3150-0197 generic Part A

DRAFT OMB SUPPORTING STATEMENT

GENERIC CUSTOMER SATISFACTION SURVEYS

AND

NRC FORM 671, REQUEST FOR REVIEW OF A CUSTOMER SATISFACTION

SURVEY UNDER GENERIC CLEARANCE

(3150-0197)

Extension

Description of the Information Collection

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is requesting a three-year clearance to conduct voluntary customer satisfaction surveys to provide the agency with feedback on the effectiveness of the various services provided to our customers. The agency will contact users of NRC services and products to determine their needs and how the Commission can improve its services and products to better meet those needs. The surveys are designed to ask questions concerning satisfaction with timeliness, courtesy, accuracy and other similar aspects of the agency’s operations. In the past, NRC has also conducted focus groups to discuss a specific set of questions. Results from these surveys gave NRC insight into how it can make its services and products more cost effective, efficient, and responsive to its customer needs. The NRC does not intend to conduct any program evaluation surveys by use of this generic customer satisfaction survey clearance.

Each survey will be submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) as a new Information Collection (IC) to Generic Information Collection Request. Information on each survey will be uploaded into ROCIS using the NRC Form 671, Request for Review of a Customer Satisfaction Survey under Generic Clearance.

Before a request is forwarded to OMB, the NRC will conduct an internal review to ensure that survey questions are properly formatted to generate valid responses and adhere to both the Paperwork Reduction Act and the limitations of this clearance.

A. JUSTIFICATION

1. Need for and Practical Utility of the Collection of Information

These voluntary customer satisfaction surveys will be addressed to NRC licensees and the general public. Surveys will be used to gather the following types of information:

• Satisfaction ratings for services provided and suggestions for improvement (such as new technologies used on NRC Web site and the Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS))

• Ratings of the timeliness and courtesy of NRC staff in providing information to stakeholders

• Suggestions for improving operations and business practices

2. Agency Use of the Information

NRC will use telephone surveys, focus groups, internet surveys, and questionnaires to collect data on customer satisfaction. Customer comment cards may be placed in publications as a convenience so the public can inform the NRC of any issues, difficulties, or complaints. Postage paid mailers will be used as appropriate.

The NRC will use the information to determine who our customers are, the types of services they desire, and their level of satisfaction with our current services. This will allow the agency to identify areas of concern for our customers, assess our performance in these areas, and to develop strategies to better meet customer expectations. Results will be shared throughout the agency and with other agencies as requested.

3. Reduction of Burden Through Information Technology

Information will be gathered electronically when possible to reduce the burden on the public. One of the goals of this effort is to obtain the information required with a minimum amount of burden. For some surveys, burden to the public is reduced when a postage-paid mailer is provided at the time the public participates in an NRC activity (such as a public meeting), which is a non-electronic format. As a result, not all surveys will be conducted electronically.

The NRC is in the process of developing survey tools that allow respondents to provide information using their cellular phones. This technology may be used for some of the shorter surveys during this clearance period.

There are no legal obstacles to reducing the burden associated with this information collection. The NRC encourages respondents to use information technology when it would be beneficial to them. NRC issued a regulation on October 10, 2003 (68 FR 58791), consistent with the Government Paperwork Elimination Act, which allows its licensees, vendors, applicants, and members of the public the option to make submissions electronically via CD-ROM, e-mail, special Web-based interface, or other means. It is estimated that approximately 50% of all survey requests will be submitted electronically.

4. Effort to Identify Duplication and Use Similar Information

The information to be requested will not duplicate data currently provided by the respondents. The nature of the information to be requested is unique to the NRC’s effort to update and refine its current programs and processes. No sources of similar information are available and there is no duplication of requirements. NRC has in place an on-going program to examine all information collections with the goal of eliminating all duplication and/or unnecessary information collections.

5. Effort to Reduce Small Business Burden

One of the main purposes of this effort is to gather information needed without putting significant additional burden on small businesses. Small samples will be used to select respondents and the number of questions on the surveys will be kept to a minimum. However, small businesses, as well as the agency, will benefit by the government’s responsiveness to their needs.

6. Consequences to Federal Program or Policy Activities if the Collection is Not Conducted or is Conducted Less Frequently

Without this information collection, NRC would not be able to assess customer satisfaction or identify ways in which to improve customer service.

7. Circumstances Which Justify Variation From OMB Guidelines

There are no other planned variations from OMB guidelines.

1. Consultation Outside the NRC

The opportunity for public comment on the information collection requirements for this clearance package was published in the Federal Register on April 13, 2012 (77 FR 22360).

9. Payment or Gift to Respondents

There are no plans to provide any payment or gift to respondents.

10. Confidentiality of Information

Confidential and proprietary information is protected in accordance with the NRC regulations at 10 CFR 9.17(a) and 10 CFR 2.390(b). However, no information normally considered confidential or proprietary is requested.

11. Justification for Sensitive Questions

No sensitive information will be requested.

12. Estimated Burden and Burden Hour Cost

The annual burden, as detailed in the table, is estimated to be 1,614.5 hours, with 3,988 responses. The estimated cost to the public is $442,373 (1,614.5 hours x $274/hr).

At the time of the submission of this request, the NRC has three known customer service activities that the agency plans to submit under this generic clearance. These surveys will be submitted as an IC to Generic ICR in ROCIS, and all three have been previously approved under this clearance number (3150-0197) in the last clearance cycle. Because these are known activities, burdens are estimated separately from other surveys that will be submitted under this clearance. Estimates for the burden per response and the number of responses are based on the most recent year of data for these activities. These surveys include:

1. NRC Form 659, Public Meeting Feedback Form. Stakeholders attending public meetings are provided with a postage-paid mailer allowing them the opportunity to provide input on the meeting (e.g., location, staff knowledge, and whether the meeting met its stated purpose).

2. NRC Form 787, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) User Survey. Each FOIA requester is sent a postage-paid mailer allowing them to provide input on the timeliness and courtesy of the responses they received from NRC staff.

3. National Source Tracking System (NSTS) Customer Satisfaction Survey. For a one-month period each year of the clearance cycle, the NRC plans to conduct this online survey for users of the NSTS.

In addition to these three surveys, the NRC used the following assumptions to formulate other burden estimates:

• 5 focus groups will be conducted annually, with 10 participants each. Each focus group session will last 2 hours.

• 5 surveys will be developed to evaluated NRC-sponsored classes or conference presentations. Each survey will take 10 minutes.

• 10 brief surveys will be conducted annually of the general public and licensees, with 200 responses apiece (2,000 respondents total) are estimated to take one half-hour each.

• 2 longer surveys requiring an hour to complete may be provided to 104 power reactor licensees annually.

ESTIMATED PUBLIC BURDEN

Total Responses: 3,988 responses

Total Respondents: 3,884 respondents (104 power reactors are counted one time, although they may respond to two surveys)

Total Burden: 1,614.5 hours

13. Estimate of Other Additional Costs

There are no other additional costs. There is no capital and start-up cost or operation component or any maintenance and purchase of service components associated with the customer surveys.

14. Estimated Annualized Cost to the Federal Government

The total cost to the government is estimated at $372,192 ($342,500 + $29,375+ $67+ $250):

• Each information collection activity will take approximately 50 hours of professional effort to analyze and report findings. The estimated annual cost is $342,500 (50 hours/activity x 25 activities x $274/hour).

• The clerical effort to mail out surveys, track responses, make follow-up telephone calls, and file survey responses and associated documents is estimated to be 25 hours per activity. The estimated cost is at $29,375 (25 hours x 25 activities x $47/hr).

• Fifty percent of surveys, of 1,994 responses (3,988 responses x 50%) are estimated to be conducted using paper formats (e.g., business reply mailers, paper surveys). The estimated additional costs for printing is $67 ($0.0167/page x 2 pages/survey x 1,994 responses).

• The NRC pays an annual fee of $250 for mailing costs associated with business reply mail.

 Reasons for Change in Burden or Cost

The estimated burden increased from 474 hours to 1,614.5 hours, an increase of 1140.5 hours.

In the last renewal of this collection, the estimated burden was 226 hours and 1,261 responses. However, during the clearance cycle, the NRC conducted more customer satisfaction activities than previously estimated, resulting in a total of 474 hours and 2,313 responses on this information collection in ROCIS.

In the current request, the NRC is increasing the estimated burden for generic customer satisfaction activities to better reflect the current needs of the agency to collect customer satisfaction information. To ensure that the estimate covers all activities in the upcoming three-year clearance period, the agency has increased the estimated number of customer satisfaction information collections from 5 to 25.

1. Publication for Statistical Use

There are no plans to publish statistical data.

1. Reason for Not Displaying the Expiration Date

The expiration date will be displayed on each survey.

1. Exceptions to the Certification Statement

There are no exceptions.

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