SUPPORTING STATEMENT FOR COMMISSARY EVALUATION AND UTILITY SURVEYS-GENERIC
A. JUSTIFICATION
Need for Information Collection.
This information collection is directed by the DoD Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA) Strategic Plan, Facility Construction and Renovation Plan, Base Closure, commissary operations and product support. This information is required to assess customer satisfaction and/or customer preference to provide DeCA the necessary information to make cost-effective decisions regarding commissary operations. A copy of the Defense Commissary Agency Strategic Plan is provided.
2. Use of Information
DeCA will conduct a variety of surveys to include customer satisfaction and preference surveys on various services and processes within the commissary system. This information will be used to assess performance and measure improvement. Information gained from commissary patron migration surveys will provide management the necessary information to anticipate impacts to the commissary system due to base closure. Demographic surveys will provide a better understanding of commissary customer profiles. Customer profile information is required to make decisions on commissary product selection. Survey instruments, to include burden hours and supporting documentation, will be submitted to the DoD OMB Desk Officer and OMB for final approval as they become available.
The information collected will be available for use by DeCA managers. The results of the following anticipated surveys will be used as indicators to increase efficiencies, cost-effectiveness, and as input for new policies and procedures.
Commissary Sizing Survey. Surveys will support commissary renovation and new construction. Survey results will be used to help determine market potential and associated commissary size requirements.
Facility Site Decision. Surveys will support commissary site decisions. Where applicable, commissary user preference can be incorporated into the site location decision process. Patrons will input their answers to questions concerning where they would like a new facility located, as well as give their opinions and concerns that will affect their shopping experience. The survey results will also be used to estimate where the commissary users are located through the use of population density maps.
Patron Migration Survey. These surveys will aid in predicting the impact to commissaries that are near a closing commissary or a commissary that is undergoing some other kind of transformation that may cause commissary users to migrate to an alternative nearby commissary. The results will be used to determine requirements for the nearby receiving commissaries.
Commissary Operational Surveys. These surveys will supply information on various processes within the commissaries. The surveyed population could be commissary customers, employees within the agency, vendors, distributors or contractors. Persons surveyed will not necessarily be authorized commissary users.
Market Basket Price Surveys. These surveys will be administered to commissary eligible personnel to assess their perception of our savings compared to local commercial supermarkets.
Demographic Surveys. These surveys will be conducted as needed to assess the demographic mark-up of commissary users. The results may be used in conjunction with population data to reveal differences in key demographics such as status, family size, distance from a commissary, age, service membership and military grade.
The survey population will include but is not limited to persons eligible to use the commissaries throughout the world. This may include business or other for profit entities that are not necessarily eligible to use the commissaries. However, in accordance with Title 10 USC 1782, “Surveys of Military Families,” this information collection covers only those patrons not covered under this Title. Title 10 USC 1782 reads as follows:
“(a) Authority. - The Secretary of Defense, in order to determine
the effectiveness of Federal programs relating to military families
and the need for new programs, may conduct surveys of -
(1) members of the armed forces who are on active duty, in an
active status, or retired;
(2) family members of such members; and
(3) survivors of deceased retired members and of members who
died while on active duty.
(b) Responses To Be Voluntary. - Responses to surveys conducted
under this section shall be voluntary.
(c) Federal Recordkeeping Requirements. - With respect to a
survey authorized under subsection (a) that includes a person
referred to in that subsection who is not an employee of the United
States or is not otherwise considered an employee of the United
States for the purposes of section 3502(3)(A)(i) of title 44, the
person shall be considered as being an employee of the United
States for the purposes of that section.”
Improved Information Technology.
The nature and environment of most of the survey requirements makes it impossible to collect data electronically. In most of DeCA’s surveys, commissary customers will be asked to complete a survey while they are shopping in an operating commissary. Past experience has shown short paper survey forms administered by DeCA’s customer service staff to be effective and incur minimum burden. Collecting data electronically in this situation is not practical and would likely increase the burden to the public. However, improved information technology will be used in other survey situations whenever possible. DeCA can collect limited information through our cash-register system. This system will be used whenever appropriate.
Efforts to Identify Duplication
The specific information sought by these collections is not available from other sources. These collections are an integral part of the DoD Commissary Agency Program to ensure customer satisfaction and provide DeCA with the necessary information for policy-making decisions.
Methods Used to Minimize Burden on Small Entities
The collection of this information will not have a significant impact on small entities. The burden on small entities is anticipated to be no greater than 4 minutes per respondent.
Consequences of Not Collecting the Information
These information collections will be collected as needed. The results of these collections are vital for continuous improvements and effective decision-making. If these generic surveys are not certified DeCA will be at risk of making bad policy decisions due to lack of information.
Special Circumstances
There are no special circumstances. This collection will be conducted in a manner consistent with guidelines contained in 5 CFR 1320.5(d)(2).]
Agency 60-Day Federal Register Notice and Consultations Outside the Agency
An agency 60-Day Federal Notice was published August 29, 2008 (73 FR 50944), as required by 5 CFR 1320.8(d). No public comments were received in response to the notice.
The following individuals were contacted and asked to provide comments. A brief description including the needs, uses and potential survey topics were provided. The types of sampling plans and administration methods that may be used were discussed. Also discussed was the nature of this generic clearance and the understanding that this list of contacts will be asked to review specific survey projects as they become available for final review.
Mr. Barry White Defense Commissary Agency (804) 734 8974
Ms. Rose Mary Alais Defense Commissary Agency (804) 734 8322
Dr. Tim Elig Defense Manpower Data Center (703) 696 5858
Payments to Respondents
The respondents will not receive any monetary payment of gifts associated with completing these surveys.
Assurance of Confidentiality
Individuals and organizations contacted will be assured their replies will be protected under 42 U.S.C. 1306, 20 CFR 401 and 402, 5 U.S.C. 552 (Freedom of Information Act), 5 U.S.C. 552a (Privacy Act of 1974) and OMB Circular No. A-130. No personal identification information will be collected.
Sensitive Questions
No sensitive information will be collected.
Estimates of Annual Response Burden and Labor Cost for Hour Burden to the Respondent for Collection of Information.
Response Burden:
The following burden estimate are based on the estimated number of respondents that are not covered by Title 10 U.S.C. 1782. To estimate the burden hours the types of survey were grouped under two categories based on similarity of design and administration.
(1) Patron Migration/Sizing and Commissary Operations type surveys
Total annual respondents: 2025
Frequency of response: 1
Total annual responses: 2025
Burden per response: 4 minutes
Total burden hours: 8100minutes/60 = 135 Hrs
(2) Small surveys at the Register
Total annual respondents: 4608
Frequency of response: 1
Total annual responses: 4608
Burden per response: .166 minutes
Total burden hours: 765 minutes/60 = 13 Hrs
Total annual respondents: 6633
Frequency of response: 1
Total Response Burden 148 Hrs
Burden per respondent avg 1.34 min.
Explanation of how burden was estimated.
The 4-minute per survey burden is based on past experience with surveys conducted at DeCA. The .166 min. (10 sec) burden is based on the estimated time required to ask a respondent one question and key in a response code in the DeCA cash register system. The burden per respondent average was calculated by dividing the total burden in minutes (148 X 60 = 8880 min.) by the total respondents (6633) = the average burden per respondent (1.34 min.).
c. Labor Cost to Respondent.
The following labor cost estimates are based on the FY08 General Schedule weighted average hourly pay at the step 5 level. The number of federal GS workers by grade was obtained from the Defense Manpower Data Center. The weighted average hourly pay was calculated by multiplying the number of federal workers by the associated grade hourly pay. These figures were added and divided by the total number of GS workers. The weighted average hourly wage was determined to be $26.51 per hour. It is assumed the population distribution of GS workers by pay-grade is similar to the commissary shopping population and the weighted average, $26.51, is representative of the same.
(1) Patron Migration/Sizing and Commissary Operations type surveys
Burden hours X hour rate = Labor Cost
135 X $26.51 = $3,578.85
(2) Small surveys at the Register
Burden hours X hour rate = Labor Cost
13 X $26.51 = $344.63
Total $3,923.48
13. Estimates of Other Cost Burden for the Respondent for Collection of Information.
Total Capital and Start-up Cost.
There are no capital or start-up costs associated with this information collection.
Operation and Maintenance Cost.
There are no operational or maintenance cost to the respondent. The government, where applicable, pays the return postage.
Estimates of Cost to the Federal Government.
Survey design $ 3,182
Survey form printing $ 109
Cover letter/instructions $ 20
Postage $ 192
Survey administration $11,291
Scanner/system setup $ 1,591
Equipment maintenance $ 1,189
Data processing $ 1,970
Data analysis and reporting $ 2,585
Cost to the government $22,189
Changes in Burden
This is an extension of a previously approved collection for which there is no change in the burden
Publication Plans/Time Schedule.
The results of these surveys are for internal use only and are not for publication.
Approval Not to Display Expiration Date.
Exceptions to the Certification Statement.
B. COLLECTION OF INFORMATION EMPLOYING STATISTICAL METHODS
The information collections performed by DeCA are generally not intended to be combined, tabulated, or used to perform statistical analysis. If it is necessary for a specific information collection to include statistical analysis, the appropriate information will be included with the request for final approval of the specific survey.
| File Type | application/msword |
| File Title | The following are the headings for each question to be used in the Supporting Statement: |
| Author | OUSD PR |
| Last Modified By | Patricia Toppings |
| File Modified | 2008-12-30 |
| File Created | 2005-05-23 |