (FGCAA) to support agency specific authorities and appropriations.

In order to create, develop, and administer non-Federal financial assistance instruments and properly administer Federal financial assistance instruments, whether funded or non-funded, the Forest Service requires the collection of information from the cooperating parties from the pre-award to the close-out stage. The scope of the information collection varies but, typically, covers information related to the project type, project scope, financial plan, statement of work, and cooperator business information. Proposed instruments do not currently fall within the scope of Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR). The list of the new information collection instruments can be found in Supplementary documents under New Forms- Form Numbers and Proposed Form Name.

Authorities, Statutes, and Regulations: The complete list with description can be found under the Supplementary documents.

2. Indicate how, by whom, and for what pur­pose the information is to be used. Except for a new collec­tion, indicate the actual use the agency has made of the infor­ma­tion received from the current collec­tion.

1. What information will be collected - reported or recorded? (If there are pieces of information that are especially burdensome in the collection, a specific explanation should be provided.)

The Information collected from cooperators’ includes:

• Contact information;

• Employer ID Numbers (EINs), Taxpayer Identification Numbers (TIN), Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS), & Central Contractor Registry (CCR);

• Project description or statement of work, such as activities to be performed, expected outcomes, or work products;

• Financial plans (such as contribution types and amounts, EFT and billing information, list of contractors/sub recipients); and

• Other related administrative information.

2. From whom will the information be collected? If there are different respondent categories (e.g., loan applicant versus a bank versus an appraiser), each should be described along with the type of collection activity that applies. See:

Information is collected from non-profits; for-profit; institutions of higher education; federal, state, local, and Native American tribe governments; individuals; foreign governments and organizations.

3. What will this information be used for - provide ALL uses?

The information will be used to develop, implement, and administer Forest Service’s Federal and non-federal Financial Assistance instruments. For specific instrument the following tables are presented to provide in-depth detail of the purpose, information collected, and from whom the information is collected.

4. How will the information be collected (e.g., forms, non-forms, electronically, face-to-face, over the phone, over the Internet)? Does the respondent have multiple options for providing the information? If so, what are they?

Respondents have multiple options for responding including forms, non-forms, electronically, face-to-face, over the phone, and over the Internet. Typically, the information will be collected via phone calls, e-mails, postal mail, and person-to-person meetings. Electronic responses are encouraged.

Table – 1: Proposed Information Collection: Form Number, Proposed Form Name, Purpose, Proposed Form Number, Information Collected, and From Whom the Information is Collected

Form Number	Proposed Form Name	Purpose	Proposed Form Number(s)	Information Collected	From Whom is the Information Collected
FS-1500-NEW8A	Cooperative Law Enforcement Annual Operating Plan and Financial Plan	Provide stand alone document for FS-1500-8 for annual operating and financial plans.	FS-1500-8A	Cooperator’s information, such as: contact information; EIN/TIN, DUNS, CCR; project description/statement of work, such as activities to be performed, expected outcomes/work products; other related administrative information; financial plans (such as contribution types and amounts, EFT and billing information, list of contractors/sub recipients).	Non-profits; for-profit; institutions of higher education; federal, state, local, and Native American tribe governments; individuals; foreign governments and organizations
FS-1500-NEW9A	Road Project Agreement	Create new form that acts as a supplemental, funded agreement for FS-1500-9.	FS-1500-9A
FS-1500-NEW10A	Master Challenge Cost Share Agreement	Create new form that acts as an agreed upon national project description with a national organization, from which supplemental, funded agreements will be awarded to regional and local units of the national organization.	FS-1500-10A
FS-1500-NEW10B	Challenge Cost Share Supplemental Project Agreement	Create new form that acts as a supplemental, funded agreement with a regional or local unit of a national organization, to a Master Challenge Cost-Share Agreement, made between the Washington Office and a national organization.	FS-1500-10B
FS-1500-NEW11A	Reimbursable Collection Agreement, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation	Create new form that provides unique, project specific reimbursable payment requirements for the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation.	FS-1500-11A
FS-1500-NEW11B	Advance Collection Agreement, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation	Create new form that provides unique, project specific advance payment requirements for the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation.	FS-1500-11B
FS-1500-NEW13A	Material Transfer Agreement	Create new form that transfers Forest Service material to a cooperator under the Federal Technology Transfer Act.	FS-1500-13A
FS-1500-NEW13B	Nondisclosure Agreement	Create a new form that establishes a mutual agreed upon set of nondisclosure terms and conditions related to research under the Federal Technology Transfer Act.	FS-1500-13B
FS-1500-NEW15A	Memorandum of Understanding for Cooperative Frequency Usage	Create a new form that establishes a mutual agreement between parties regarding the use of radio frequencies.	FS-1500-15A	Cooperator’s information, such as: contact information; EIN/TIN, DUNS, CCR; project description/statement of work, such as activities to be performed, expected outcomes/work products; other related administrative information; financial plans (such as contribution types and amounts, EFT and billing information, list of contractors/sub recipients). Cooperator’s information, such as: contact information; EIN/TIN, DUNS, CCR; project description/statement of work, such as activities to be performed, expected outcomes/work products; other related administrative information; financial plans (such as contribution types and amounts, EFT and billing information, list of contractors/sub recipients).	Non-profits; for-profit; institutions of higher education; federal, state, local, and native American tribe governments; individuals; foreign governments and organizations. Non-profits; for-profit; institutions of higher education; federal, state, local, and native American tribe governments; individuals; foreign governments and organizations.
FS-1500-NEW14A	International Joint Venture Agreement	Create a new document related to FS-1500-14 that allows the Forest Service to cooperate with foreign cooperators, which requires additional terms and conditions.	FS-1500-14A
FS-1500-NEW16A	Master Participating Agreement	Create new form that acts as an agreed upon national project description with a national organization, from which supplemental, funded agreements will be awarded to regional and local units of the national organization.	FS-1500-16A
FS-1500-NEW16B	Participating Agreement Supplemental Project Agreement	Create new form that acts as a supplemental, funded agreement with a regional or local unit of a national organization, to a Master Participating Agreement, made between the Washington Office and a national organization.	FS-1500-16B
FS-1500-NEW16C	Participating Agreement with an Interpretative Association	Create new form that provides unique, project specific requirements for interpretative association cooperators.	FS-1500-16C
FS-1500-NEW16D	Master Participating Agreement with Interpretative Associations	Create new form that acts as an agreed upon national project description with a national interpretative association, from which supplemental, funded agreements will be awarded to regional and local units of the interpretative association.	FS-1500-16D
FS-1500-NEW16E	Participating Agreement Supplemental Project Agreement with Interpretative Associations	Create new form that acts as a supplemental, funded agreement with a regional or local unit of an interpretative association, to a Master Participating Agreement with an interpretative association.	FS-1500-16E
FS-1500-NEW16F	Participating Agreement for Fuels or Noxious Weed Activities	Create new form that provides unique, project specific requirements for Fuels or Noxious Weed Activities.	FS-1500-16F
FS-1500-NEW17C	Agreements Financial Plan (Medium Form)	Development of a medium version of FS-1500-17a and FS-1500-17b.	FS-1500-17C
FS-1500-NEW21	Master Stewardship Agreement	Create new form that acts as an agreed upon as a master stewardship project description with an organization, from which supplemental, funded agreements will be awarded.	FS-1500-21
FS-1500-NEW21A	Stewardship Agreement Supplemental Project Agreement	Create new form that acts as a supplemental, funded agreement with an organization, to a Master Stewardship Agreement.	FS-1500-21A
FS-1500-NEW21B	Stewardship Agreement Financial Plan	Create a new form that documents the financial component of a Stewardship Agreement Supplemental Project Agreement.	FS-1500-21B
FS-1500-NEW21C	Stewardship Agreement	Create new form that provides unique, project specific requirements for a stewardship agreement.	FS-1500-21C
Standard Forms Approved under other OMB Numbers
SF-425	Federal Financial Report	Agency required, when applicable to instrument.	OMB 0348-0061
SF-425A	Federal Financial Report Attachment	Agency required, when applicable to instrument.	OMB 0348-0061
SF-RPPR	Research Performance Progress Report	Agency required, when applicable to instrument.	OMB 0970-0334
SF-PPR	Performance Progress Report	Agency required, when applicable to instrument.	OMB 0970-0334
SF-PPR-2	Performance Progress Report, Cover Page Continuation	Agency required, when applicable to instrument.	OMB 0970-0334
SF-PPR-A	Performance Progress Report, Performance Measures	Agency required, when applicable to instrument.	OMB 0970-0334
SF-PPR-B	Performance Progress Report, Program Indicators	Agency required, when applicable to instrument.	OMB 0970-0334
SF-PPR-C	Performance Progress Report, Benchmark Evaluations	Agency required, when applicable to instrument.	OMB 0970-0334
SF-PPR-D	Performance Progress Report, Table of Activity Results	Agency required, when applicable to instrument.	OMB 0970-0334
SF-PPR-E	Performance Progress Report, Activity Based Expenditures	Agency required, when applicable to instrument.	OMB 0970-0334
SF-PPR-F	Performance Progress Report, Program/Project Management	Agency required, when applicable to instrument.	OMB 0970-0334

Table - 2: Existing Form Numbers, Existing Form Name, Proposed Change(s), Proposed Form Name(s), Information Collected, and From Whom is the Information Collected

existing Form Number	existing Form Name	proposed change(s)	proposed form name(s)	Information Collected	From Whom is the Information Collected
FS-1500-6	Interagency Agreement Narrative (Instrument used when the Forest Service and another Federal Agency exchange goods or services that help the other agency in accomplishing its mission.)	Update provisions and formatting changes. No Additional Information Requested.	N/A	Federal Agency’s Information, such as: BOC, DUNS, CAN, BETC, ALC, TAS; project description/statement of work, such as activities to be performed, expected outcomes/work products.	Federal Agencies
FS-1500-7	Cooperative Fire Protection Agreement (Instrument used when the Forest Service and a Cooperator share an interest in working collaboratively on fire protection.)	Update provisions and formatting changes. No Additional Information Requested.	N/A	Cooperator’s information, such as: contact information; EIN/TIN, DUNS, CCR; project description/statement of work, such as activities to be performed, expected outcomes/work products; other related administrative information; financial plans (such as contribution types and amounts, EFT and billing information, list of contractors/sub recipients).	Non-profits; for-profit; institutions of higher education; federal, state, local, and native American tribe governments; individuals; foreign governments and organizations.
FS-1500-8	Cooperative Law Enforcement Agreement (Instrument used when the Forest Service and a Cooperator share an interest in working collaboratively on law enforcement.)	Update provisions and formatting changes. No Additional Information Requested.	N/A
FS-1500-9	Cooperative Forest Road Agreement (Instrument used when the Forest Service and a Cooperator share an interest in working collaboratively on roads.)	Update provisions and formatting changes. No Additional Information Requested.	N/A
FS-1500-10	Challenge Cost-Share Agreement (Instrument used when Forest Service and Cooperator share mutual interests and benefit in the same qualitative way from the objective of the agreement.)	Update provisions and formatting changes. No Additional Information Requested.	N/A
FS-1500-11	Collection Agreement (Instrument used to accept money, equipment, property, or products from a non-Federal party to carry out a purpose authorized by law.)	Update provisions and formatting changes. No Additional Information Requested.	N/A
FS-1500-12	Cost-Reimbursable Agreement (Instrument used when Forest Service and Cooperator share mutual interests.)	Update provisions and formatting changes. No Additional Information Requested.	N/A
FS-1500-13	Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (Instrument used when Forest Service and Cooperator share mutual interests)	Update provisions and formatting changes. No Additional Information Requested.	N/A
FS-1500-14	Joint Venture Agreement (Instrument used when Forest Service and Cooperator share mutual interests and benefit in the same qualitative way from the objective of the agreement.)	Update provisions and formatting changes. No Additional Information Requested.	N/A
FS-1500-15	Memorandum of Understanding (Instrument used for a written plan between the Forest Service and other parties for carrying out their separate activities in a coordinated and mutually beneficial manner and for documenting a framework for cooperation.)	Update provisions and formatting changes. No Additional Information Requested.	N/A
FS-1500-16	Participating Agreement (Instrument used when Forest Service and Cooperator share mutual interests and benefit in the same qualitative way from the objective of the agreement.)	Update provisions and formatting changes. No Additional Information Requested.	N/A
FS-1500-20	Cover Page (Instrument used to collect administrative and financial information required for Forest Service agreement management.)	Added data boxes and changes form name. Will not substantive increase time requirements to collect information.	Grants & Agreements Cover Sheet
FS-1500-18	Collection Agreement Financial Plan (Used by the Forest Service, for the benefit of both parties, to express the financial terms and conditions of the proposed collection agreement or modification)	Reformatting and text changes. No Additional Information Requested.	N/A
FS-1500-17A (Long)	FSH 1509.11, Ch.60 Financial Plan (Long) (Used by the Forest Service, for the benefit of both parties, to express the financial terms and conditions of the proposed partnership agreement or modification)	Reformatting and text changes. No Additional Information Requested.	N/A	Cooperator information relevant to the type of modification sought, such as time: period for agreement extension, changes to scope of work or party roles/responsibilities, additional contributions, etc.
		Change to title. No Additional Information Requested.	Agreements Financial Plan (Long)
FS-1500-17B (Short)	FSH 1509.11, Ch.60 Financial Plan (Short) (Used by the Forest Service, for the benefit of both parties, to express the financial terms and conditions of the proposed partnership agreement or modification)	Reformatting and text changes. No Additional Information Requested.	N/A		Non-profits; for-profit; institutions of higher education; federal, state, local, and native American tribe governments; individuals; foreign governments and organizations.
		Change to title. No Additional Information Requested.	Agreements Financial Plan (Short)
FS-1500-19	Modification Form (Instrument used when the Forest Service and Cooperator mutually agree to modify terms and conditions of an existing agreement between the two parties).	Reformatting of instrument. No Additional Information Requested.	N/A	Cooperator’s project related financial information, including types of Cooperator contributions, i.e. cash, in-kind, 3rd party; cost element breakdown; and cost analysis of cost elements.

5. How frequently will the information be collected?

Cooperators voluntarily enter into these agreements. Any party may initiate conversations to enter into these agreements at any time. The performance period for these agreements can range from 1 day to 5 years. Once an agreement is established, the frequency will typically be once per year based on the number of years for performance but, in the case of financial and performance reporting information collections, may be quarterly. Subsequent modifications, which can be initiated by either party, may increase the frequency based on the number of modification entered into.

6. Will the information be shared with any other organizations inside or outside USDA or the government?

The information will not be shared with other organizations outside USDA or other Agencies except as required under Freedom of Information Act and the Federal Accountability and Transparency Act or as agreed to jointly by the Cooperator and the Forest Service, in writing.

7. If this is an ongoing collection, how have the collection requirements changed over time?

Collection requirements can change based on external agency requirements, such as external requirements based on Office of Management and Budget and Treasury Department direction. Changes can also occur when both the Forest Service and the cooperator agree to modify an existing agreement.

3. Describe whether, and to what extent, the collection of information involves the use of auto­mat­ed, elec­tronic, mechani­cal, or other techno­log­ical collection techniques or other forms of information technol­o­gy, e.g. permit­ting elec­tronic sub­mission of respons­es, and the basis for the decision for adopting this means of collection. Also describe any con­sideration of using in­fo­r­m­a­t­ion technolo­gy to re­duce bur­den.

Respondents to the Forest Service’s request for information collection may respond to information collection requests by either: handwritten or manually typed documentation submitted via any mail delivery service; electronic documentation submitted via internet, including emails; by electronic submission via fax; by voice over telephonic devise, such as a telephone or voice over internet provider, or in persona discussions with the Forest Service; or any other commonly used means of communication available to both parties.

The decision to use a specific means of collection is based on the availability of technology and informal agreement of both parties; as agreed upon in any signed agreement by both parties; and/or as specifically provided by written, procedural rules made publicly available by the Forest Service unit to the Respondent. Use of modern information technology to reduce burden is encouraged by both parties, whenever possible.

4. Describe efforts to identify duplica­tion. Show specifically why any sim­ilar in­for­mation already avail­able cannot be used or modified for use for the purpos­es de­scri­bed in Item 2 above.

Currently, there are no efforts to identify duplication. In the case of the collection of new information from new respondents, previous information of the respondent is not available to the Forest Service. When similar information is already available, the Forest Service cannot use it efficiently and effectively while administering new agency procedural actions.

5. If the collection of information im­pacts small businesses or other small entities, describe any methods used to mini­mize burden.

The Forest Service minimizes the burden to all cooperators by materially assisting in the drafting of the agreements, after both informal and formal discussions. Additionally, the Forest Service does not request the same information twice, unless a problem arises related to any previous request. Furthermore, the Forest Service only seeks information required to carry out the basic administrative functions and to establish the scope of the project(s) related to the agreements.

The Forest Service provides a number of customer service products available to assist the cooperator, such as: a comprehensive website, which provides regulatory and policy information, forms, procedural information, etc.; points of contact with the agency, including the name, address, email, and phone number for the agreements specialist, the program manager, and other relevant project contacts; and, a toll free telephone number to the agency’s budget and finance center in Albuquerque, NM for finance related issues.

6. Describe the consequence to Federal program or policy activities if the collection is not conducted or is con­ducted less fre­quent­ly, as well as any technical or legal obstacles to reducing burden.

Without the ability to collect the information requested by a respondent, the Forest Service would not be able to conduct any of the activities falling under the authorities and instruments listed above. The agency would not be able to develop projects, make or receive payment, monitor projects, identify financial and accounting errors, etc. There are no technical or legal obstacles to reducing burden.

7. Explain any special circumstances that would cause an information collecti­on to be con­ducted in a manner:

• Requiring respondents to report informa­tion to the agency more often than quarterly;

Respondents are asked to report more often than quarterly when substantive changes occur to their information, timely provide information as agreed to by both parties in an agreement, and mutually agree with the agency to enter into a modification to the original agreement.

• Requiring respondents to prepare a writ­ten response to a collection of infor­ma­tion in fewer than 30 days after receipt of it;

• Requiring respondents to submit more than an original and two copies of any docu­ment;

• Requiring respondents to retain re­cords, other than health, medical, governm­ent contract, grant-in-aid, or tax records for more than three years;

• In connection with a statisti­cal sur­vey, that is not de­signed to produce valid and reli­able results that can be general­ized to the uni­verse of study;

• Requiring the use of a statis­tical data classi­fication that has not been re­vie­wed and approved by OMB;

• That includes a pledge of confidentiality that is not supported by au­thority estab­lished in statute or regu­la­tion, that is not sup­ported by dis­closure and data security policies that are consistent with the pledge, or which unneces­sarily impedes shar­ing of data with other agencies for com­patible confiden­tial use; or

• Requiring respondents to submit propri­etary trade secret, or other confidential information unless the agency can demon­strate that it has instituted procedures to protect the information's confidentiality to the extent permit­ted by law.

There are no other special circumstances. The collection of information is conducted in a manner consistent with the guidelines in 5 CFR 1320.6.

8. If applicable, provide a copy and iden­tify the date and page number of publication in the Federal Register of the agency's notice, required by 5 CFR 1320.8 (d), soliciting com­ments on the information collection prior to submission to OMB. Summarize public com­ments received in response to that notice and describe actions taken by the agency in response to these comments. Specifically address com­ments received on cost and hour burden.

The Federal Register 60-day Notice for the renewal of this information collection was published on November 19, 2009, Vol. 74, No. 222, page 59958. The Forest Service received one unrelated comment.

Describe efforts to consult with persons out­side the agency to obtain their views on the availability of data, frequency of collection, the clarity of instructions and record keeping, disclosure, or reporting format (if any), and on the data elements to be recorded, disclosed, or reported.

Consultation with representatives of those from whom information is to be obtained or those who must compile records should occur at least once every 3 years even if the col­lection of information activity is the same as in prior periods. There may be circumstances that may preclude consultation in a specific situation. These circumstances should be explained.

Kristy Smith

Contact Info: Contracts and Grants Administration, Michigan State University, 301 Administration Building, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, ph. 517-355-5040 ext. 247.

Response: Summarized from a phone conversation, October 21, 2009.

1. Availability of Data- Data is easily available. University’s grants management system can track Forest Service awards and produce any needed data quickly. Expecting new system that will make data more easily available.

2. Frequency of Collection- 1 time on average per year.

3. Clarity of Instructions and Record Keeping Responsibilities- Their organization is clear on the instruction and record keeping responsibilities, except for the SF-425. This exception is due to the newness of the form, but is not expected to be a future problem.

4. Disclosure- They do not have any disclosure concerns.

5. Data Elements to be Recorded, Disclosed, or Reported- Data elements to be recorded, disclosed, or reported do not pose a current or forecasted problem for the organization.

Shèree Bombard

Contact Info: Director of Administration, National Forest Foundation, Building 27, Suite 3, Fort Missoula Road, Missoula, MT 59804, ph.# 406-542-2805, ext. 10.

Response: Summarized from a phone conversation, October 27, 2009.

1. Availability of Data- Generally speaking, the availability of data does not pose a significant burden on the National Forest Foundation.

2. Frequency of Collection- Typically, there are no additional collections of information for FFA, outside the data collected on OMB approved forms, e.g. SF-269. However, for non-federal financial assistance instruments, there is an average of 1-2 information requests per year, plus monthly SF-270s.

3. Clarity of Instructions and Record Keeping Responsibilities- Instructions are clearly understood by the National Forest Foundation.

4. Disclosure- Based on current and forecasted requirements, they do not have any disclosure concerns.

5. Data Elements to be Recorded, Disclosed, or Reported- Data elements to be recorded, disclosed, or reported do not pose a current or forecasted problem for the organization.

Cassandra Moseley

Contact Info: Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon, 5427 University of Oregon, Eugene, 97403, ph. 541-346-4545.

Response: Summarized from a phone conversation, November 18, 2008.

1. Availability of Data- This does not pose a problem for the organization.

2. Frequency of Collection-Rare, usual contact is limited to pre-award negotiations, once every five years.

3. Clarity of Instructions and Record Keeping Responsibilities-Generally clear, since the organization already knows what is expected under Joint Venture Agreements, based on previous work performed with the Forest Service.

4. Disclosure- This does not pose a problem for the organization.

5. Data Elements to be Recorded, Disclosed, or Reported- Data elements to be recorded, disclosed, or reported do not pose a current or forecasted problem for the organization.

9. Explain any decision to provide any payment or gift to respondents, other than re-enumeration of contractors or grantees.

No financial incentive, payment or gift, will be used to garner responses.

10. Describe any assurance of confidentiality provided to respondents and the basis for the assurance in statute, regulation, or agency policy.

Confidentiality Provisions: Forest Inventory and Assessment & Cooperative R&D Agreements

Instruments used for Forest Inventory and Assessment a confidentiality provision is included in the agreements, as permitted under the Food Security Act of 1985 (7 U.S.C. 3318, and 3319, Pub. L. 99-198). In Cooperative Research and Development agreements, a confidentiality provision exists, as permitted by the Federal Technology Transfer Act of 1986 (15 U.S.C. 3710a, Pub. L 96-480).

All other assurances of confidentially, found in agency related agreement provisions, are standardized and based on the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. § 552, as amended by
Public Law No. 104-231, 110 Stat. 3048) and FSM 1580, et. al.

11. Provide additional justification for any questions of a sensitive nature, such as sexual behavior or attitudes, religious beliefs, and other matters that are commonly considered private. This justification should include the reasons why the agency considers the questions necessary, the specific uses to be made of the information, the explanation to be given to persons from whom the information is requested, and any steps to be taken to obtain their consent.

There are no questions of a sensitive nature, such as those pertaining to sexual behavior, attitudes, religious beliefs, or other matters commonly considered private.

12. Provide estimates of the hour burden of the collection of information. Indicate the number of respondents, frequency of response, annual hour burden, and an explanation of how the burden was estimated.

• Indicate the number of respondents, frequency of response, annual hour burden, and an explanation of how the burden was estimated. If this request for approval covers more than one form, provide separate hour burden estimates for each form.

a) Description of the collection activity:

b) Corresponding form number (if applicable):

c) Number of respondents:

d) Number of responses annually per respondent:

e) Total annual responses:

f) Estimated hours per response:

g) Total annual burden hours:

Table – 3: Estimates of the Hour Burden of the Collection of Information

(a)	(b)	(c)	(d)	(e)	(f)	(g)
Description of the Collection Activity	Form Number	Number of Respondents	Number of responses annually per Respondent	Total annual responses (c x d)	Estimate of Burden Hours per response	Total Annual Burden Hours (e x f)
Existing Forms
Grants & Agreements Cover Sheet (Instrument used to collect administrative and financial information required for Forest Service agreement management.)	FS-1500-20	13,014	1	13,014	0.10		1,301.40
Memorandum of Understanding (Instrument used for a written plan between the Forest Service and other parties for carrying out their separate activities in a coordinated and mutually beneficial manner and for documenting a framework for cooperation.)	FS-1500-15	461	1	461	4.00		1,844.00
Cooperative Fire Protection Agreement (Instrument used when the Forest Service and a Cooperator share an interest in working collaboratively on fire protection.)	FS-1500-7	235	1	235	4.00		940.00
Cooperative Law Enforcement Agreement (Instrument used when the Forest Service and a Cooperator share an interest in working collaboratively on law enforcement.)	FS-1500-8	86	1	86	4.00		344.00
Cooperative Forest Road Agreement (Instrument used when the Forest Service and a Cooperator share an interest in working collaboratively on roads.)	FS-1500-9	111	1	111	4.00		444.00
Challenge Cost-Share Agreement (Instrument used when Forest Service and Cooperator share mutual interests and benefit in the same qualitative way from the objective of the agreement.)	FS-1500-10	674	1	674	4.00		2,696.00
Collection Agreement (Instrument used to accept money, equipment, property, or products from a non-Federal party to carry out a purpose authorized by law.)	FS-1500-11	1,025	1	1025	4.00		4,100.00
Cost-Reimbursable Agreement (Instrument used when Forest Service and Cooperator share mutual interests.)	FS-1500-12	134	1	134	4.00		536.00
Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (Instrument used when Forest Service and Cooperator share mutual interests.)	FS-1500-13	6	1	6	4.00		24.00
Joint Venture Agreement (Instrument used when Forest Service and Cooperator share mutual interests and benefit in the same qualitative way from the objective of the agreement.)	FS-1500-14	347	1	347	4.00		1,388.00
Participating Agreement (Instrument used when Forest Service and Cooperator share mutual interests and benefit in the same qualitative way from the objective of the agreement.)	FS-1500-16	890	1	890	4.00		3,560.00
Modification Form (Instrument used when the Forest Service and Cooperator mutually agree to modify terms and conditions of an existing agreement between the two parties.)	FS-1500-19	7,385	1	7,385	0.50		3,692.50
FSH 1509.11, Ch.60 Financial Plan (Long and Short Forms)(Used by the Forest Service, for the benefit of both parties, to express the financial terms and conditions of the proposed partnership agreement or modification.)	FS-1500-17a and FS-1500-17b	1,450	1	1,450	.75, built into the time for: Challenge Cost Share, FS-1500-10; Participating, FS-1500-16; Joint Venture, 14; Cost Reimbursable, FS-1500-12; and Cooperative Research and Development Agreements, FS-1500-13		-
Collection Agreement Financial Plan (Used by the Forest Service, for the benefit of both parties, to express the financial terms and conditions of the proposed collection agreement or modification.)	FS-1500-18	1,035	1	1,035	.75, built into time for Collection Agreements, FS-1500-11		-
New Forms
Cooperative Law Enforcement Annual Operating & Financial Plan (Used by the Forest Service, for the benefit of both parties, to express the financial terms and conditions of the proposed cooperative law enforcement agreement or modification.)	FS-1500-NEW8a	86	1	86	Built into time for Cooperative Law Enforcement Agreement, FS-1500-8		-
Road Project Agreement (Used by the Forest Service to express the funding terms of a specific project associated with a Cooperative Forest Road Agreement, FS-1500-9.)	FS-1500-NEW9a	100	1	100	4.00		400
Master Challenge Cost Share Agreement (Used to express a national project description with a national organization, from which supplemental, funded agreements will be awarded to regional and local units of the national organization.)	FS-1500-NEW10a	10	1	10	4.00		40
Challenge Cost Share Supplemental Project Agreement (Used to express a supplemental, funded agreement with a regional or local unit of a national organization, to a Master Challenge Cost-Share Agreement, made between the Washington Office and a national organization.)	FS-1500-NEW10b	10	4	40	4.00		160
Reimbursable Collection Agreement, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation (Used to record a collection agreement project where there is a unique, project specific reimbursable payment requirements for the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation.)	FS-1500-NEW11a	5	1	5	4.00		20
Advance Collection Agreement, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation (Used to record a collection agreement project where there is a unique, project specific advance payment requirements for the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation.)	FS-1500-NEW11b	5	1	5	4.00		20
Material Transfer Agreement (Used to record the transfer of Forest Service material to a cooperator under the Federal Technology Transfer Act.)	FS-1500-NEW13a	3	1	3	4.00		12
Nondisclosure Agreement (Used to record a mutual agreed upon set of nondisclosure terms and conditions related to research under the Federal Technology Transfer Act.)	FS-1500-NEW13b	3	1	3	4.00		12
International Joint Venture Agreement (Used to record used a relationship when Forest Service and a foreign Cooperator share mutual interests and benefit in the same qualitative way from the objective of the agreement.)	FS-1500-NEW14a	3	1	3	4.00		12
Memorandum of Understanding for Cooperative Frequency Usage (Establishes a mutual agreement between parties regarding the use of radio frequencies.)	FS-1500-NEW15a	3	1	3	4.00		12
Master Participating Agreement (Used to record an agreed upon national project description with a national organization, from which supplemental, funded agreements will be awarded to regional and local units of the national organization.	FS-1500-NEW16a	10	1	10	4.00		40
Participating Agreement Supplemental Project Agreement (Used to record a supplemental, funded agreement with a regional or local unit of a national organization, to a Master Participating Agreement, made between the Washington Office and a national organization.	FS-1500-NEW16b	10	4	40	4.00		160
Participating Agreement with an Interpretative Association (Used to record a Participating Agreement, specifically with an Interpretative Association, using unique, project specific requirements.)	FS-1500-NEW16c	10	1	10	4.00		40
Master Participating Agreement with Interpretative Associations (Acts as an agreed upon national project description with a national interpretative association, from which supplemental, funded agreements will be awarded to regional and local units of the interpretative association.)	FS-1500-NEW16d	10	1	10	4.00		40
Participating Agreement Supplemental Project Agreement with Interpretative Associations (Acts as a supplemental, funded agreement with a regional or local unit of an interpretative association, to a Master Participating Agreement with an interpretative association.)	FS-1500-NEW16e	10	1	10	4.00		40
Participating Agreement for Fuels or Noxious Weed Activities (Provides unique, project specific requirements for Fuels or Noxious Weed Activities.)	FS-1500-NEW16f	10	1	10	4.00		40
Agreements Financial Plan (Medium Form) (Used to record financial/budget planning information related to an agreement.)	FS-1500-NEW17c	700	1	700	Built into the time for: Challenge Cost Share, FS-1500-10; Participating, FS-1500-16; Joint Venture, 14; Cost Reimbursable, FS-1500-12; and Cooperative Research and Development Agreements, FS-1500-13		0
Master Stewardship Agreement (Used to document a master stewardship project description with an organization, from which supplemental, funded agreements will be awarded.)	FS-1500-NEW21	3	1	3	4.00		12
Stewardship Agreement Supplemental Project Agreement (Used to document a supplemental, funded agreement with an organization, to a Master Stewardship Agreement.)	FS-1500-NEW21a	16	1	16	4.00		64
Stewardship Agreement Financial Plan (Used to document the financial component of a Stewardship Agreement Supplemental Project Agreement.)	FS-1500-NEW21b	16	1	16	4.00		64
Stewardship Agreement (Used to document a stewardship project.)	FS-1500-NEW21c	1	1	1	4.00		4
Standard Forms Approved under other OMB 0348-0061
Federal Financial Report (Used to record financial reporting data.)	SF-425	1,162	2	2,324	0.50		1,162
Federal Financial Report Attachment (Used to record financial reporting data.)	SF-425A	5	1	5	0.50		3
Standard Forms Approved under other OMB 0970-0334
Research Performance Progress Report (Used to record research performance progress data.)	SF-RPPR	2	1	2	0.50		1
Performance Progress Report (Used to record performance progress data.)	SF-PPR	2	1	2	0.50		1
Performance Progress Report, Cover Page Continuation (Used to record performance progress data.)	SF-PPR-2	1	1	1	0.50		1
Performance Progress Report, Performance Measures (Used to record performance measurement data.)	SF-PPR-A	2	1	2	0.50		1
Performance Progress Report, Program Indicators (Used to record program indicators.)	SF-PPR-B	2	1	2	0.50		1
Performance Progress Report, Benchmark Evaluations (Used to record benchmark evaluations data.)	SF-PPR-C	2	1	2	0.50		1
Performance Progress Report, Table of Activity Results (Used to record table of activity results data.)	SF-PPR-D	2	1	2	0.50		1
Performance Progress Report, Activity Based Expenditures (Used to record activity based expenditure data.)	SF-PPR-E	2	1	2	0.50		1
Performance Progress Report, Program/Project Management (Used to record program or project management data.)	SF-PPR-F	2	1	2	0.50		1
Private Respondents		11,061.9
State, Local, and Tribal Govt. Respondents		1,952.1
Total Estimated Burden Hours for Reporting		13,014		30,283			23,236.00

• Record keeping burden should be addressed separately and should include columns for:

a) Description of record keeping activity:

b) Number of record keepers:

c) Annual hours per record keeper:

d) Total annual record keeping hours (columns b x c):

Table 4: Estimated Burden Hours for Record Keeping Activity

Description of record keeping activity	Number of Record keepers	Number of Responses per record keeper	Total Number of Responses	Annual hours per record keeper	Total annual record keeping hours
Private Sector: Creating/developing, maintaining/processing, reviewing, and closing-out physical/electronic file(s), including all related administrative actions associated with the project(s).	4,566	1	4,566	3	13,698
Government: Creating/developing, maintaining/processing, reviewing, and closing-out physical/electronic file(s), including all related administrative actions associated with the project(s)	806	1	806	3	2,418
Totals:	5,372	---	5,372	--	16,116

• Provide estimates of annualized cost to respondents for the hour burdens for collections of information, identifying and using appropriate wage rate categories.

Table 5: Estimated Annualized Cost to Respondents

Description of activity	Estimated Total Responses	Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents (Hours)	Estimated Average Income per Hour*	Estimated Cost to Respondents
Private Sector: Creating/developing, maintaining/processing, reviewing, and closing-out physical/electronic file(s), including all related administrative actions associated with the project(s). Reporting Record Keeping Total Private Sector:	24,411 4,566 28,977	19,518 13,698 33,216	$29.88*	$992,494
Government: Creating/developing, maintaining/processing, reviewing, and closing-out physical/electronic file(s), including all related administrative actions associated with the project(s) Reporting Record Keeping Total Government:	4,650 806 5,456	3,718 2,418 6,136	$24.66*	$ 151,314
Totals:	34,433	39,352	---	$1,143,808

* Department of Labor, Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2008 (Business Operations Specialist, mean hourly wage- $28.81), October 16, 2009. http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes131199.htm

13. Provide estimates of the total annual cost burden to respondents or record keepers resulting from the collection of information, (do not include the cost of any hour burden shown in items 12 and 14). The cost estimates should be split into two components: (a) a total capital and start-up cost component annualized over its expected useful life; and (b) a total operation and maintenance and purchase of services component.

There are no capital operation and maintenance costs.

14. Provide estimates of annualized cost to the Federal government. Provide a description of the method used to estimate cost and any other expense that would not have been incurred without this collection of information.

The response to this question covers the actual costs the agency will incur as a result of implementing the information collection. The estimate should cover the entire life cycle of the collection and include costs, if applicable, for:

• Employee labor and materials for developing, printing, storing forms

• Employee labor and materials for developing computer systems, screens, or reports to support the collection

• Employee travel costs

• Cost of contractor services or other reimbursements to individuals or organizations assisting in the collection of information

• Employee labor and materials for collecting the information

• Employee labor and materials for analyzing, evaluating, summarizing, and/or reporting on the collected information

Table - 6: Estimates of Annualized Cost to the Federal Government

Cost Category	Estimated Costs	Methodology
Employee labor and materials for developing, printing, storing forms	$3,835.20	50 people x
		$23.74/hr2 x
		3 hrs work/person x
		1.077%3 burden rate=
		$3,835.20
Employee labor and materials for collecting the information	$260,486.58	6,792 program managers/grants & agreements specialists (avg. of one person/instrument) x
		$23.74/hr2 x
		1.5 hrs/instrument =
		$241,863.12 Sub total
		x 1.077%3 burden rate=
		$260,486.58 Total.
Employee labor and materials for analyzing, evaluating, summarizing, and/or reporting on the collected information	$434,144.30	6,792 program managers/grants & agreements specialists (avg. of one person/instrument) x
		$23.74/hr2 x
		2.5 hours/instrum ent =
		$ 403,105.20 Subtotal.
		x 1.077%3 burden rate=
		$ 434,144.30 Total.
Totals:	$698,466.08
1 This amount covers the entire life cycle; however, these costs are the initial start up costs. Other cumulative costs and materials are included in the agency burden rate (2009) of 7.7% associated with routine employee labor costs.
2 GS-11, Step 1, average position, based on OPM 2009 GS Pay Scale.
3 Forest Service national burden rate of 7.7% (2009).
4 The computer system already existed for Federal Financial Assistance. Additional costs and materials are included in the agency burden rate (2007) of 7.7% associated with routine employee labor costs.
5 Based on 6792 federal and non-federal financial assistance instruments (Forest Service totals, 2009).

15. Explain the reasons for any program changes or adjustments reported in items 13 or 14 of OMB form 83-I.

The Agency is requesting approval for 39,352 annual burden hours, based on 35,655 annual responses. This is an increase of 1,775 burden hours from the previous approval period. The difference is the result of including the Federal Financial Assistance (FFA) awards (i.e., grants and cooperative agreements) under the Federal Grants and Cooperative Agreements Act (FGCAA) to support agency specific authorities and appropriations to this collection.

16. For collections of information whose results are planned to be published, outline plans for tabulation and publication.

Results of this information collection will not be published

17. If seeking approval to not display the expiration date for OMB approval of the information collection, explain the reasons that display would be inappropriate.

The expiration date of the OMB approval of this information collection will be displayed on all forms associated with this collection.

18. Explain each exception to the certification statement identified in item 19, "Certification Requirement for Paperwork Reduction Act."

There are no exceptions to the certification statement.

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