Justification External Reviewer Survey_1.15.21

SUPPORTING STATEMENT FOR PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT SUBMISSIONS

 

A. Justification

A1.  Need for Information Collection

The Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) awards grants to states, institutions of higher education, non-profit organizations, Indian tribes, and U.S. Territories to operate AmeriCorps and AmeriCorps Seniors programs. This information collection comprises the questions that individuals complete upon serving as external/peer reviewers for AmeriCorps grant application reviews. The engagement of external/peer reviewers is permitted, and, at times, required by statute, and this information collection is necessary for the execution of that authority.

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

Individuals respond to the questions included in these surveys after serving as external/peer reviewers for AmeriCorps application reviews. CNCS reviews the submitted information to assess and make improvements to grant competitions.

 

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

CNCS will be accepting reviewers’ response to these questions electronically.

A4.  Non-Duplication

There are no other sources of information by which CNCS can meet the purposes described in A2 (above).

 

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

This collection of information is relevant to individuals who serve as external peer reviewers in grant application competitions. The burden to individuals is minimized to the degree possible by only asking for the information necessary to assess the grant application review process.

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

 

CNCS would not have the same degree of knowledge to assess and make improvements to External Reviewer recruitment, selection, training, and management throughout the grant review.

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 these ways.

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 Friday, November 13, 2020 on page 72638. No comments were received.

 

 A9.  Payment to Respondents

Individuals who are selected to serve as peer reviewers and who perform duties in this role receive an honorarium between $100-$1000 depending on the time commitment for the peer review role they perform.

  

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

CNCS does not provide assurance of confidentiality; instead, respondents are informed that the information will not be shared with any third parties (e.g., other Reviewers or Applicants).

A11.  Sensitive Questions

 

The information collection includes no sensitive questions.

 

A12. Hour burden of the collection

We expect approximately 250 external/peer reviewers to respond to the survey upon completion of their grant review. The frequency of response will not be greater than annually and should not exceed 15 minutes of effort per respondent.

 

A13. Cost burden to the respondent

Estimation of Respondent Burden
Number of respondents	250
Responses per respondent	1
Minutes per response	15
Estimated hours (number of responses multiplied by hours per response)	60
Cost per hour (hourly wage)	$55.76
Annual public burden (estimated hours multiplied by cost per hour)	$3,345.60

 

A13.  Respondent Costs Other Than Burden Hour Costs

       CNCS does not estimate any annual cost burden apart from the hourly burden in Item 12 above.

A14. Cost to Government

The cost to the Government corresponds to the staff and 10 hours of contractor time required to review the information submitted by respondents. The total costs for staff and contractor time is $996.00 per year.

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

Not applicable.

 

 A16.  Publication of results

A list of individuals who are selected to serve as peer reviewers and who perform this role in an application review are published on the CNCS website for the purpose of transparency in federal grantmaking. Respondents who are selected to serve as external peer reviewers provide written consent that they understand and agree to make their name public.

 

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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