OMB No. 1220-0008
PPI Refusal Letter – Generic
«RespFirst» «RespLast»
«RespTitle»
«Company»
«Street»
«City», «State» «Zip»
Dear «RespFirst» «RespLast»:
Recently
«FE_FirstName»
«FE_LastName» of
my staff contacted your company to obtain data for the Producer
Price Index (PPI), a Principal Federal Economic Indicator of price
change published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The PPI is
used extensively by businesses to analyze economic conditions, adjust
escalation contracts, and determine inventory valuation. I
understand that your firm has declined to participate, and I urge you
to please reconsider this decision.
Your
company’s participation is critical to the accuracy of the PPI.
«Company» was
chosen as part of a sample of companies to represent price change in
the «Industry_Name1»
industry. For our sampling process to remain statistically valid, we
cannot replace your company with
another business. Your participation will strengthen our index.
Your time commitment is minimal. Our approach allows
flexibility in working with you or a staff member. We will select
and record prices for only a sample of your company’s goods and
services, and ask that you periodically update the prices for only
those selected items.
Your participation is confidential. We do not reveal actual company names or prices in our published indexes.
Should
you have additional questions or concerns that I have not addressed,
please contact «FE_FirstName»
«FE_LastName» at
«FE_Tel».
Otherwise, «FE_FirstName»
«FE_LastName»
will contact
you soon to discuss your
company’s participation in the PPI.
We look forward to working with you.
Sincerely yours,
Name
«Title»
PPI Refusal Letter – No Time
«RespFirst» «RespLast»
«RespTitle»
«Company»
«Street»
«City», «State» «Zip»
Dear «RespFirst» «RespLast»:
Thank you for your company’s consideration of our request for assistance with the Producer Price Index (PPI). We understand that you are reluctant to participate because of the time involved. I wish to emphasize that we respect the value of your time and will limit our request accordingly.
Our approach is flexible and quick. We will:
Keep our appointment to a time limit you specify
Use your existing records or knowledge of your business
Obtain prices for an agreed-upon number of goods/services
Work with you or a staff member
We need the participation of all sampled companies to publish the most complete and accurate indexes possible. For our sampling process to remain statistically valid, we cannot replace your company with another business. Your participation will strengthen our index.
Your participation is confidential. We do not reveal actual company names or prices in our published indexes.
«FE_FirstName» «FE_LastName» will contact you soon to provide a more complete explanation of the PPI and arrange a brief meeting at your convenience. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact «FE_FirstName» «FE_LastName» at «FE_Tel». We look forward to working with you.
Sincerely
yours,
NAME
«Title»
PPI Refusal Letter – No Value
«RespFirst» «RespLast»
«RespTitle»
«Company»
«Street»
«City», «State» «Zip»
Dear «RespFirst»
«RespLast»:
Recently «FE_FirstName» «FE_LastName» of my staff contacted your company to obtain data for the Producer Price Index (PPI) Program published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). I understand that your company has reservations about the value of the PPI and has declined to participate. The PPI is widely used by the government and businesses to make better-informed business decisions. The BLS takes pride in providing this essential information to the public, but we cannot accomplish our mission without the help of companies like «Company».
How is the PPI used? In addition to being a general measure of our country’s economic health, the PPI is used extensively by businesses such as yours and throughout the economy.
PPI Private and Public Sector Uses
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Private Sector Uses |
Federal Government Uses |
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I would like to emphasize the importance of including your company in the PPI. Your company represents other establishments in your industry. For our sampling process to remain statistically valid, we cannot replace your company with another business.
We respect the value of your time and will limit our request accordingly. We can use existing company records or your knowledge of your business, so that you do not need to create any special reports.
At the BLS, we also produce a variety of other statistics including retail inflation, wages and benefit costs, unemployment, and many other topics. Our products are available at www.bls.gov, and we also have staff members in our Economic Analysis & Information department who are available to assist you at «EAI_Phone».
«FE_FirstName» «FE_LastName» will contact you soon to provide a more complete explanation of the PPI and arrange a brief meeting. We also have enclosed some additional information regarding the PPI. If you have any questions, please contact «FE_FirstName» «FE_LastName» at «FE_Tel». We look forward to working with you.
Sincerely yours,
NAME
«Title»
Enclosure
PPI Refusal Letter – Confidentiality
«RespFirst» «RespLast»
«RespTitle»
«Company»
«Street»
«City», «State» «Zip»
Dear
«RespFirst» «RespLast»:
Recently «FE_FirstName»
«FE_LastName»
of my staff contacted your company to obtain data for the
Producer Price Index (PPI), a Principal Federal Economic Indicator of
price change published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The
PPI is used extensively by businesses to analyze economic conditions,
adjust escalation contracts, and determine inventory valuation. I
understand that your firm has declined to participate because of
concerns about confidentiality, and I urge you to please reconsider
this decision.
One
of our fundamental principles is the protection of the
confidentiality of your information. The BLS has policies and
procedures in place to ensure the confidentiality of all data. Our
employees have signed a confidentiality pledge and complete annual
training on secure data handling practices. Enclosed is a handout
entitled “Protection of Survey Respondents’ Confidential
Information” for more detail on BLS data protections.
Your participation is confidential. We do not reveal actual company names or prices in our published indexes.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics, its employees, agents, and partner statistical agencies, will use the information you provide for statistical purposes only and will hold the information in confidence to the full extent permitted by law. In accordance with the Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act (44 U.S.C. 3572) and other applicable Federal laws, your responses will not be disclosed in identifiable form without your informed consent. Per the Federal Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2015, Federal information systems are protected from malicious activities through cybersecurity screening of transmitted data.
In
addition to Title 44 U.S.C. 3572, it is the position of the BLS,
supported by the Solicitor of Labor, that Section (b) (4) of the
Freedom of Information Act, exempting from disclosure "trade
secrets and commercial or financial information obtained from a
person (which is) privileged or confidential," clearly applies
to the data which are being supplied for this program. This
view is also supported by the legal and legislative history of the
Act and by the opinion of the Solicitor of Labor, and was upheld in
U.S. District court in Hustead v. Norwood 529 F. Supp. 323 (1981).
Companies
like yours are crucial to forming an accurate measure of price
changes; thus, we ask for your participation. «FE_FirstName»
«FE_LastName»
will contact you soon to provide a more complete explanation of the
PPI and arrange a brief meeting. If you have any questions or
concerns, please contact «FE_FirstName»
«FE_LastName»
at «FE_Tel».
We look forward to working with
you.
Sincerely yours,
NAME
«Title»
Enclosure
«Enclosure_Name»
PPI Refusal Letter – Small Business
«RespFirst» «RespLast»
«RespTitle»
«Company»
«Street»
«City», «State» «Zip»
Dear «RespFirst» «RespLast»:
Recently «FE_FirstName» «FE_LastName» of my staff contacted your company to obtain data for the Producer Price Index (PPI), a Principal Federal Economic Indicator of price change published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). I understand that you believe your company may be too small to significantly affect the PPI and to be of value to this national survey published by the BLS.
I
would like to emphasize the importance of including small companies
in the PPI. The BLS needs firms of all sizes to accurately measure
price trends in market segments that larger firms may not cover. In
addition, companies such as yours represent other establishments of
similar size in our index. For
our sampling process to remain statistically valid, we
cannot replace your company with
another business.
We
respect the value of your time and will limit our request
accordingly. We can work with
existing company records to obtain information, so that you do not
need to create any special reports. We also will work with you
regarding the specific items selected to represent your firm in the
PPI.
Your participation is confidential. We do not reveal actual company names or prices in our published indexes.
I
urge you to reconsider your company’s decision about providing
data for the PPI. Should you have additional concerns that I have
not addressed, please contact «FE_FirstName»
«FE_LastName» at
«FE_Tel».
Otherwise, «FE_FirstName»
«FE_LastName»
will call you soon to
discuss your participation in this program. We look
forward to working with you.
Sincerely yours,
NAME
«Title»
PPI Refusal Letter – Policy
«RespFirst» «RespLast»
«RespTitle»
«Company»
«Street»
«City», «State» «Zip»
Dear «RespFirst» « RespLast »,
On behalf of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), «FE_FirstName» «FE_LastName» has been contacting you regularly over the past few years to request «Company name»’s participation in the Producer Price Index (PPI). I understand from Corporate Counsel that «Company name» has a policy not to participate in voluntary surveys. Many businesses that cooperate with the BLS on this critical economic measure have a similar policy but make an exception due to the unique and important nature of the PPI. I ask that you make an exception to your policy and provide data for the PPI.
You may wonder why we continue to contact you for data. As Chief Executive Officer of a major corporation, you appreciate how the U.S. business community benefits from having a reliable, monthly measure of inflation. In order for the PPI to present an accurate representation of the U.S. economy, we depend on the data from businesses that have been statistically selected for inclusion in the Index. As one of the country’s leading women’s specialty retailers, «Company name» represents an important major economic segment for the PPI. Your participation is important to the scope and accuracy of the Index.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics, its employees, agents, and partner statistical agencies, will use the information you provide for statistical purposes only and will hold the information in confidence to the full extent permitted by law. In accordance with the Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act (44 U.S.C. 3572) and other applicable Federal laws, your responses will not be disclosed in identifiable form without your informed consent. Per the Federal Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2015, Federal information systems are protected from malicious activities through cybersecurity screening of transmitted data.
«FE_FirstName» «FE_LastName» of my staff will telephone you within the next few days to ask that you make this important exception to your policy. In the meantime, if you have any questions regarding this matter, please contact «FE_FirstName» «FE_LastName» at «FE_Tel». For further information about our statistics, you may visit our web site at www.bls.gov. Your cooperation in making this survey a continuing success will be greatly appreciated.
Sincerely yours,
NAME
«Title»
PPI Refusal Letter – Last Attempt
«RespFirst» «RespLast»
«Job Title»
«Company»
«Street»
«City», «State» «Zip»
Dear «RespFirst» «RespLast»:
«FE_FirstName» «FE_LastName» of my staff has attempted to contact you regarding the Producer Price Index (PPI) and has been unable to reach you. You may recall receiving a letter explaining that your company had been selected to provide data for the PPI.
I would like to assure you that the information we are requesting is important to the accuracy of the PPI. Many businesses use the PPI extensively to analyze economic conditions, adjust escalation contracts, and determine inventory valuation. For our sampling process to remain statistically valid, we cannot replace your company with another business.
Our economists are required to make every effort to speak with respondents directly. Providing the data will require a minimal amount of your time. A return phone call in no way obligates you to participate, but it does give «FE_FirstName» «FE_LastName» a chance to address any concerns and questions you may have.
Your participation is confidential. We do not reveal actual company names or prices in our published indexes.
Since the success of the PPI relies upon the participation of a select sample of companies, I urge you to speak with «FE_FirstName» «FE_LastName» soon. You may contact «FE_FirstName» «FE_LastName» at «FE_Tel» or «FE_Email». We look forward to working with you.
Sincerely yours,
NAME
«Title»
PPI Refusal Letter – Data Follow Up
«RespFirst» «RespLast»
«RespTitle»
«Company»
«Street»
«City», «State» «Zip»
Dear «RespFirst» «RespLast»:
On «Date», «FE_FirstName» «FE_LastName» from my staff worked with you to obtain information for the Producer Price Index (PPI) published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). It is my understanding that you agreed to participate in the PPI, but you were unable to provide us with all of the expected data at that time. It is still important for us to collect the remaining data from your company soon.
If we are to include your company in the PPI, we must receive your information by our <insert2> deadline. Following through with the data ensures that your time, efforts and tax dollars are not wasted.
Your participation is critical to the accuracy of the PPI. For our sampling process to remain statistically valid, we cannot replace your company with another business. The PPI is used extensively by businesses to:
Adjust escalation contracts
Make input cost and output price comparisons
Determine last in, first out (LIFO) inventory valuation
We cannot include your company in the PPI until we receive the remaining information. I urge you to provide the data agreed upon by the «Insert2» deadline. Please contact «FE_FirstName» «FE_LastName» at «FE_Tel» or «FE _Email». Thank you for your efforts.
Sincerely yours,
NAME
«Title»
www.bls.gov/ppi/
| File Type | application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document |
| File Title | Refusal letter - generic |
| Author | HP Authorized Customer |
| File Modified | 0000-00-00 |
| File Created | 2024-07-28 |