Annotated Version of Survey

Expenditures Survey_Annotated.docx

Economic Contribution of Federal Investments in Restoration of Degraded, Damaged, or Destroyed Ecosystems.

Annotated Version of Survey

OMB: 1028-0107

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OMB Control #: 1028-New

Expiration Date: Under Review at OMB

Instructions for Reviewers of the Project Expenditure Survey

This survey is one of two surveys associated with DOI’s study on the economic contribution of restoration. This survey will be completed by the project manager and by the contracted firms who worked on the restoration project, as identified by the answers to Questions 39 and 41 on the project summary survey. The purpose of this survey is to gather expenditure information on the restoration project, which in turn will be used to estimate the economic impacts in the local economy. If the project was a multiple-phased project, as indicated by the answer to Question 35 of the project summary survey, then relevant respondents will be asked to answer Questions 1 through 53 for each phase of the project.

This survey will be conducted online, thus providing an opportunity to tailor the questions to each respondent. This survey is designed so that the respondent will not necessarily answer every single question. The survey software (Key Survey™) will automate the skipping process so that the respondents will not have to take the time to navigate the skipping pattern. In this annotated version of the survey there are arrows after certain answer choices that will direct the reviewer to the next question in the skipping sequence. In the case where respondents are asked to fill in tables with expenditure information, arrows to the right of each cell will direct the reviewer to follow-up questions conditional on a numeric response in the given cell.

The survey refers to the ‘local area (i.e., counties X, Y, and Z). The local area for the economic contribution analysis will be determined prior to administering the survey and each survey will be auto-filled by the software to include the local area definition.

It must be noted that the language of the survey will change slightly depending on whether the respondent is the project manager or one of the hired contractors. The survey language will also change depending on if the project is single phased or multiple phased. In the cases where the language will change in the survey, parentheses with italicized script will be inserted for the reviewer’s convenience.

In response to Question 2 in the PRA Supporting Statement Part A, we have justified the questions in this survey. Throughout the survey we have included text in shaded boxes. These boxes provide the required justification and additional information for groups of questions or individual questions.

Project Expenditure Survey

All respondents will receive the same instructions and may answer Questions 1 through 53 below depending on the nature of their responses. When the project manager answered “yes” to Question 35 on the project summary survey, all relevant respondents (project manager and contractors) will be asked to answer Questions 1 through 53 for each phase of the project (i.e., planning, implementation, and monitoring/post-implementation).

Introduction

Thank you for participating in our study of the economic contributions of restoration. This survey will ask you about your firm’s expenditures on labor, equipment, repairs and maintenance, materials and supplies, overhead, and travel for this restoration project. We will use this information to estimate the employment impacts of this restoration project.

This survey will take approximately 30 minutes to complete. You can pause at any time; simply close the window and your answers will be saved. To resume and complete the survey, you will need to click on the link to the survey in the email you received. At that point, you can answer any remaining questions and/or edit any of your previous responses. At the end of the survey, click on the “Submit” button to finish the survey.

If you have any questions about the survey or the case study, please contact me at 970-226-9164 or [email protected].

Thank you,

Cathy Thomas

Economist

U.S. Geological Survey

The NRDA Restoration Program does not have accurate information available on the necessary inputs and associated costs for conducting restoration. All of the questions in this survey address this question.

Question 1 breaks the firm’s total project expenditures into the three primary types of expenditures: labor, non-labor, and contracting costs.

The remainder of the survey further subdivides expenditures within the non-labor and labor cost categories. Responses from Question 1 will be used to automatically fill portions of subsequent questions in the survey. The reported total non-labor cost will be used in Question 2, and the reported total labor cost will be used in Question 41.

Please list your firm’s expenditures on labor, non-labor, and contractor costs for this project (or phase).

Note:

Labor costs: includes the full costs of labor including benefits, wages, taxes and insurance to employees of your firm and any contracted labor. This amount should also include proprietor’s income.

Non-labor costs: includes all other non-subcontracting expenses including overhead and administration.

Contracting (or subcontracting) costs: includes the total amount to hire other firms to perform and conduct components of this restoration project.

Expenditure Category	Expenditures ($)
Labor Cost
Non-Labor Cost
Contracting Cost
Total Expenditure of Project (or Phase)	=sum of column

Question 2 asks the respondent to break total non-labor costs into five categories. An “other” category has been included so that respondents with expenses that do not fit into the five categories can fully account for all non-labor expenses. The survey software will require that the reported expenditures in each of the non-labor cost categories sum to the total non-labor cost reported in Question 1. In subsequent questions, respondents will be asked to further break the values reported for materials and travel into subcategories. This level of detail is desired by the NRDA Restoration Program, and it is the necessary level of detail required to accurately model the economic impacts associated with project expenditures.

Please break your non-labor expenses for this restoration project (or phase) into the following categories. Your responses should add to the total non-labor cost of $XX.

Note:

Equipment: refers to durable goods such as vehicles and machinery.

Materials: refer to goods purchased as inputs specifically for this project (e.g. gravel, fencing, office supplies, etc.)

Non-Labor Cost Categories	Non-labor expenditures ($):
Equipment rental/leasing/daily use rates		→Question 3 if >0
Equipment maintenance and repair		→Question 4 if >0
Materials		→Question 13 if >0
Travel		→Question 8 if >0
Overhead/Administration		→Question 5 if >0
Other		→Question 6 if >0
Total Non-Labor Expenditure	=sum column; Must sum to total non-labor expenditure

Questions 3 through 5 ask the respondent to indicate the percent of the non-labor expenditures reported in each category that were purchased within the counties surrounding the project location (i.e., counties X, Y, and Z). Each question will only be asked if the respondent indicated a positive dollar value for the respective non-labor cost category from Question 2. The percent of total expenditures that were purchased within the local economy is important information to accurately model the local economic impacts of the expenditures. Without this information, it is not possible to “leak” the expenditures made outside of the local area, which would result in inaccurate impact estimates.

Of your firm’s expenditures on equipment rental/leasing/daily use rates, what percentage was spent within the local area surrounding the project location (i.e., counties X, Y, and Z)? (Open-ended response; can be 0% - 100%)

Of your firm’s expenditures on equipment maintenance and repair, what percentage was spent within the local area surrounding the project location (i.e., counties X, Y, and Z)? (Open-ended response; can be 0% - 100%)

Of your firm’s expenditures on overhead/administration, what percentage was spent within the local area surrounding the project location (i.e., counties X, Y, and Z)? (Open-ended response; can be 0% - 100%)

Questions 6 and 7 will only be asked if the respondent indicated a positive “other” expenditure in Question 2. Question 6 asks the respondent to describe what the “other” non-labor expenditure was, and Question 7 asks how much of the “other” non-labor expenditure was purchased locally. These two questions are important to fully account for and correctly model the economic activity due to the restoration project.

Please describe your firm’s other non-labor expenditure for this project. (Open-ended – limit 1500 characters)

Of your firm’s other non-labor expenditure, what percentage was spent within the local area surrounding the project location (i.e., counties X, Y, and Z)? (Open-ended response; can be 0% - 100%)

Question 8 asks the respondent to break their travel cost into separate expenditure categories. The survey software will require the respective travel cost categories to sum to the total travel costs reported in Question 2.

Please break your firm’s travel expenses for this restoration project (or phase) into the following categories. Your responses should add to the total travel expenditure reported in Question 2.

Travel Cost Categories	Travel Expenditures ($)
Per diem (including lodging, food, and incidental expenses)		→Question 11 if >0
Car/truck rental (for travel)		→Question 12 if >0
Gas (for travel)		→Question 13 if >0
Other (including airfare)		→Question 9 if >0
Total Travel Expenditures	=sum column ;Must sum to travel expenditures

Question 9 asks for the respondent to describe what the other travel expenditures were for the restoration project or specific phase. The purpose of questions 9 and 10 are to more fully account for and correctly model the economic activity of all the travel expenditures for the restoration project.

Please describe your firm’s other travel expenditures for this project (or phase). (Open-ended response; limit 1500 words)

Questions 10 through 13 ask the respondent to indicate the percent of the travel expenditures reported in each category that were purchased within the counties surrounding the project location (i.e., counties X, Y, and Z). Each question will only be asked if the respondent indicated a positive dollar value for the respective travel cost category from Question 8.

Of your firm’s other travel expenditures, what percentage was spent within the local area surrounding the project location (i.e., counties X, Y, and Z)? (Open-ended response; can be from 0% to 100%)

Of your firm’s expenditures on per diem, what percentage was spent within the local area surrounding the project location (i.e., counties X, Y, and Z)? (Open-ended response; can be from 0% to 100%)

Of your firm’s expenditures on car/truck rental for travel, what percentage was spent within the local area surrounding the project location (i.e., counties X, Y, and Z)? (Open-ended response; can be from 0% to 100%)

Of your firm’s expenditures on gas for travel, what percentage was spent within the local area surrounding the project location (i.e., counties X, Y, and Z)? (Open-ended response; can be from 0% to 100%)

Question 14 asks the respondent to break the materials expenditure into separate categories. The survey software will require the respective material categories to sum to the total materials expenditure reported in Question 2. The purpose of separating the total expenditure on materials into the respective categories found in question 14 is to more accurately model the economic impacts of those purchases on the local economy.

Please break the materials expenses for this restoration project (or phase) into the following categories. Your responses should add to the total materials costs of $XX.

	Materials Expenditures ($)
Materials	Materials Expenditures ($)
General retail merchandise (e.g., food, clothes, work gloves)		→Question 15 if >0
Office Supplies		→Question 16 if >0
Gasoline		→Question 17 if >0
Fencing (wood)		→Question 18 if >0
Fencing (wire)		→Question 19 if >0
Wood products (e.g., chips, posts, ties)		→Question 20 if >0
Metal posts		→Question 21 if >0
Plastic netting (e.g., Tensar)		→Question 22 if >0
Natural Fiber fabrics		→Question 23 if >0
Synthetic fabrics		→Question 24 if >0
Water and water delivery systems		→Question 25 if >0
Soil		→Question 26 if >0
Seeds		→Question 27 if >0
Nursery/greenhouse products		→Question 28 if >0
Sand and gravel		→Question 29 if >0
Rocks and riprap		→Question 30 if >0
Mulch (hay, straw, etc.)		→Question 31 if >0
Soil amendments (lime, organic wastes, binders, etc.)		→Question 32 if >0
Fertilizers, pesticides and other agricultural chemicals		→Question 33 if >0
Plastic pipes and pipe fittings (excluding water delivery systems)		→Question 34 if >0
Concrete pipes and conduits		→Question 35 if >0
Brick/concrete products (not including pipes)		→Question 36 if >0
Ready-Mix Concrete		→Question 37 if >0
Hardware (e.g. bolts, nuts, screws, spikes)		→Question 38 if >0
Paint and other coatings		→Question 39 if >0
Communications equipment		→Question 40 if >0
Other (please describe)		→Question 41 if >0
Total Materials Expenditure	=sum column ;Must sum to total materials expenditure

Questions 15 through 41 are follow-up questions to Question 14. Each question in this series will only be asked if the respondent indicated a positive dollar value for the material cost category from Question 14.

Part A asks the respondent to indicate the percent of the material expenditure that was spent within the counties surrounding the project location. The percent of total expenditures that were spent within the local economy is important information to accurately model the local economic impacts of the expenditures. Economic impacts are based on iterative spending within a local economy. Money that doesn’t stay in the local economy after the first round of spending is termed a leakage because it is never spent in the local economy and thus does not generate any local economic impacts. Without information on the percent of expenditures that were spent within the local economy, it is not possible to “leak” the expenditures made outside of the local area, which would result in inaccurate impact estimates.

Part B asks the respondent to indicate where in the supply chain the material was purchased. This information is important to accurately model the economic impacts associated with the material purchase. Part B is omitted from Questions 15 and 16, because these materials (general retail merchandise and office supplies) are assumed to be purchased from a retailer.

Of your firm’s expenditures on general retail merchandise, what percentage was spent within the local area surrounding the project location (i.e., counties X, Y, and Z)? (Open-ended response; can be from 0% to 100%)

Of your firm’s expenditures on office supplies, what percentage was spent within the local area surrounding the project location (i.e., counties X, Y, and Z)? (Open-ended response; can be from 0% to 100%)

The following questions are about your firm’s expenditure on gasoline during this project (or phase).

Of your firm’s expenditures on gasoline, what percentage was spent within the local area surrounding the project location (i.e., counties X, Y, and Z)? (Open-ended response; can be from 0% to 100%)
From what type of business did your firm purchase the gasoline for this project? (check one)

_____ retailer

_____ wholesaler