1225-0088 Generic Clearance Submission - OPT

Request for Approval under the “DOL Departmental Generic Clearance for the Collection of Routine Customer Feedback”

(OMB Control Number: 1225-0088)

TITLE OF INFORMATION COLLECTION: Small-group discussions on retail and retail-related perspectives

PURPOSE:

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is currently researching alternative ways to measure retail trade to account for changes in the sector over the past few decades, such as the rise of e-commerce and importance of retail-related industries like transportation and warehousing. A Committee on National Statistics (CNStat) report detailing the initiative recommends BLS develop a retail trade satellite account with input from knowledgeable and interested stakeholders from various industry groups.

A series of small-group discussions will be held with some of these stakeholders in March. Discussion questions will be supplied in advance. BLS’s goal is to seek input that would be used toward the development of a plan to address the recommendations of the CNStat panel. These discussions would also allow BLS to learn industry perspectives on the definition of retail and retail-supporting activities.

Information from these sessions will be used internally to plan for enhancements to productivity, prices, and other related series. No policy decisions will be made from the information gathered. The results are for internal use and will not be disseminated to the public.

DESCRIPTION OF RESPONDENTS:

The attendees will include representatives from a variety of industry associations, such as the National Retail Federation, as well as individuals from academia and businesses within the targeted industries. BLS plans to contact known stakeholders who have previously contacted our office for help or are contacts from professional/academic conferences with interest in productivity data. BLS estimates between five to ten discussion sessions will be held with approximately two to three participants for each discussion. We anticipate needing to contact additional potential attendees to find enough willing participants.

TYPE OF COLLECTION: (Check one)

[ ] Customer Comment Card/Complaint Form [ ] Customer Satisfaction Survey

[ ] Usability Testing (e.g., Website or Software [X ] Small Discussion Group

[ ] Focus Group [ ] Other: ______________________

CERTIFICATION:

I certify the following to be true:

1. The collection is voluntary.

2. The collection is low-burden for respondents and low-cost for the Federal Government.

3. The collection is non-controversial and does not raise issues of concern to other federal agencies.

4. The results are not intended to be disseminated to the public.

5. Information gathered will not be used for the purpose of substantially informing influential policy decisions.

6. The collection is targeted to the solicitation of opinions from respondents who have experience with the program or may have experience with the program in the future.

Name:_____Lucy P. Eldridge___________________________________________

To assist review, please provide answers to the following question:

Personally Identifiable Information:

1. Is personally identifiable information (PII) collected? [ ] Yes [X] No

2. If Yes, is the information that will be collected included in records that are subject to the Privacy Act of 1974? [ ] Yes [ ] No

3. If Applicable, has a System or Records Notice been published? [ ] Yes [ ] No

Gifts or Payments:

Is an incentive (e.g., money or reimbursement of expenses, token of appreciation) provided to participants? [ ] Yes [X] No

BURDEN HOURS

Category of Respondent	No. of Respondents	Participation Time	Burden
Individuals (OPT discussion participants)	30	90 min	45 hours
Totals	30	90	45

FEDERAL COST: The estimated annual cost to the Federal government is $14,687.50, including 7 hours to develop questions for the discussion, 180 hours to attend the discussions (12 federal employees attending 10 sessions, each 1.5 hours in length), and 48 hours to analyze the results. (Calculation is 235 hours x $62.50 (GS 14/2)).

If you are conducting a focus group, survey, or plan to employ statistical methods, please provide answers to the following questions:

The selection of your targeted respondents

1. Do you have a customer list or something similar that defines the universe of potential respondents and do you have a sampling plan for selecting from this universe? [ ] Yes [X] No

If the answer is yes, please provide a description of both below (or attach the sampling plan)? If the answer is no, please provide a description of how you plan to identify your potential group of respondents and how you will select them?

Potential respondents include representatives from retail and retail-related industry associations and business leaders. Respondents were selected from among those who previously participated on the CNStat panel of recommendations, along with DUAC and FESAC members and groups providing survey respondent endorsements.

Administration of the Instrument

1. How will you collect the information? (Check all that apply)

[ ] Web-based or other forms of Social Media

[ ] Telephone

[ ] In-person

[ ] Mail

[X] Other, Explain: Video conference

2. Will interviewers or facilitators be used? [ X ] Yes [ ] No

Please make sure that all instruments, instructions, and scripts are submitted with the request.

Instructions for completing Request for Approval under the “Generic Clearance for the Collection of Routine Customer Feedback”

TITLE OF INFORMATION COLLECTION: Provide the name of the collection that is the subject of the request. (e.g. Comment card for soliciting feedback on XXXXX)

PURPOSE: Provide a brief description of the purpose of this collection and how it will be used. If this is part of a larger study or effort, please include this in your explanation.

DESCRIPTION OF RESPONDENTS: Provide a brief description of the targeted group or groups for this collection of information. These groups must have experience with the program.

TYPE OF COLLECTION: Check one box. If you are requesting approval of other instruments under the generic, you must complete a form for each instrument.

CERTIFICATION: Please read the certification carefully. If you incorrectly certify, the collection will be returned as improperly submitted or it will be disapproved.

Personally Identifiable Information: Provide answers to the questions.

Gifts or Payments: If you answer yes to the question, please describe the incentive and provide a justification for the amount.

BURDEN HOURS:

Category of Respondents: Identify who you expect the respondents to be in terms of the following categories: (1) Individuals or Households;(2) Private Sector; (3) State, local, or tribal governments; or (4) Federal Government. Only one type of respondent can be selected.

No. of Respondents: Provide an estimate of the Number of respondents.

Participation Time: Provide an estimate of the amount of time required for a respondent to participate (e.g. fill out a survey or participate in a focus group)

Burden: Provide the Annual burden hours: Multiply the Number of responses and the participation time and divide by 60.

FEDERAL COST: Provide an estimate of the annual cost to the Federal government.

If you are conducting a focus group, survey, or plan to employ statistical methods, please provide answers to the following questions:

The selection of your targeted respondents. Please provide a description of how you plan to identify your potential group of respondents and how you will select them. If the answer is yes, to the first question, you may provide the sampling plan in an attachment.

Administration of the Instrument: Identify how the information will be collected. More than one box may be checked. Indicate whether there will be interviewers (e.g. for surveys) or facilitators (e.g., for focus groups) used.

Please make sure that all instruments, instructions, and scripts are submitted with the request.

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