0702-aarl_ssa_8.24.2018

SUPPORTING STATEMENT – PART A

Marketing Army Civilian Employment Survey – OMB Control Number 0702-XXXX

1.  Need for the Information Collection

The goal of the study is to inform how the Army can more effectively market to support the recruiting of Department of the Army (DA) civilian critical occupations. This survey is important to the Army because attracting a high-quality talent pool in mission-critical occupations such as Engineering, Information Technology and Cyber Security is vital to the Army’s ability to prevail in complex environments and remain adaptable in a difficult recruiting environment. Though this survey focuses on high profile, difficult to fill, DA civilian fields, where appropriate, the results will be used in marketing for all DA civilian occupations.

The information collection for this study consists of two phases. Phase I (focus groups) was approved in October 2017 (OMB Control Number 0702-0142). This submission covers Phase II and will be a survey. Information from the focus groups has been used to inform the content of the Phase II survey. The entire study (both phases) will inform how the Army can more effectively market to support the recruiting of DA civilian critical occupations. The results will be used in marketing for all DA civilian occupations.

DA civilian senior personnel officials have identified-entry level and mid-level career positions that are critical to the Army’s mission and also difficult-to-fill. Marketing and advertising can help set favorable market conditions to significantly impact the recruiting force’s ability to fill these critical positions. The information collection requirement is necessary to understand these experts’ awareness of and willingness to consider an Army civilian career. The information will inform a civilian marketing campaign for the FY 2019 Annual Marketing Plan (AMP) and lead us to the best strategies to build awareness, disrupt misperceptions and spark interest in Army civilian opportunities and recruit top-tiered talent to fill critical occupations.

10 United States Code, Section 2358, Research and Development Projects, allows for DoD research projects that are of potential interest. Army Regulation 601-208, dated 16 July 2013, gives the Army Marketing and Research Group (AMRG) the responsibility for marketing support for Department of the Army civilian recruiting. Because there is no existing research on the DA civilian recruiting market, the Army requires research in order to provide marketing support to DA civilian recruiting.

Previously, the Army has conducted extensive research for military recruiting. While military recruiting focuses on a very different portion of the population, we can glean some very basic insights. Results from military recruiting research indicates that most Americans do not understand their military, nor their Army in particular. The DoD Advertising Tracking Study indicates that half of Americans ages 17-35 say they have little or no knowledge about Active Duty military service and only 12% say they are highly knowledgeable. This lack of understanding of the Army as an institution, and its corresponding mission, leads to disinterest in serving on both the uniformed and the civilian sides. Understanding how to best bridge the gap between misperception and reality within the talent pools and career fields we seek is essential. We need to understand this to create effective marketing, and thereby positively affect recruiting the quality civilian force the Army needs to succeed at its mission of protecting and preserving our nation.

The information collection consists of a survey to gather information on the awareness among non-federal employees of DA civilian career opportunities and attitudes toward these opportunities. The information gathered in this survey will be used to develop marketing messaging and strategies to support DA civilian recruiting. This survey will also allow the Army to set specific marketing objectives, strategies and tactics to recruit DA civilians.

The collection of this information is required in response to the following regulations to support the tracking and accountability of personnel: Army Regulation 601-208, dated 16 July 2013, which gives the Army Marketing and Research Group (AMRG) the responsibility for marketing support for Department of the Army civilian recruiting. This regulation grants authority to AMRG for marketing in support of Army uniformed and civilian recruiting efforts and therefore to conduct research to that end. Department of the Army General Order 2017-05 dated 6 January 2017 affirms the consolidation of marketing in support of Army uniformed and civilian recruiting under the AMRG. Department of the Army General Order 2012-01, dated 11 June 2012, Assignment of Functions and Responsibilities within Headquarters, Department of the Army, assigns marketing functions and responsibilities in support of total Army recruiting to AMRG. In order to assume these functions and responsibilities, research must be conducted to inform all efforts.

2.  Use of the Information

Survey participants will be prospective candidates for DA civilian employment in one of the following mission-critical careers: Civil Engineering, Electronics Engineering, Contracting, or Information Technology Management. Participants will be divided into two groups: students (college juniors, college seniors or graduate students) who express an interest in pursuing one of the careers or professionals currently employed in one of the four fields (at various stages of their careers).

Survey participants will be recruited from an online consumer panel, Panel members are sourced in a variety of ways in order to ensure the panel is as is as representative of the population as possible.  Sources from panel members include 500+ publishers, as well as bloggers (influencers) who promote the panels, major retailers and service providers, search engine marketing and advertising.

 

All members are double-opted into the panel.  They provide an email address, following which they receive an email asking them to confirm they wish to join the panel by clicking a link which takes them to the registration page. Panel members must go through our double opt-in registration process.  At the time of registering, in addition to confirming via email, we conduct the following to ensure all new members are valid: Digital Fingerprinting; Physical Address Verification; Completely Automated Public Turning test to tell Computers and Humans Apart (CAPTCHA); Mobile Verification (provide us their phone number and we text them a code to enter); Third Party Validation via Verity by Imperium
http://www.imperium.com/services/verity/

 After joining the panel, members get their own “Member Page” where they find a list of surveys on their dashboard (only surveys for which they would likely qualify are included).  The surveys are listed in random order and include the survey length (e.g. 20 minutes) and the number of points they’d receive should they qualify.  There is no information about the survey topic or qualifying criteria as this would create bias.  After clicking on the link to the survey, potential respondents go to a page where they read the “Review and Consent” document and then answer several questions confirm they qualify for the survey.

Results from the survey will be documented in a Report of Findings. The report will consist of the following sections: Background (project objective, research objective); Research Methodology; Executive Summary (conclusions and key insights, recommendations); Detailed Findings (employment goals and expectations; desired tangible and intangible benefits; awareness and perceptions of different employer types: private company, government agency, own business; Perceptions of the U.S. Army as American institution; Awareness and knowledge of civilian employment in the U.S. Military/Army, Reactions to Army civilian employment positioning concepts and messages).

The results from Phase I and Phase II will be used to develop a marketing campaign to support civilian recruiting in FY2019.

The survey information collected will be used by the Department of the Army (specifically the AMRG) to understand the awareness of critical skills of career opportunities within the Army and attitudes toward such employment. The AMRG and ultimately the DA own the collection of the information. RAND/Echo Cove Research as contractors on this project will execute the collection of information, but not own the information once the contract is complete. This information will be used to assess DA civilian employment marketing campaigns (recruiting for government service (GS) positions) and address current and projected shortfalls in DA civilian critical occupations and to set specific marketing objectives, strategies and tactics to recruit.

3.  Use of Information Technology

Dissemination of information about the study will be provided electronically. The survey will be conducted online/electronically. We estimate that 100% of the information collected will be electronically captured. The final Report on Findings will be provided to the Army electronically. We have planned the study this way to increase the use of information technology.

4.  Non-duplication

There is no known duplication of this effort for the Marketing Army Civilian Employment Survey; the AMRG has conducted background research and determined that there is no other similar research or information currently available that can be used to inform how the Army can more effectively market to assist in recruiting and filling DA civilian critical occupations. DA civilian personnel senior officials have identified shortfalls of entry-level and mid-level career technical experts in mission-critical DA civilian occupations, but there is no information on the best ways to find and reach these technical experts or how best to provide awareness of DA civilian opportunities (marketing and messaging).

5.  Burden on Small Business

This information collection does not impose a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small businesses or entities.

6.  Less Frequent Collection

This is a one-time information collection, so if it were conducted less frequently there would be no information collection.

If the information is not collected, the AMRG DA civilian Brand mission will not be able to design marketing and advertising efforts dedicated to recruiting mission-critical DA civilians. There is a lack of entry-level and mid-career civilian technical experts in mission critical occupations in the Army. Lack of appropriate marketing and advertising mechanisms will significantly delay the potential fill of these critical positions. The information collection requirement is necessary to provide the insights needed to understand the best strategies and implementation tactics to build awareness and spark interest in Army civilian opportunities and fill critical occupations. As this is a one-time collection, it could not be conducted less frequently.

7.  Paperwork Reduction Act Guidelines

There are no such special requirements as delineated in 5 CFR 1320.5(d)(2). Collection will be conducted in a manner consistent with these guidelines.

8.  Consultation and Public Comments

Part A: PUBLIC NOTICE

A 60-Day Federal Register Notice (FRN) for the collection published on Thursday, March 22, 2018. The 60-Day FRN citation is 83 FRN 12569.

No comments were received during the 60-Day Comment Period.

A 30-Day Federal Register Notice for the collection published on Friday, August 24, 2018. The 30-Day FRN citation is 83 FRN 42883.

Part B: CONSULTATION

The sponsoring agency consulted with Army Civilian Human Resources Agency, Army G1 Civilian Personnel, and Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civilian Personnel offices along with subject matter experts in mission critical occupation hiring. The information is not available elsewhere. A workshop including Army civilian subject matter experts was conducted to inform development of the focus groups. A final workshop will review the recommendations based on survey outcome and develop a plan for marketing to DA civilians.

9.  Gifts or Payment

Panel members receive reward points for each completed survey.  They are awarded a standard number of points based on the length of survey (time commitment).   The points a member earns can be redeemed for gift cards from major retailers (e.g., Applebee’s, Best Buy, CVS, Target, Whole Foods, etc.), redeemed for Cash (via PayPal) or donated to a charity of their choice.  While the number of points awarded varies based on the length and complexity of the questionnaire, the cash value of points for completing a single questionnaire typically ranges from $5 to $10.

The authority to provide monetary incentives payments for general research participation is permitted per DoD Instruction 3216.02, para 11a(3). Link to this instruction: http://www.esd.whs.mil/Portals/54/Documents/DD/issuances/dodi/321602p.pdf

10.  Confidentiality

The Privacy Act Statement is not required because there are no data elements being stored as a system of records. Information collected from respondents will be primarily attitudinal. Respondents will be asked what is important to people in their careers and their attitudes towards different types of employers. Respondents will not be asked to submit proprietary information, trade secrets or confidential information. Respondents will be assured that their comments will be used for research purposes only and that any quotations or other information included in the final report will be identified only by generic, non-personally-identifiable descriptors.

Respondents for the survey will be assured that their answers are confidential. Any personally identifying information that panel members have provided when joining the panel will not be connected to their survey responses. Therefore, no personally identifying information will be stored or included in the report that summarizes the survey information. A System of Records Notice (SORN) is not required because records are not being stored and therefore are not retrievable by PII

Records Retention and Disposition Schedule. The records are only retained electronically, ARIMS: 1200 A: Quality Assurance and Quality Control Disposition: Keep in current file area until no longer needed for conducting business, but not longer than 6 years, then destroy. Disposition Authority: N1-AU-07-13

11.  Sensitive Questions

Respondents will be asked what is important to people in their careers and their attitudes towards different types of employers. They will be asked questions regarding their gender, race, and ethnicity (race and ethnicity will be asked in accordance with OMB standards) during the survey screening process to ensure we receive views from a variety of people. This information will not be included at an individual level in any reports. None of the information used by the researchers will be able to be combined to identify an individual. No other PII will be requested and SSN will not be asked.

12.  Respondent Burden, and its Labor Costs

a. Estimation of Respondent Burden

Estimation of Respondent Burden Hours
	Number of Respondents	Number of Responses per Respondent	Number of Total Annual Responses	Response Time	Respondent Burden Hours
Marketing Army Civilian Employment Survey	5000	1	5000	20 minutes	1667 hours
Total	5000	1	5000	20 minutes	1667 hours

b. Labor Cost of Respondent Burden

Labor Cost of Respondent Burden
	Number of Responses	Response Time per Response	Respondent Hourly Wage	Labor Burden per Response	Total Labor Burden
Marketing Army Civilian Employment Survey	5000	20 minutes	$30	$10	$50,000
Total	5000	20 minutes	$30	$10	$50,000

Hourly wages from Dept. of Labor (http://www.careeronestop.org/toolkit/wages/find-salary) as of February 2018 for the careers field perspectives we are looking for with regard to this study are as follows: College student with a part-time job (likely above the federal minimum wage of $7.25); Civil Engineer (beginning/low $25.71, mid-level/median $40.16); Electronics Engineer (beginning/low $30.65, mid-level/median $47.70); Contracting (Managers, beginning/low $25.41, mid-level/median $50.47); Information Technology Management (Computer and Info Systems Managers, beginning/low $39.60, mid-level/median $65.29); Average of these (Minimum wage: $7.25, Beginning/low: $30.34, Mid-level/median: $50.91) is approximately $30 per hour.

13.  Respondent Costs Other Than Burden Hour Costs

There are no capital or start-up costs to respondents. There are no O&M costs to respondents.

14.  Cost to the Federal Government

The DA Civilian Marketing study uses Rand, a Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) for studies and analysis to execute and administer the project (https://www.dau.mil/acquipedia/Pages/ArticleDetails.aspx?aid=5e3079b8-44f2-43df-a0e7-9f379e8c48ed). The FFRDC was contracted to develop the research plan, execute the work, and to manage and integrate the results from the study’s components.

The information collection cost for Phase II (survey) is $103,500

	Marketing Army Civilian Employment Survey
Number of Responses	5000
Processing Time Per Response (in hours)	.012
Hourly Wage of Worker(s) Processing Responses	$75
Cost to Process Each Response	$0.90
Total Cost to Process Responses	$4,500

O&M costs include a fixed set up cost of $5,000 plus $94,000 which covers the use of facilities and computer equipment.

Operational and Maintenance Costs
Equipment	Printing	Postage	Software Purchases	Licensing Costs	Other – Setup Costs	Total
$94,000					$5000	$99,000

Total Cost to the Federal Government
Operational and Maintenance Costs	Labor Cost to the Federal Government	Total Cost (O&M Costs + Labor Cost)
$99,000	$4,500	$103,500

15.  Reasons for Change in Burden

This is a new information collection with a new associated burden.

16.  Publication of Results

The results of the collection of this information will be published in the form of a report of survey results that will be kept internal to the Department of Defense. This will not be published externally.

17.  Non-Display of OMB Expiration Date

The Army is not seeking exemption from display of the OMB expiration date.

18.  Exceptions to "Certification for Paperwork Reduction Submissions"

The Army is not asking for exceptions to the Paperwork Reduction Act Submission.

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