1513-0124_ss_rev-sep2013

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DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY

ALCOHOL TOBACCO TAX AND TRADE BUREAU

Supporting Statement - Information Collection Request

OMB Control Number - 1513-0124

Surveys for Applications, Permits Online (PONL), Formulas Online (FONL), and COLAs

(Certificate of Label Approvals) Online.

A. JUSTIFICATION

1. What are the circumstances that make this collection of information

necessary and what legal or administrative requirements necessitate the collection? Also include the following: Align the information collection to Treasury’s Strategic Goals, Line of Business/Sub-function, and IT Investment, if one is used.

TTB strives to provide timely, courteous, informative, and effective customer service to industry members completing and/or submitting new and amended permit applications on TTB.gov and PONL, formulas on FONL, and applications for label approval on COLAs Online. Each of these submissions involve direct interaction with the applicants, and the most effective way to measure the quality of service provided is to conduct customer service surveys shortly after the industry member submits the form.

In an effort to improve customer service, TTB uses surveys to keep track of its customer service quality and progress, as well as to identify potential needs, problems, and opportunities for improvement. TTB customer service surveys have primarily been administered using telephone interviews, but TTB wishes to instead administer these surveys via e-mail and its online systems. TTB has selected to use a few of the approved questions in our current telephone surveys in new e-mail and online surveys, which will result in a reduction of this information collection’s estimated burden. The interviewees continue to be applicants for permits and current permittees, pursuant to the Federal Alcohol Administration Act, the Internal Revenue Code, and TTB regulations, but we are adding applicants who use COLAs Online for COLA application submissions and those who use FONL for formula approval submissions, pursuant to the same.

This information collection is aligned with:

Treasury Strategic Goal: Effectively Managed U.S. Government’s Finances.

Line of Business/Sub-function: General Government/Taxation Management.

IT Investment: Tax Major Application Systems.

2. How, by whom and for what purpose is this information used?

The information that TTB collects is primarily for internal use within the agency, with summary results reportable to other interested parties. The information collected enables TTB to evaluate the effectiveness of PONL, FONL, and COLAs Online as well as the industry member’s experience with our electronic submission systems.

3. To what extent does this collection of information involve the use of automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology? What consideration is given to use information technology to reduce burden?

TTB intends to administer e-mail surveys through Survey Monkey, which is a system used by other Federal Government agencies to conduct customer service surveys. Survey Monkey will send out the e-mail and collect the responses, however, there still is an opportunity for the industry member to complete surveys on our website and mail them in to us.

4. What efforts are used to identify duplication? Why can’t any similar information already

available be used or modified for use for the purposes described in Item 2 above?

The questions asked require an answer that reflects the personal experience of each person responding to the survey. The information gathered is unique and does not duplicate other gathered data.

5. If this collection of information impacts small businesses or other small entities, what

methods are used to minimize burden?

TTB finds that these surveys would not impose any significant administrative or cost burden on small businesses or other entities. Further, TTB notes that our surveys are voluntary and typically completed by individuals who wish to share their experience.

6. What consequences to Federal program or policy activities and what, if any, technical or legal obstacles to reducing burden will occur if this collection is not conducted or is conducted less frequently?

The customer satisfaction survey and the responses are used to improve the quality of work that

is being done by our agency. It is used to create a database to determine problems and issues

that need correcting. If it is done less frequently, we would not have sufficient information to

identify changes in materials and procedures needed to minimize customers concerns,

problems, and/or burdens. Without continually gathering and analyzing customer contacts

we would not be able to improve the level and quality of services provided on an ongoing basis.

Without this information, we would be unaware of industry member’s needs and if their needs are being met.

7. Are there any special circumstances associated with this information collection that would require it to be conducted in a manner inconsistent with OMB guidelines?

There are no special circumstances associated with this information collection.

8. What effort was made to notify the general public about this collection of information? Summarize the public comments that were received and describe the action taken by the agency in response to those comments.

A 60-day notice was published in the Federal Register (78 FR 37662) on Friday, June 21, 2013. The notice solicited comments from the general public. TTB received no comments.

9. What decision was made to provide any payment or gift to respondents, other than remuneration of contractors or grantees?

No payment or gift is associated with this information collection.

10. What assurance of confidentiality was provided to respondents and what was the basis for the assurance in statute, regulations, or agency policy?

No specific assurance of confidentiality is provided for these information collections; no confidential information is being collected.

11. What justification is there for questions of a sensitive nature?

We ask no questions of a sensitive nature.

12. What is the estimated hour burden of this collection of information?

The number of respondents, responses, and burden hours are as follows:

Instrument	Respondents	Responses Per Respondent	Responses	Time Per Response (minutes)	Estimated Burden Hours
Application Survey	210	1	210	4	14
Amended Application Survey	480	1	480	4	32
PONL – Application Survey	945	1	945	4	63
PONL – Amended Application Survey	210	1	210	4	14
COLA Online Survey	800	4	3,200	10	533
Formula Online Survey	300	4	1,200	10	200
TOTAL	2,945		5,245	36	856

The total estimated number of respondents for these established collections is 2,945 and the total estimated annual burden hours associated with these surveys are 856 hours. The total burden hours remains the same at 53,000 burden hours to cover these surveys and those that may occur that fall under this generic ICR.

13. What is the estimated total annual cost burden to respondents or record keepers resulting from this collection of information (excluding the value of the burden hours in Question 12 above)?

No cost is associated with this collection.

14. What is the annualized cost to the Federal government?

The approximate salary for the percent of time spent on administering this collection, for the

employees involved, would be $11,300. This estimation is based on past experience with

administering TTB’s surveys.

15. What is the reason for any program changes or adjustments?

This request is being submitted as an extension to renew this information collection. The method of administering surveys is now electronic and the addition of FONL and COLAs Online customer satisfaction surveys has been included.

16. Outline plans for tabulation and publication for collections of information whose results will be published.

The results of this collection will not be published.

17. If seeking approval to not display the expiration date for OMB approval of this information collection, what are the reasons why the display would be inappropriate?

We are not seeking approval to not display the expiration date of OMB approval for this collection.

18. What are the exceptions to the certification statement?

(c) See item 5 above.

(f) This is not a recordkeeping requirement.

(i) No statistics are involved, the information is collected to study and improve our performance.

B. COLLECTION OF INFORMATION EMPLOYING STATISTICAL METHODS

This collection does not employ statistical methods.