Fast Track Submission Form

Request for Approval under the "Generic Clearance for the Collection of
Routine Customer Feedback" (OMB Control Number: 1535-0143)
TITLE OF INFORMATION COLLECTION:
Focus group research to test marketing efforts and motivation towards savings bonds purchases.
PURPOSE: A two-component qualitative process is under development to test marketing and
communication efforts under consideration. The first component will be a traditional message testing
focus group approach to obtain quick feedback on various verbal and visual stimuli under consideration
as part of BPD savings bond marketing. The second component is characterized as motivation research.
It is designed as a means-end inquiry, implemented through small focus groups, to support construction of
a strategic communications mapping analysis to support longer term decisions related to product focus
and communications.

DESCRIPTION OF RESPONDENTS:
A total of 6 focus groups are planned, to be conducted in two or three cities to provide moderate
geographic diversity. Participants in the groups will be recruited following standard focus group
recruiting procedures. Group participation is voluntary and participants are compensated for their time at
standard focus group rates. Each group is led by a skilled moderator, following a discussion guide
document.
The audiences for the groups will consist of two segments of the population: 1) adults who acknowledge
that they are current holders of savings bonds, including a portion who have purchased savings bonds
recently; 2) a cross section of non-savings bond holding adults who may be potential savings bond
buyers, with income, age and gender all taken into account. The two segments will be in separate groups.

TYPE OF COLLECTION: (Check one)

[]Customer Comment Card/Complaint Form
[]Usability Testing (e.g., Website or Software
[X] Focus Group

[ ] Customer Satisfaction Survey
[ ] Small Discussion Group
[] Other: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _~-

CERTIFICATION:

I certify the following to be true:
1.. The collection is voluntary.
2. The collection is low-burden for respondents and low-cost for the Federal Government.
3. The collection is non-controversial and does not raise issues of concern to other federal
agencies.
4. The results are not intended to be disseminated to the public.
5. Information gathered will not be used for the purpose of substantially informing influential
policy decisions.
6. The collection is targeted to the solicitation of opinions from respondents who have
experience with the program or may have experience with the program in the future.

Nrune:

~~

(_

~

Bruce A. Sharp
To assist review, please provide answers to the following question:

Personally Identifiable Information:
1. Is personally identifiable information (PII) collected? [ ] Yes [X] No
2. If Yes, will any information that is collected be included in records that are subject to the
Privacy Act of 1974? [ ] Yes [ ] No
3. If Yes, has an up-to-date System of Records Notice (SORN) been published? [ ] Yes [ ] No
Gifts or Payments:
Is an incentive (e.g., money or reimbursement of expenses, token of appreciation) provided to
participants? [X] Yes []No
Respondents are compensated for their time at a standard focus group rate up to $75.00 each.
BURDEN HOURS
Category of Respondent
Individuals- Telephone screening for focus group
participants.
Individuals (age 25-44)- Focus group of current
savings bond or Treasury product holders.
Individuals (age 45-7 5) - Focus group of current
savings bond or Treasury product holders.
Individuals (age 25-40)- Focus group of prospective
savings bond or Treasury product customers.
Individuals (age 40-64)- Focus group of prospective
savings bond or Treasury product customers.
Totals

No. of
Respondents
576

Participation
Time (hours)
0.167

Burden
(hours)
96.19

10

1.50

15

10

1.50

15

20

1.50

30

20

1.50

30

636

186.19

FEDERAL COST: The estimated annual cost to the Federal government is not known at this
time.

If you are conducting a focus group, survey, or plan to employ statistical methods, please
provide answers to the following questions:
The selection of your targeted respondents
1. Do you have a customer list or something similar that defines the universe of potential
respondents and do you have a sampling plan for selecting from this universe?
[]Yes [X] No
If the answer is yes, please provide a description of both below (or attach the sampling plan)? If
the answer is no, please provide a description of how you plan to identify your potential group of
respondents and how you will selec.t them?
Potential respondents will be selected from a database of consumers developed and maintained by a
contractor with a focus group facility. Individuals volunteer to be on this list, and the facility keeps
track of their demographic information. Consumers meeting the appropriate demographic criteria are
called by the facility and screened to see if they meet the additional criteria required for the study. If
they do meet the specifications we are seeking they are asked to participate.

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Administration of the Instrument
1. How will you collect the information? (Check all that apply)
[ ] Web-based or other forms of Social Media
[X] Telephone
[X] In-person
[ ] Mail
[ ] Other, Explain
2. Will interviewers or facilitators be used? [X] Yes [ ] No
Please make sure that all instruments, instructions, and scripts are submitted with the
request.

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Instructions for completing Request for Approval under the "Generic
Clearance for the Collection of Routine Customer Feedback" ·
TITLE OF INFORMATION COLLECTION: Provide the name of the collection that is the
subject of the request. (e.g. Comment card for soliciting feedback on xxxx)
PURPOSE: Provide a brief description of the purpose of this collection and how it will be used.
If this is part of a larger study or effort, please include this in your explanation.
DESCRIPTION OF RESPONDENTS: Provide a brief description of the targeted group or
groups for this collection of information. These group~ must have experience with the program.
TYPE OF COLLECTION: Check one box. If you are requesting approval of other
instruments under the generic, you must complete a form for each instrument.
CERTIFICATION: Please read the certification carefully. If you incorrectly certify, the
collection will be returned as improperly submitted or it will be disapproved.
Personally Identifiable Information: Provide answers to the questions. Note: Agencies
should only collect PII to the extent necessary, and they should only retain PII for the period of
time that is necessary to achieve a specific objective.
Gifts or Payments: If you answer yes to the question, please describe the incentive and provide
a justification for the amount.
BURDEN HOURS:
Category of Respondents: Identify who you expect the respondents to be in terms of the
following categories: (1) Individuals or Households;(2) Private Sector; (3) State, local, or tribal
governments; or (4) Federal Government. Only one type of respondent can be selected per row.
No. of Respondents: Provide an estimate ofthe Number of respondents.
Participation Time: Provide an estimate of the amount of time required for a respondent to
participate (e.g. fill out a survey or participate in a focus group)
Burden: Provide the Annual burden hours: Multiply the Number of responses and the
participation time and divide by 60.
FEDERAL COST: Provide an estimate of the annual cost to the Federal government.
If you are conducting a focus group, survey, or plan to employ statistical methods, please
provide answers to the following questions:

The selection of your targeted respondents. Please provide a description of how you plan to
identify your potential group of respondents and how you will select them. If the answer is yes,
to the first question, you may provide the sampling plan in an attachment.
Administration of the Instrument: Identify how the information will be collected. More than
one box may be checked. Indicate whether there will be interviewers (e.g. for surveys) or
facilitators (e.g., for focus groups) used.
Submit all instruments, instructions, and scripts are submitted with the request.

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