2120-0597 2010

SUPPORTING STATEMENT FOR OMB REPORT 2120-0597

Application for Employment with the Federal Aviation Administration

1. Explain the circumstances that make the collection of information necessary.

• Under the provisions of Public Law 104-50, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) was given the authority and the responsibility for developing and implementing its own personnel system without regard to most of the provisions of Title 5, United States Code. The only provisions that continue to apply to the agency are those dealing with veteran’s preference and various benefits. Before this occurred, however, the agency had already been working on projects to streamline employment and classification processes by developing projects to automate various activities in the human resource management area.

While we welcome the opportunity to develop our own system, we no longer utilize the employment application forms developed by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) for government-wide use in evaluating candidates for employment in the competitive service as we deploy our new automated staffing processes. The OPM had developed a whole family of forms for use in automated employment processes, all under a single OMB approval. We have been granted the same type of single OMB approval for our own family of employment forms. By automating processes for employment application and the evaluation of candidates, we have markedly improved the service we provide to the public as well as improved our ability to locate and hire the best-qualified applicants. Applicants are provided on-line results immediately upon submitting their application questionnaires.

We use various instruments for a number of different occupations using the same evaluation approach. The agency is requesting certain information needed to determine basic eligibility for employment and potential eligibility for veteran’s preference and Veteran’s Readjustment Act appointments. In addition, occupation specific questions assist us in determining candidates' qualifications so that we may hire only the best-qualified candidates for our many aviation safety-related occupations. Therefore, we are requesting an extension of the currently approved 2120-0597. The FAA seeks approval to collect information in a variety of formats, as needed, to operate our employment programs. If individuals do not complete the application form, we will be unable to determine their qualifications for employment with the FAA.

The systems currently in use for this collection are as follows:

• SWIFT Online - https://jobforms.faa.gov/

• Automated Staffing and Application Process (ASAP) – https://jobs.faa.gov/asap

• April 2010 – a new system called Automated Vacancy Information Access Tool for Online Referral (AVIATOR) will be implemented replacing the current ASAP system. No URL currently exists.

2. Indicate how, by whom, and for what purpose the information is to be used.

• These forms are used to collect information, which will be used to evaluate the qualifications of applicants for a variety of positions within the FAA. While we are exempt from the provisions relating to the normal competitive examination processes provided for in Title 5, USC, Sections 3302-3305, we have established our own processes to review the qualifications of applicants for positions within the agency in order that we may select only the best-qualified candidates from those that apply.

• Without the information collected on these application forms, there would be no reliable means to accurately evaluate applicants’ skills, knowledges and abilities to perform the duties of the positions we are trying to fill, many of which are critical safety-related positions. In addition, we gather information on veteran’s preference for applicants since those provisions of Title 5, USC, Sections 3308-3320 still apply to us.

3. Describe whether the collection of information involves the use of automated or other technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology.

• The application forms are collected on-line using a web-based application process. Used in conjunction with individualized job announcements tailored to specific job requirements, this minimizes the reporting burden on the part of the applicants while enabling us to maximize the reliability and validity of the rating process. In accordance with the Government Paperwork Elimination Act, 100% of this collection is submittable electronically.

• Applicants are asked to provide only enough information to determine their qualifications for various positions and their potential veteran’s preference status and Veteran’s Readjustment Act eligibility. Applicants receive immediate on-line feedback concerning the results of their application and next steps in the employment process.

4. Describe efforts to identify duplication.

• This information is not gathered by any other collection.

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

• The collection of information does not involve small businesses or other small entities.

6. Describe the consequence to Federal program or policy activities if the collection is not conducted or conducted less frequently.

• Without the information collected on the application forms, we would have no reliable means to accurately evaluate applicant’s skills to ensure that we are filling our vacancies for critical safety-related positions with the best-qualified candidates available. In addition, we would not be able to operate a centralized examining operation, which is a far more efficient method of filling vacancies. The frequency of the collection is not determined by the FAA. It is determined by the desire of the individual to apply for a job at the FAA.

7. Explain any special circumstances that would cause an information collection to be one conducted in a manner inconsistent with 5 CFR 1320.5(d)(2)(i)-(viii).

• There are no circumstances that would cause this information to be conducted in a manner inconsistent with 5 CFR 1320.5(d)(2)(i)-(viii).

8. 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 recordkeeping, disclosure, or reporting format.

• A 60 day notice for public comments was published in the Federal Register on October 16, 2009, vol. 74, no. 199, page 53315, no comments were received. A copy of the notice is attached for your convenience.

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

• No payment or gifts will be provided to respondents.

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

• The only assurance of confidentiality is that provided in the Privacy Act notice pursuant to the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended. The information becomes part of the Privacy Act System of Records OPM/GOVT-5, Recruiting, Examining, and Placement Records.

11. Provide additional justification for questions of a sensitive nature, such as sexual behavior and attitudes, religious beliefs, and other matters that are commonly considered private.

• No questions of a sensitive private nature are asked except those which we are required by law or regulation to ask of all applicants for Federal employment in order to determine eligibility and suitability.

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

• We estimate that no more than 180,000 respondents will complete an application form on an annual basis. Based on a sample of potential applicants we estimate that it will take the average applicant approximately 1.5 hours to read the instructions and complete the form, although the range could be as little as .5 hours to as much as 3 hours per respondent. We estimate the total burden to be 207,000 hours annually.

• We estimate the total annualized cost to respondents for the hour burdens for collecting the information to be approximately $4.6 million. This figure is determined by multiplying the total hourly burden (207,000) by the average hourly starting pay of the positions for which individuals are applying (FG-9 level, equivalent of the GS-9 grade level in the Civil Service).

13. Provide an estimate of the total annual cost burden to respondents or recordkeepers resulting from the collection of information.

• There are no start up costs for the respondents. The only cost is hourly cost covered in question 12.

14. Provide an estimate of the annualized cost to the Federal government.

• The total capital and start-up costs associated with the collection of this information are minimal because we will use equipment and software previously purchased for a number of purposes. We do not expect to incur any other capital costs associated with this collection of information.

Since the application process is completely automated, our involvement with respondents is limited to providing technical and functional support to applicants such as advising applicants on the application process and/or status of their applications, correcting/updating applicant records, etc. We estimate 1 FTE of a staffing assistant, FV-E, at a cost of $41,100 per annum will be dedicated to providing functional support to applicants The total cost to the government is $41,100. Any other expenses are considered customary and usual.

15. Explain the reasons for any program changes or adjustments reported in Items 13 or 14 of the OMB Form 83-1.

The adjustment is based on the number of applicants increasing since the last reporting period.

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

• The information collected 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.

• We are not seeking such approval

18. Explain each exception to the certification statement identified in Item 19, “Certification for Paperwork Reduction Act Submissions” on OMB Form 83-1.

• There are no exceptions to the certification statement.