FINAL MBDA MED WeeK Supporting Statement (21Oct24) with edits SDumas 102324 (24Oct24) - sls (1)

Supporting Statement

U.S. Department of Commerce

Minority Business Development Agency

National Minority Enterprise Development Week Awards Program Requirements

OMB Control No. 0640-0025

A. JUSTIFICATION

This is a revision of the currently approved collection.

1. Explain the circumstances that make the collection of information necessary.

The mission of the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) is to enhance the growth and expansion of minority business enterprises. MBDA is the only federal agency created to foster the establishment and growth of minority business enterprises (MBEs) in America. It actively promotes the growth and competitiveness of large, medium, and small minority business enterprises by offering management and technical assistance through a network of business centers throughout the United States.

One of MBDA’s largest initiatives is the annual National Minority Enterprise Development (MED) Week Conference. The conference recognizes the role that MBEs play in building the American economy through the creation of jobs, products and services, in addition to supporting their local communities. The MED Week awards program is a key element in the conference as it celebrates the outstanding achievements of MBEs. In the past, the MED Week Awards Program did not accept nominations from the general public, but instead relied on an internal nomination process. While the program was always competitive and fair, the voluntary collection of information from the public will enhance the program and allow for more candidates to have an opportunity to participate.

The awards are commemorative and will be given in the following categories:

1. Minority Construction Firm of the Year;

2. Minority Export Firm of the Year;

3. Minority Manufacturing Firm of the Year;

4. Minority Health Products and Service Firm of the Year;

5. Minority Emerging Technology and Industries Firm of the Year;

6. Minority Marketing and Communications Firm of the Year;

7. Minority E-Commerce Firm of the Year;

8. Minority Veteran-Owned Firm of the Year;

9. Robert J. Brown Minority Business Enterprise of the Year;

10. Access to Capital Award;

11. Advocate of the Year;

12. Distinguished Supplier Diversity Award;

13. Ronald H. Brown Leadership Award; and

14. The Abe Venable Legacy Award for Lifetime Achievement.

Nomination packages are distributed by MBDA to MBDAfunded organizations, non-governmental organizations and to other interested parties. The nominations may be submitted by individuals or organizations in any category applicable and may be submitted for more than one award category; self-nominations are also permitted. In addition, nominations may be submitted by MBDA staff or by representatives of MBDA-funded projects. However, nominations may not be submitted by members of headquarters review panels or by MBDA Selecting Officials.

The nomination package includes the: (1) nomination form; (2) narratives addressing the specific evaluation criterion; and (3) biography of the nominee or an overview of the organization (as applicable).

2. Explain how, by whom, how frequently, and for what purpose the information will be used. If the information collected will be disseminated to the public or used to support information that will be disseminated to the public, then explain how the collection complies with all applicable Information Quality Guidelines.

The information will be used by MBDA’s staff to determine those applicants best meeting the pre-announced selection criteria. MBDA must collect two kinds of information: (a) information identifying the nominee and nominator, and (b) information explaining why the nominee should be given the award. The use of a nomination form standardizes and limits the information collected as part of the nomination process. This makes the competition fair and eases any burden on applicants and reviewers alike. Participation in the competition is voluntary.

3. Describe 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.

The MED Week Awards Package is available for printing and downloading (.pdf file format) on MBDA’s website at www.mbda.gov or at the MED Week website at www.medweek.gov. Nomination packages may be submitted by electronic mail to the applicable MBDA contact listed in the package. Alternatively, during open comment, an applicant may mail the application to the applicable MBDA office as provided in the package. While electronic use may be easier, it is not necessary to own a computer or to have access to the Internet to participate in the MED Week Awards Program. Interested parties may request a paper copy of the application by contacting MBDA.

4. Describe efforts to identify duplication.

MBDA is unaware of any duplication with respect to this information collection.

5. If the collection of information involves small businesses or other small entities, describe the methods used to minimize burden.

It is anticipated that many of the nominations will come from non-governmental organizations and representatives of large corporations who will nominate MBEs, which can include small businesses. The only burden would be on small businesses who want to self-nominate for the awards.

6. Describe the consequences to the Federal program or policy activities if the collection is not conducted or is conducted less frequently.

If the information is not collected, MBDA would not be able to determine which nominees meet the award criteria. MBDA would not be able to open its awards program to the public, which would diminish the pool of available candidates and would prevent the public from having an opportunity to participate.The MED Week awards program is MBDA’s most prominent way to honor successful MBEs, and all should have access.

7. Explain any special circumstances that require the collection to be conducted in a

manner inconsistent with OMB guidelines.

This information collection is consistent with OMB guidelines.

8. Provide information on the PRA Federal Register Notice that solicited public comments on the information collection prior to submission to the OMB. Summarize the public comments received in response to the notice and describe the actions taken by the agency in response to those comments. Describe the efforts to consult with persons outside the agency to obtain their views on the availability of data, frequency of collection, the clarity of instructions and recordkeeping, disclosure, or reporting format (if any), and on the data elements to be recorded, disclosed, or reported.

A Federal Register Notice soliciting public comments was published on August 27, 2024

(Vol. 89, No. 166, pg. 68589). MBDA received one comment that raised a concern about the eligibility criteria for award winners as being restricted to individuals who belong to racial or ethnic minority groups. However, MBDA makes clear in the call for nominations brochure that the awards are open to “minority business enterprises” as defined by the MBD Act of 2021, which means businesses owned or operated by socially or economically disadvantaged individuals, and are not restricted on the basis of race or ethnicity. MBDA did not seek additional public consultation outside of the Federal Register process for soliciting public comments.

9. Explain any decisions to provide payments or gifts to the respondents, other than remuneration of contractors or grantees.

The MED Week Program presents each winner with an award which is determined each year.

It may be a plaque, decorative bowl, statuette, etc. The awards are strictly honorary.

10. Describe any assurance of confidentiality provided to respondents and the basis for assurance in statute, regulation, or agency policy.

There are no assurances of confidentiality. However, MBDA treats nominees’ admissions with care. In no event is proprietary information disclosed or released.

11. Provide additional justification for any question of sensitive nature, such as sexual behavior and attitudes, religious beliefs, and other matters that are commonly considered private.

None of these collections include information of a sensitive nature.

In the instances where there are questions of race/ethnicity, MBDA will ensure that the OMB Standards for the Classification of Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity are followed (SPD 15 Revised Race and Ethnicity Data Standards).

12. Provide an estimate of the hour burden of the collection of information.

The estimated burden hours have been determined based on discussions with individuals who have submitted applications for MBDA’s awards program in the past. Experience has shown that the nomination process requires 1 hour to complete.

100 application packages X 1 hours = 250 hours

Instrument	Number of Respondents	Number of Responses per Respondent	Average Burden (in hours) per Response	Total Burden Hours
Application Packages	250	1	1	250
Total annually	250			250

13. Provide an estimate of the total annual cost burden to the respondents or record keepers resulting from the collection of information (excluding the cost of any hour burden shown in Question 12).

There are no costs other than monetization of hourly burden as captured above in Item 12.

14. Provide estimates of annualized costs to the Federal government.

The estimated annual cost to the Federal government is based on salary and time spent evaluating applications. Based on past evaluations, it has been determined that it will require three MBDA employees to process the applications at $44 per employee, per hour. Therefore, MBDA estimates that there will be 250 nominations. Using these estimates, the total cost to the federal government would be $44 x 25000 applications x 3 MBDA employees = $11,100 and $TOTAL FEDERAL GOVERNMENT COST = $16,100.

15. Explain the reasons for any program changes or adjustments.

This is a revision of information collection and there are no program changes or adjustments.

16. For collections of information whose results will be published, outline plans for tabulation and publication.

Specific details of the information collected from respondents will generally not be published. However, some of the information collected from the selected awards winners, such as biographical information and achievements, may be published in the MED Week Program booklets and on the MBDA and MED Week websites.

17. If seeking approval to not display the expiration date for OMB approval of the information collection, explain the reasons why display would be inappropriate.

The agency plans to display the expiration date for OMB approval of the information collection on all instruments.

18. Explain each exception to the “Certification for Paperwork Reduction Act Submissions” statement.

No exceptions are requested.

B. COLLECTIONS OF INFORMATION EMPLOYING STATISTICAL METHODS

This information collection does not employ statistical methods.

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