SUPPORTING STATEMENT FOR OPM FORM 1300, PRESIDENTIAL
MANAGEMENT FELLOWS (PMF) PROGRAM NOMINATION FORM
Justification:
Explain the circumstances that make the collection of information necessary. Identify any legal or administrative requirements that necessitate the collection.
Under the provision of Executive Order 13318 of November 21, 2003, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) administers the Presidential Management Fellows (PMF) Program [formerly the Presidential Management Intern Program]. The Executive Order authorizes OPM to provide appropriate program related procedures for the recruitment, nomination, screening, placement, and continuing career development of outstanding men and women from a variety of advanced degree programs and academic disciplines. Applicants must demonstrate an exceptional ability for, as well as a clear interest in and commitment to, excellence in the leadership and management of public policies and programs. Regulations governing the administration of the program are found at 5 CFR part 362. Other associated regulations which address the PMF Program are found at 5 CFR 213.3102; 5 CFR 315.201; and 5 CFR 315.708. Additional minor references to the PMF Program are found in 5 CFR 297.501; 5 CFR 537.104; and 5 CFR 550.703.
The Executive order and the PMF regulations require a formal nomination from the applicant’s accredited college/university. The Nomination Official must be the Dean, Chairperson, or Academic Program Director from the applicant’s graduate program. Per OMB’s previous request, the PMF Program Office has migrated its in-house online application and resume builder to a vacancy announcement approach via USAJOBS; the former collection was referred to as the OPM Form 1300. The emergency approval last year transitioned the OPM Form 1300 to become the PMF Nomination Form. Applicants are asked to print the PMF Nomination Form upon submission of their application on USAJOBS and deliver it to their school’s Nomination Official for consideration. If the Nomination Official decides to nominate said applicant, he/she would fill out the nomination form and fax it to OPM by the nomination deadline. The data collection is now based on the school’s Nomination Official filling out the nomination form and faxing it in. The fax server will read the teleform and associate the nomination to the applicant’s record.
Indicate how, by whom, and for what purpose the information is to be used.
The information collected is used by OPM’s PMF Program Office to obtain applicant data and official school nominations in support of a nationwide competitive selection process. Notices will be sent to educational institutions at the beginning of each academic year announcing the application period.
Students must complete a graduate degree (master's, law, or doctoral-level degree) from a qualifying college or university. In order to be considered for the Program, the student must be officially nominated by their school's Dean, Chairperson, or Academic Program Director, otherwise known as the Nomination Official, using this OPM-provided fax-back nomination form. The application is to be completed and submitted electronically online via a vacancy announcement on USAJOBS. Applicants will build an online resume, via the USAJOBS resume builder, and link to their application. The online resumes will be viewed by Federal agencies interested in appointing Finalists as Fellows.
Upon completion of a competitive process, the applicant’s Nomination Official would render a decision on whether or not to nominate. If the Nomination Official desires to nominate an applicant, he/she would then fill out the nomination form and fax it to OPM by the nomination deadline. Those applicants formally nominated become nominees. Nominees are then reviewed and invited to participate in a structured assessment center process. Selection as a PMF Finalist is based on a review of the nominee’s application and the assessment center results.
Participating agencies are informed of the list of Finalists and can access the Finalists’ resumes online. Resumes are electronically available and secured, requiring agencies to register online for access. Those applicants not nominated or not selected as Finalists would still have the ability to seek other Federal Government job opportunities by utilizing the resumes they built on USAJOBS, per OMB’s previous request.
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.
The PMF Nomination Form, OPM Form 1300, is a fax-back teleform. The teleform is designed for our fax server software to recognize the fax being submitted is a nomination for an applicant to the PMF Program. Technical staff will review the transmission to assure the Nomination Official has signed the form and then assures linkage to the applicant’s application. The nomination form is used by Nomination Officials who complete a competitive nomination process at the school level and desire to nominate an applicant. If the Nomination Official does not desire to nominate the applicant, he/she is instructed to neither sign the form nor fax it.
Describe efforts to identify duplication.
By asking applicants to apply via a vacancy announcement on USAJOBS, only one application is accepted. The applicant will be asked to link their USAJOBS online resume to the announcement. If not ultimately considered a Finalist, the applicant may utilize their USAJOBS resume to seek other Federal employment outside the PMF Program. Duplication is minimized.
If the collection of information impacts small businesses or other small entities, describe the methods used to minimize the burden.
Not applicable.
Describe the consequence to Federal program or policy activities if the collection is not collected or is collected less frequently.
The collection of this information is essential to facilitate a nominee’s participation in the PMF Program and the annual selection and placement of PMF Finalists into Federal agencies.
Explain any special circumstances that would cause an information collection to be conducted in a manner inconsistent with the guidelines in 5 CFR 1320.6.
Not applicable.
If applicable, provide a copy and identify the date and page number of publication in the Federal Register of the agency notice, required by 5 CFR 1320.8(d), soliciting comments on the information collection prior to submission to OMB.
The comment period was combined in the previous Federal Register Notice, which was published on April 18, 2011 [76 FR 21783]. No comments were received.
Explain any decision to provide any payment or gift to respondents, other than remuneration of contractors or grantees.
Not applicable.
Describe any assurance of confidentiality provided to respondents and the basis for the assurance in statute, regulation, or agency policy.
Students will be required to apply via a vacancy announcement on USAJOBS. The vacancy can be found by conducting a search on USAJOBS, as well as by accessing a link on the PMF website. In addition, the PMF Program Office mails postcards to graduate schools throughout the Nation prior to the vacancy announcement, provides downloadable flyers and guidance from the PMF website for schools to use, and conducts an annual academic stakeholder’s meeting.
Upon submission of the application, the applicant is required to print the “PMF Nomination Form” to provide to his/her respective Nomination Official. The nomination form consists of two pages: Page 1 provides instructions for the applicant and Nomination Official, while identifying the Privacy Act and Public Burden Statements; Page 2 is the actual nomination form collecting applicant and Nomination Official data to render a nomination decision and fax to OPM for consideration.
Provide additional justification for any questions of a sensitive nature such as sexual behavior and attitudes, religious beliefs, and other matters that are commonly considered private.
This information collection does not include questions of a sensitive nature, such as sexual behavior and attitudes, religious beliefs, and other matters that are commonly considered private.
Provide estimates of the hour burden of the collection of information.
We estimate 3,000 nomination forms will be received and processed in the upcoming PMF Class of 2008 application cycle.
The OPM Form 1300 serves as a nomination form where applicant and Nomination Official data will be collected to render a nomination. We estimate applicants and Nomination Officials will need a combined 30 minutes to review and complete the nomination form and fax to OPM for further consideration.
The annual estimated burden for completing the nomination form is 1,500 hours. By migrating to a vacancy announcement approach, the estimated burden is significantly reduced.
Provide an estimate of the total annual cost burden to respondents or recordkeepers resulting from the collection of information.
There is no cost to the applicant.
Provide estimates of annualized cost to the Federal government. Also, provide a description of the method used to estimate cost, which should include quantification of hours, operational expenses (such as equipment, overhead, printing, and support staff), and any other expense that would not have been incurred without this collection of information.
Annual maintenance costs are approximately $165,000 to partner with the USAStaffing program office to track, monitor, and process the qualifications questionnaire of the vacancy announcement; track and adjudicate any claims for Indian and/or veterans’ preference; validate nomination forms; and, provide staff support during the application, assessment, and selection process.
We are partnering with the USAJOBS program office to host the vacancy announcement and provide the nomination form during the application cycle. There are no additional costs for this.
Explain the reasons for any program changes or adjustments reported in Items 13 or 14 of the OMB Form 83-I.
Although the number of PMF applicants has risen considerably over the past several years, our previous projections of the number of applicants completing the automated PMF Program application have proven to be too high. For three years the PMF Program Office utilized an in-house, online application process. By migrating to a vacancy announcement approach via USAJOBS, the need to host and maintain the previous process is no longer applicable. This will ultimately save the PMF Program Office time and expense in managing such a process in-house.
There is some expense in having staff review submission of nomination forms to assure formal nomination and to also adjudicate any claims to veterans’ preference. In addition, we work with OPM’s Nationwide Testing Group to administer the nationwide assessment process.
For collections of information whose results will be published, outline plans for tabulation and publication.
Not applicable. The results of this information collection are not published.
If seeking approval to not display the expiration date for OMB approval of the information collection, explain the reasons that display would be inappropriate.
Not applicable. This request is to obtain the maximum 3-years’ approval from OMB. The OPM Form 1300 will slightly change annually to reflect the class year version at the top of the form in efforts to prevent any confusion for applicants and Nomination Officials since the application to the PMF Program is conducted annually.
Explain each exception to the certification statement identified in Item 19, “Certification for Paperwork Reduction Act Submissions,” of OMB Form 83-I.
No exceptions.
W:\1300\2008\OMB\2008_83I_JUST_09-12-07_OMB.DOC PAGE
| File Type | application/msword |
| File Title | SUPPORTING STATEMENT FOR EXTENSION OF OPM FORM 1203 |
| Author | Preferred Customer |
| Last Modified By | Windsor, Miles E. |
| File Modified | 2011-06-17 |
| File Created | 2011-06-17 |