Supporting Statement A BHW Standardized Work Plan Revision - Final

Supporting Statement

Standardized Work Plan (SWP) Form for Use with Applications to the Bureau of Health Workforce (BHW) Research and Training Grants and Cooperative Agreements

OMB No. 0906-0049 - Revision

Terms of Clearance: None

A. Justification

1. Circumstances Making the Collection of Information Necessary

HRSA is submitting this information collection revision request to OMB for review/ approval of revisions to the Standardized Work Plan (SWP) Form for Use with Applications to the Bureau of Health Workforce (BHW) Research and Training Grants and Cooperative Agreements.

This information collection is necessary to evaluate applications for financial assistance and determine the relative merits of the projects for which such assistance is requested, as set forth in Sections 796 and 802 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. §§ 295n-1, 296a). The SWP succinctly captures all required work plan information in an objective manner allowing reviewers to analyze critical project elements.

This revision to the clearance package will incorporate an additional form for participants, the Quarterly Progress Update (QPU). The QPU information collection is necessary to evaluate whether projects’ goals are being advanced or achieved, as set forth in 45 C.F.R. § 75.342. The QPU will be delivered and completed via HRSA’s Electronic Handbook (EHB) and prompts recipients to report on progress of activities that were submitted using the SWP in the original application allowing government officials to efficiently analyze progress of grant and cooperative agreement project elements.

Currently, project officers and other federal officers must assess progress towards activities submitted in the SWP through manual inspection and communication with the awardee. The QPU is a more efficient way to document progress towards grant activities and identify areas where targeted support may be needed. The QPU will be used to systematically report on the progress of projects through a new standardized form that will assist the evaluation of programs throughout implementation, provide targeted program assistance where needed to achieve project goals, and identify whether that support has been effective.

2. Purpose and Use of Information Collection

The information to be collected in the QPU will be used by BHW to assist in determining if an awardee is meeting the goals and objectives set forth in their application via the SWP. Requiring applicants to complete the QPU as part of their award monitoring process will assist federal officers to assess project progress and risk assessment for future awards. The QPU will serve as a monitoring and evaluation tool that requires awardees to report quarterly whether their proposed project activities are being met. The QPU will be used by BHW project officers and staff throughout the grant period to compare projected objectives and activities against concrete accomplishments in order to assess grantees' progress.

3. Use of Improved Information Technology and Burden Reduction

Every effort was taken to design the tool to collect the least amount of data needed to systematically evaluate progress for BHW programs. The QPU was developed after a comprehensive overview of program monitoring procedures and techniques to identify a streamlined, consistent approach to collect the necessary data. Use of the QPU will ensure all progress updates are systematically documented and will allow for efficient and continuous progress assessments, specifically when portfolios shift among federal officers. This will reduce the burden on awardees and project officers who currently communicate about progress at different intervals, frequencies, and document in different formats while ensuring all necessary program monitoring requirements are met. All awardees will be required to submit this standardized QPU form electronically and quarterly through HRSA’s Electronic Handbook (EHB), an award and program management system used by HRSA and its award recipients.

4. Efforts to Identify Duplication and Use of Similar Information

BHW has reviewed existing information collection instruments and has determined that there are no existing forms that can be used to meet BHW’s data collection needs. The QPU form will standardize the federal officials’ monitoring practices and allow for swift identification of programs who are off track and need additional prompt technical assistance.

5. Impact on Small Businesses or Other Small Entities

No small businesses will be involved.

6. Consequences of Collecting the Information Less Frequently

After an award is made, the QPU will be required quarterly and will assist with assessing the grant or cooperative agreement’s progress on activities previously proposed in the SWP during the application phase. Information collected quarterly will be calculated against overall project goals and activities, allowing for real-time progress assessments throughout the length of the award period.

7. Special Circumstances Relating to the Guidelines of 5 CFR 1320.5

All guidelines relating to 5 CFR § 1320.5 are met. The request fully complies with the regulation. There are no special circumstances requiring these collections to be conducted in any manner.

8. Comments in Response to the Federal Register Notice/Outside Consultation

A 60-day Federal Register Notice was published in the Federal Register on September 15, 2020 Vol. 85, No. 179, pp.57221-57222.

In addition to the Federal Register notice, HRSA conducted extensive internal review and requirements gathering with federal staff to determine appropriate collection items that mirrored current BHW program requirements. Participants conducted review and requirements gathering from September 1, 2016 through August 20, 2020. The federal staff that participated in internal requirements gathering and review were:

Daniel Vieira and National Center for Health Workforce Analysis Staff

Bureau of Health Workforce

Health Resources and Services Administration

5600 Fishers Lane

Rockville, MD 20852

(301) 945-3991

Gail Lipton and Division of Policy and Shortage Designation Staff

Bureau of Health Workforce

Health Resources and Services Administration

5600 Fishers Lane

Rockville, MD 20852

(301) 443-6509

Lina Dalal and Division of Business Operations Staff

Bureau of Health Workforce

Health Resources and Services Administration

5600 Fishers Lane

Rockville, MD 20852

(301) 443-1052

Tara Spencer and Division of Nursing and Public Health Staff

Bureau of Health Workforce

Health Resources and Services Administration

5600 Fishers Lane

Rockville, MD 20852

(301) 443-3192

Shane Rogers and Division of Medicine and Dentistry Staff

Bureau of Health Workforce

Health Resources and Services Administration

5600 Fishers Lane

Rockville, MD 20852

(301) 443-5260

Corey Palmer and Division of Health Careers and Financial Support Staff

Bureau of Health Workforce

Health Resources and Services Administration

5600 Fishers Lane

Rockville, MD 20852

(301) 945-4559

9. Explanation of any Payment/Gift to Respondents

Respondents will not receive any payments or gifts.

10. Assurance of Confidentiality Provided to Respondents

The information collected will be kept secure and protected. Information containing personal identifiers will not be requested.

11. Justification for Sensitive Questions

This is not applicable. No information of a sensitive nature is requested in the QPU.

12. Estimates of Annualized Hour and Cost Burden

12A. The following is the hour burden estimate for this information collection request. As part of the program’s NOFO, most programs require that applicants describe the activities, timeframes, deliverables, and key partners that will be required during the grant period of performance to address the needs described in the NOFO Purpose and Need section.

Form Name	Number of Respondents	Number of Responses per Respondent	Total Responses	Average Burden per Response (in hours)	Total Annual Burden Hours
Standardized Work Plan (SWP)	1000	1	1000	1	1000
Quarterly Progress Update (QPU) Form	1000	4	4,000	.10	400
Total	10001	-	5000	-	1400

¹ The 1,000 Standardized Work Plan (SWP) respondents reflects the number of new grant applications submitted annually. The 1,000 Quarterly Progress Update (QPU) respondents reflects the current volume of funded, active grants.

12B. Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 1400

Estimated Annualized Burden Costs

Type of Respondent	Total Burden Hours	Hourly Wage Rate	Total Respondent Costs
Grant Recipients	1400	$16.37	$22,918
Total	1400		$22,918

The annualized burden costs for recipients is based on the May 2019 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates by the Bureau of Labor. https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_nat.htm

13. Estimates of other Total Annual Cost Burden to Respondents or Recordkeepers/Capital Costs

Other than their time, there is no cost to respondents.

14. Annualized Cost to Federal Government

An estimated 0.1 FTE at the GS 11 Step 9 level is needed to serve as the coordinator for data evaluation and to provide technical assistance to grantees regarding the data collection process and subsequent evaluation at an estimated cost of $9,124 annually.

15. Explanation for Program Changes or Adjustments

The current burden inventory is 1,000 hours and this request is for 1,400 hours.

The proposed increase is due to the addition of the QPU form.

16. Plans for Tabulation, Publication, and Project Time Schedule

The QPU form will be made available on HRSA’s Electronic Handbook (EHB), an award and program management system used by HRSA and its award recipients.

17. Reason(s) Display of OMB Expiration Date is Inappropriate

The OMB number and Expiration date will be displayed on every page of every form/instrument.

18. Exceptions to Certification for Paperwork Reduction Act Submissions

There are no exceptions to the certification.

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