Part B

SUPPORTING STATEMENT PART B -

B. Collections of Information Employing Statistical Methods

1. Describe (including a numerical estimate) the potential respondent universe and any sampling or other respondent selection method to be used. Data on the number of entities (e.g., establishments, State and local government units, households, or persons) in the universe covered by the collection and in the corresponding sample are to be provided in tabular form for the universe as a whole and for each of the strata in the proposed sample. Indicate expected response rates for the collection as a whole. If the collection had been conducted previously, include the actual response rate achieved during the last collection.

The potential universe of respondents is all companies applying for CHIPS funding based on the notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) released in September 2023. The CPO may publish information concerning the award of incentives throughout the review, selection, and award process.

The Department may also publish aggregated information from concept plans and applications, but no specific statistical analyses are planned with the information collected under this information collected package at this time. Any accepted non-binding Preliminary Memorandum of Terms or CHIPS Incentives Awards will specify additional information that the Department may further analyze or make public.

2. Describe the procedures for the collection of information including:

• Statistical methodology for stratification and sample selection,

• Estimation procedure,

• Degree of accuracy needed for the purpose described in the justification,

• Unusual problems requiring specialized sampling procedures, and any use of periodic (less frequent than annual) data collection cycles to reduce burden.

The procedures for collecting information include voluntary applicants entering data into webforms and uploading documents in a secure application portal. These procedures do not include sampling methodologies, estimation procedures, or specialized sampling procedures. There are not periodic data collection cycles because the information collection is not intended to be periodic for most respondents unless they choose to submit multiple applications.

We may publish information concerning the award of incentives throughout the review, selection, and award process. At the full application stage, we may publicly disclose information regarding the identity of the applicant and its ultimate corporate parent, the location of the proposed project(s), the status of its application (e.g. complete and pending review, approved for entry into due diligence, in due diligence, denied, or withdraw), whether a non-binding Preliminary Memorandum of Terms has been offered to the applicant, as well as basic terms thereof; disclosures of project information and environmental impacts required under Federal environmental review requirements, such as the National Environmental Policy Act (as determined by the Department), any notifications to Congress required by law, or any other disclosures required by law.

3. Describe methods to maximize response rates and to deal with issues of non-response. The accuracy and reliability of information collected must be shown to be adequate for intended uses. For collections based on sampling, a special justification must be provided for any collection that will not yield "reliable" data that can be generalized to the universe studied.

Responses are optional and response rates are not applicable. Soliciting, incentivizing, or any other efforts to increase the number of responses is not planned. The data is being analyzed against the resultant respondents for the purpose of reporting aggregate data.

4. Describe any tests of procedures or methods to be undertaken. Testing is encouraged as an effective means of refining collections of information to minimize burden and improve utility. Tests must be approved if they call for answers to identical questions from 10 or more respondents. A proposed test or set of tests may be submitted for approval separately or in combination with the main collection of information.

There are no test procedures involved in the collection or analysis of this data.

5. Provide the name and telephone number of individuals consulted on statistical aspects of the design and the name of the agency unit, contractor(s), grantee(s), or other person(s) who will actually collect and/or analyze the information for the agency.

The Department may publish aggregated information from concept plans and applications, but no specific statistical analyses are planned with the information collected under this information collected package at this time. The design and execution of analyses associated with this information collection, if any are undertaken, will occur by CHIPS Program Office personnel.