SUPPORTING STATEMENT
Guidelines for the Transfer of Excess Computers or Other Technical
Equipment Pursuant to Section 14220 of the 2008 Farm Bill
OMB NO. 0505-0023
Justification
Circumstances that make the collection of information necessary and any legal or administrative requirements that necessitate the collection.
In accordance with procedures in the Federal Management Regulation, Subpart 102-36.295, each agency is responsible for submitting an annual report of all personal property furnished to non-Federal recipients to the General Services Administration. Section 923 of the Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act (FAIR) , Public Law 104-127 of 1996, also known as the Farm Bill, gives the Secretary of Agriculture the authority to acquire and transfer title of Federal Excess Personal Property (FEPP) to certain eligible Institutions. USDA requires information in order to: verify eligibility of requestors; determine availability of excess property; have contact information of the requestor available; and to ensure an organization is designated to receive property on behalf of an eligible recipient. Information will be used to coordinate the transfer of property to eligible recipients. Respondents will be authorized representatives of a city, town, or local government entity located in a rural area as defined in 7 U.S.C. 1991(a)(13)(A).
2. How, by whom, and for what purpose the information is to be used.
Information is collected via letters from requestors (electronic copies are acceptable).
Information is collected for each request.
Requests must include: (1) Type of excess computers or other technical equipment requested; (2) Justification for eligibility; (3) Contact information of the requestor; (4) Logistical information such as when and how the property will be picked up; and (5) Information on the recipient’s designated organization that will receive and refurbish the property for the recipient.
Requests will come from an authorized representative of a city, town, or local government entity located in a rural area as defined in 7 U.S.C. 1991(a)(13)(A).
USDA requires information in order to: verify eligibility of requestors; determine availability of excess property; have contact information of the requestor available; and to ensure an organization is designated to receive property on behalf of an eligible recipient.
Information will be used to coordinate the transfer of excess property to eligible recipients and as input for the required annual report, of all personal property furnished to non-Federal recipients, to General Services Administration.
Explanation as to whether, and to what extent, the collection of information involves the use of automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology.
Letters from requestors can be sent electronically via fax or scanned and emailed. The collection of information does not involve any other use of information technology. The use of additional information technology will be considered once enough data is available for analysis.
4. Explanation of efforts to identify duplication and why any similar information already available cannot be used or modified for use for the purposes described in item 2 above.
The requested information is not known to be available from any other source.
5. Collection of information impact on small businesses or other small entities.
This information collection does not impact small businesses and will have no significant economic impact on cities, towns, or local government entities located in rural areas. Information required is the bare minimum needed to fulfill the requirements of this law.
6. Explanation of the consequence to Federal program or policy activities if the collection is not conducted or is conducted less frequently, as well as any technical or legal obstacles to reducing burden.
Without a request, USDA may be unable to furnish the benefits intended by this law, to cities, towns, or local government entities in rural areas.
7. Explanation of any special circumstances that would cause information collection to be conducted in a manner: requiring respondents to report information to the agency more often than quarterly; requiring respondents to prepare a written response to a collection of information in fewer than 30 days after receipt of it; requiring respondents to submit more than an original and two copies of any document; requiring respondents to retain records, other than health, medical, government contract, grant-in-aid, or tax records for more than 3 years; in connection with a statistical survey, that is not designed to produce valid and reliable results that can be generalized to the universe of study; requiring the use of a statistical data classification that has not been reviewed and approved by OMB; that includes a pledge of confidentiality that is not supported by authority established in statue or regulation, that is not supported by disclosure and data security policies that are consistent with the pledge, or which unnecessarily impedes sharing of data with other agencies for compatible confidential use; or requiring respondents to submit proprietary trade secret, or other confidential information unless the agency can demonstrate that it has instituted procedures to protect the information's confidentiality to the extent permitted by law.
There are no special circumstances which would cause information collection to be conducted in a manner inconsistent with the above requirements. The collection of information is conducted in a manner consistent with the guidelines in 5 CFR 1320.6.
8. A copy of the publication in the Federal Register of the notice, required by 5 CFR 1320.8(d), soliciting comments on the information collection prior to submission to OMB is attached. No public comments were received in response to the notice and therefore no explanations of actions taken are listed.
The Office of Procurement and Property and Environmental Management (OPEM) published a notice in the Federal Register on 02/19/2021, Vol 86, page 10233 with a 60 day comment period ending on 4/19/2021 Interested members of the public had the opportunity to provide OPEM with their input and concerns however there were no comments received on the notice. I consult with 3 affiliates outside of USDA however I did not receive any comments.
BJ Webster
406-275-4966
P.O. Box 70
Pablo MT, 59855
Eric Busby
432-837-8137
Box C-116
Alpine TX 79832
Ruben Walker
337-344-8634
P.O. Box 10010
Baton Rouge LA 70813
9. Explanation of the decision to provide any payment or gift to respondents, other than remuneration of contractors or grantees.
The Agency will not provide payments or gifts to the respondents.
10. Description of assurances of confidentiality provided to respondents and the basis for the assurances in statute, regulation, or agency policy.
The Privacy Act of 1974, 5 U.S.C. § 552a as amended deals with records maintained on individuals. No information, confidential or otherwise, on individuals is required under this program. Requestors should not send USDA any item, collection, or grouping of information about an individual, except for information that is publicly accessible. There are no assurances of confidentiality to respondents. The information provided will become part of the official property records that support transactions under this notice.
11. Additional justification for any questions of a sensitive nature, such as sexual behavior and attitudes, religious beliefs, and other matters that are commonly considered private.
Questions of a sensitive nature, or commonly considered private, are not found in this information collection.
12. Estimates of the hour burden of the collection of information
Number of respondents, frequency of response, annual hour burden, and an explanation of how the burden was estimated.
Although estimates should not include burden hours for customary and usual business practices, OPEM has the following estimates:
- Number of respondents would be about 10, based on the number of requests over the last three year period;
- Frequency of responses will be occasional, as respondents assess their needs, but should be no more than once a year based on the supposition that requestors will ask for enough property that will be needed each year;
- Annual hour burden for each respondent will be about 12 minutes; and
- Total hour burden for all respondents will be about 2 hours.
The hour burden on respondents is not expected to vary widely because of differences in activity, size, or complexity.
Information is provided in letter format by requestor.
Estimates of annualized cost to respondents for the hour burdens for collections of information, identifying and using appropriate wage rate categories.
The following categories of occupations and their median hourly rates were taken from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ May 2019 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates for the United States listing: This cost includes fringe benefits.
- Secretary, except legal, medical and executive - $23.73/hr. x 2 hrs. = $47.46 Correspondence clerk - $24.02/hr. x 2 hrs. = $48.04
- Executive secretary and Administrative Assistant - $38.34/hr. x 2 hrs. = $76.68
- Total burden hours (2) multiplied by average hourly cost = $172.18
13. Estimate of the total annual cost burden to respondents or record keepers resulting from the collection of information.
There are no capital or start-up cost components required nor operation or maintenance and purchase of services components associated with this information collection. No equipment, software, or services will have to be procured by the respondents in order to provide the information requested.
14. Estimates of annualized cost to the Federal government.
Estimated costs are based on a GS-11/5 (using 2021 General Schedule base rate) transferring 10 computers (grade and number of computers are average amounts for similar type transfers). Estimated time for the transfer of computers from the initial receipt of the request to the actual pick up of equipment and subsequent close out of internal requirements is 1 ½ hours. 1.5/hr. x $51.76/hr. = $77.64 which include fringe benefit cost.
Explanation for any program changes or adjustments reported in items 13 or 14 of the OMB Form 83-I.
There are no program changes or adjustments from the previous approval.
16. Plan outline for the tabulation and publication of information collection results that will be published.
In accordance with procedures in the Federal Management Regulation, Subpart 102-36.295, each agency is responsible for submitting an annual report to the General Services Administration (GSA) of all personal property furnished to non-Federal recipients. This annual report lists the name of each recipient, their zip code, the Federal Supply Class Group of the property, the total original acquisition cost of the property and the authority under which the property was furnished. USDA agencies submit individual reports to OPEM, who then submits a consolidated USDA report to GSA.
The only analyses that are planned to be performed are internal and in conjunction with ensuring that property is distributed in a fair and equitable manner.
17. Approval is requested to not display the OMB approval expiration date of the information collection.
Information provided by requestors is in a letter they write and submit and not any standard or other type of form. Therefore, displaying the expiration date of OMB approval is not feasible.
18. Explanation for each exception to the certification statement identified in item 19, "Certification for Paperwork Reduction Act Submissions," of OMB Form 83-I.
A. Certification Statement
The agency is able to certify compliance with all provisions under Item 19 of OMB Form 83-I.
B. Collections of information employing statistical methods
This information collection does not employ statistical methods.
| File Type | application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document |
| File Title | TEMPLATE/GUIDELINES FOR PREPARING THE SUPPORTING STATEMENT |
| Author | IMB, ERO |
| File Modified | 0000-00-00 |
| File Created | 2021-04-27 |