2016 External Reviewer Application Justification

SUPPORTING STATEMENT FOR PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT SUBMISSIONS

 

A. Justification

A1.  Need for Information Collection

The Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) is authorized to award grants to states, institutions of higher education, non-profit organizations, Indian tribes, and U.S. Territories to operate AmeriCorps State, AmeriCorps National, AmeriCorps NCCC, AmeriCorps VISTA, Social Innovation Fund and Senior Corps programs. As part of its review process, CNCS uses external reviewers to help determine the quality of the grant applications received. The information collected will be used by CNCS to select individuals to serve as external reviewers and external review panel coordinators for its grant review processes.

A2.  Indicate how, by whom, and for what purpose the information is to be used.

The information collected constitutes an application to CNCS for people wishing to serve as an external reviewer or external review panel coordinator. CNCS evaluates the applications and selects qualified individuals to serve as external reviewers or panel coordinators. The information is used to determine the level of expertise of the applicant and the appropriate program(s) for which an individual is qualified to serve as an external reviewer.

 

 A3.  Minimize Burden: Use of Improved Technology to Reduce Burden

CNCS has developed an electronic system to through which applicants apply online to CNCS.

A4.  Non-Duplication

There are no other sources of information to use or modify for the purposes described in A2 above. 

A5.  Minimizing for economic burden for small businesses or other small entities.

The collection of information does not affect small businesses or other small entities because they are not eligible to apply as external reviewers. Only individual persons may apply.

A6.  Consequences of the collection if not conducted, conducted less frequently, as well as any technical or legal obstacles to reducing burden.

CNCS would be unable to find and select the number of external reviewers and panel coordinators it needs for each grant competition if this information were not collected. CNCS uses the information collected to select external reviewers and panel coordinators for new grant competitions. The information collection requires a detailed application to determine if the person appears to have the knowledge and background required for external review. The external reviewer may, upon occasion make additional changes in order to update his/her information.

A7.  Special circumstances that would cause information collection to be collected in a manner requiring respondents to report more often than quarterly; report in fewer than 30 days after receipt of the request; submit more than an original and two copies; retain records for more than three years; and other ways specified in the Instructions focused on statistical methods, confidentially, and proprietary trade secrets.

There are no special circumstances that would require the collection of information in any other way specified.

A8.  Provide copy and identify the date and page number of publication in the Federal Register of the Agency’s notice. Summarize comments received and actions taken in response to comments. Specifically address comments received on cost and hour burden.

The 60 day Notice soliciting comments was published on Thursday, April 14, 2016 on page 22060. No comments were received.

 

 A9.  Payment to Respondents

There are no payments or gifts to respondents.

  

A10.  Assurance of Confidentiality and its basis in statute, regulation, or agency policy.

The information requested on the External Reviewer Application Instructions is collected pursuant to 42 U.S.C 12651d(c) of the National and Community Service Act of 1990, as amended. Individuals are informed that the information requested is collected for the purposes of selecting individuals to be external reviewers or panel coordinators is used to further that purpose and may be used for other purposes permitted by law.

A11.  Sensitive Questions

 

The information collection does not include questions of a sensitive nature.

 

A12. Hour burden of the collection

We expect that approximately 2,000 respondents to apply annually to be an external reviewer or panel coordinator for CNCS. The frequency of response will not be greater than once per year and should not exceed 30 minutes of effort per respondent.

 

A13. Cost burden to the respondent

There is no annual cost burden to respondents resulting from the collection of this information.

 

A14. Cost to Government

CNCS is a grant-making agency and a certain portion of its administrative budget is tied to preparing information collection instruments for external review and evaluating the information collected in order to select external reviewers. The cost estimate below includes costs related to evaluating and selecting external reviewer and panel coordinator applications.

Cost to government aside from normal cost of doing business is 0.

A15. Reasons for program changes or adjustments in burden or cost.

Reflecting the changes to collection in our database.

 

 A16.  Publication of results

Not applicable because this information collection will not be published.

 

A17.  Explain the reason for seeking approval to not display the expiration date for OMB approval of the information collection.

Not applicable.

 

 A18.  Exceptions to the certification statement

There are no exceptions to the certification statement in the submitted ROCIS form.

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