March 6, 2007

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SUPPORTING STATEMENT FOR
CORPORATE WHISTLEBLOWER AWARDS PILOT PROGRAM INTAKE PORTAL

    A. JUSTIFICATION

    1. Explain the circumstances that make the collection of information necessary.  Identify any legal or administrative requirements that necessitate the collection.  Attach a copy of the appropriate section of each statute and regulation mandating or authorizing the collection of information.

This collection is required to:

    1. Receive information regarding potential federal criminal activity submitted by members of the public to the Department of Justice’s Corporate Whistleblower Awards Pilot Program (“CWA Program”).  The form seeks information— “Tip Information”—that includes personally identifiable information (“PII”) necessary to allow the Department of Justice (“Department”) to investigate the alleged misconduct, including by contacting the individuals who submitted the information.  Tip Information will be collected through three webforms: (1) a “New Submission” form, for Tip Information that the respondent has not previously provided to the CWA Program; (2) a “Follow-Up” form, to provide additional material about a matter that the respondent has already provided to the CWA Program; and (3) a “General Inquiry” form, which will be used by respondents who have general questions about the program’s rules or who wish to contact CWA Program staff for other reasons. 

    2. Assess claims for monetary awards made by individuals who previously provided information to the Department.  The CWA Program’s public guidance states that individuals may be eligible for an award if their information results in a monetary forfeiture of $1,000,000 or more (and if other eligibility requirements are satisfied).  Respondents must provide certain information, including PII— “Claim Information”—to claim an award.  This will be solicited by a fourth, Claim Information-specific webform, unique from the three forms used to collect Tip Information. 

    2. Indicate how, by whom, and for what purpose the information is to be used.  Except for a new collection, indicate the actual use the agency has made of the information received from the current collection.

Tip Information will be used for criminal investigations, especially the crimes that the respondent claims occurred.  The Department will use Tip Information to assess the source, contents, and credibility of a particular tip, but also to identify leads in criminal investigation.  The assessment can lead to the Department opening a new criminal investigation or assist in the Department’s efforts relating to a pre-existing investigation or prosecution. Department personnel, including contractors, may also use the information to route the tip appropriately to other individuals within the Department (including the Federal Bureau of Investigation).  Once Tip Information has been referred to the appropriate Department personnel, they may decide to share it with other parties in accordance with applicable law and policies, including federal law enforcement agents who work for agencies outside the Department. 

Claim Information will primarily be used by Department personnel, including contractors, to assess whether a respondent’s information is eligible for an award.  The Department will use Claim Information to make a recommendation to the Attorney General on whether an award should be made at all and (if so) how much, according to the Attorney General’s discretion, applicable law, and CWA Program guidance.  Claim Information may also be used for criminal investigations. 

Finally, Tip Information and Claim Information may both be used for internal CWA Program purposes, including assembling statistics about active tips / investigations, the status of active tips / investigations, overall numbers of tips or award claims, etc.  

    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, e.g., permitting electronic submission of responses, and the basis for the decision for adopting this means of collection.  Also, describe any consideration of using information technology to reduce burden.

The collection of both Tip Information and Claim Information will involve an online portal that respondents (or their attorneys) may navigate by completing text boxes, clicking buttons, and uploading documents.  This is intended to ease burden on respondents by providing them with a structured method of submitting new information, receiving a clear identification number for their submissions, and reducing any possible confusion about whether they can submit information via mail, email, or other methods.

The online portal is also intended to substantially reduce the burden on Department staff by automating various functions, including organizing, processing, cataloging, and archiving Tip Information and Claim Information. 

Screenshots of the portal are collected in Appendix A to this document. 

    4. Describe efforts to identify duplication.  Show specifically why any similar information already available cannot be used or modified for use for the purposes described in Item A.2 above.

The intent of this collection is to identify new information regarding federal crimes that the Department has not previously received, so previously-available information collection could not be used.  The Department has established methods to deconflict Tip Information and Claim Information with other information available to the Department. 

The collection is entirely voluntary.  Any duplication would be because a respondent voluntarily chose to provide the same information multiple times to the Department or chose to provide the Department with information that the respondent previously provided to one or more other federal agencies.

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

N/A.  Businesses and entities are not eligible for the CWA Program.  Only individuals (or their attorneys) can submit Tip Information or Claim Information.

    6. Describe the consequences 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.

If the collection is not conducted, the Department may not learn of federal crimes that respondents would only choose to disclose through the CWA Program.  This would inhibit the Department’s core activities of identifying, investigating, and prosecuting federal crimes.  

    7. Explain any special circumstances that would cause an information collection to be conducted in a manner:

    • requiring respondents to report information to the agency more often than quarterly;

		N/A.  The collection is entirely voluntary.  No periodic report is required or intended.

    • requiring respondents to prepare a written response to a collection of information in fewer than 30 days after receipt of it;

N/A.  The collection is entirely voluntary.  Department personnel may contact respondents (e.g., to investigate their tips, facilitate payment of an award, or obtain new copies of written materials), but ongoing responses to those inquiries would remain voluntary.  

    • requiring respondents to submit more than an original and two copies of any document;
	
N/A.  The collection is entirely voluntary.  The Tip Information or Claim Information submitted into the portal will be considered the “original.”  Respondents can submit additional documents or copies (within the technical limits of the online portal) and may wish to retain those copies.  Neither the collection nor the CWA Program, however, impose any new requirement on respondents to retain or copy any document. 

    • requiring respondents to retain records, other than health, medical, government contract, grant-in-aid, or tax records for more than three years;

N/A.  Neither the collection nor the CWA Program independently impose any new requirement to retain any document for any period. 

    • 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;
	
	N/A.  The collection is not a statistical survey, and respondents are not required to provide any statistical information whatsoever, although they may choose to do so voluntarily.

    • requiring the use of statistical data classification that has not been reviewed and approved by OMB;
	
N/A.  The collection is not a statistical survey, and respondents are not required to provide any statistical information whatsoever, although they may choose to do so voluntarily.  Any voluntarily provided statistical information may be used to conduct a criminal investigation or prosecution in accordance with existing law, regulations, and policy. 

    • that includes a pledge of confidentially that is not supported by authority established in statute 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
	
	N/A.  The confidentiality of submissions through the program, as well as the sharing of Tip Information or Claim Information with other agencies, is governed by pre-existing law, regulation, and policy—especially rules regarding evidence collected in the course of a criminal investigation. 

    • 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 confidentially to the extent permitted by law.

N/A.  The collection is entirely voluntary.  Respondents are not required to submit proprietary or confidential information.  








    8. Federal Register Publication 

The Department solicited public comments on this form in accordance with the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act.  A 60-day notice was published in the Federal Register on March 4, 2026 (Federal Register, Volume 91, pages 10633-34) and a 30-day notice was published in the Federal Register on May 20, 2026 (Federal Register, Volume 91, pages 29510-11).

The Department did not receive any comments during the 60-day notice period.  However, during the 30-day notice period, DOJ received 1 submission, described by the submitter as a comment, but which was actually a submission of Tip Information to the CWA Program.  This comment is not responsive to the proposed collection of information or the Paperwork Reduction Act process.

The Department also received an emailed comment from another individual commenter.  This included a series of proposals or discussions regarding the CWA Program, as well as Tip Information, and discussions about federal whistleblower programs and other topics.  Below, the Department addresses the items raised by this commenter:

    • Limitations of CWA Program’s Current Submission Process: The commenter largely supports the idea of a dedicated online portal with enhanced large-file upload capabilities, automated receipt functionality, and optional, non-intrusive status-query features to improve efficiency in processing high volume, evidence-heavy tips, and enhance law enforcement outcomes and public participation.  The commenter claimed that identifying and addressing the current email-based process would greatly enhance utility.  

Department Response: The Department agrees with the commenter that the portal will improve performance reporting and overall efficiency.  The commenter’s recommendations regarding the current email-based submission process fail to recognize that the proposed collection will completely replace the existing email process, making further refinements to the email process unnecessary.

    • Estimated Annual Burden: The commenter asserts that the estimated 5–45 minutes per respondent is reasonable for simple text-based submissions.  However, the commenter argues that this timeline underestimates the actual burden for complex, high-value tips involving voluminous digital or physical evidence.

Department Response: The estimated submission timeframe of 5–45 minutes reflects only the anticipated time required to complete the webforms required as part of the portal.  It does not include any additional time that submitters may voluntarily spend preparing materials for submission, which will be entirely at a submitter’s choice and discretion.  

    • Proposed Enhancement of Quality, Utility, and Clarity of the Information for Collection: The commenter asserts that the improvement of the quality, utility, and clarity of the portal could reduce risks of incomplete and inaccessible evidence and provide clear and detailed instructions on submitting supplemental materials.  They further contend that with these enhanced features, submitters can request status updates without compromising investigations.

Department Response: The Department concurs with the commenter’s position regarding the importance of quality submissions, clarity of the collected information, and practicality of utility.  The portal, as proposed, includes measures in place to account for these themes—which are not present in the current, email-based submission process.  For example, the portal provides for secure high-capacity file upload, step-by-step instructions on submitting supplemental materials, and established features for submitters to request status updates.

    • The Necessity of a User-Friendly Online Portal for Program Efficiency: The commenter asserts that a user-friendly online portal (including drag-and-drop uploads, progress trackers, automated validations, and cloud-based secure storage) would minimize submitter burden, especially for evidence-intensive tips, while also making staff review more efficient.  According to the submitter, these features would reduce reliance on email attachments and physical mail, lower frustration from limited feedback, and encourage more frequent and quality submissions.  

Department Response: The Department concurs with the commenter’s position that technological solutions can improve performance and encourage more high-quality submissions.  Indeed, these features are included in the current proposal for the portal.  The Department remains committed to assessing the portal and making necessary updates to its design and implementation, in compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act and other appliable laws and regulations.

    • Tip Information and Proposed Reforms to Strengthen Whistleblower Protections in the Federal Acquisition Regulations and Mentor/Tutorage Programs: The commenter also provided Tip Information and provided documents discussing several other topics.  For example, the commenter makes twenty proposals that the commenter claims will enhance whistleblower protections and otherwise improve federal processes, including amendments to the Federal Acquisition Regulations.  The commenter’s recommendations focus on guaranteeing responses to actionable intelligence or evidence, retroactive investigations, extended statutes of limitations, rigorous investigative processes, and continuous vetting for company executives in federal contracts.

Department Response: These comments are outside the scope of the current Paperwork Reduction Act process.  They are not specific to the proposed online portal. 

Describe 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.

Department personnel have consulted with staff from other federal agencies that operate whistleblower programs regarding best practices for collection and program management.  Department personnel also met with private attorneys and other members of the public prior to the official start of the CWA Program to gauge public interest in this program and design a streamlined collection process (among other goals).

    • Consultation with representatives of those from whom information is to be obtained or those who must compile records should occur at least once every 3 years -- even if the collection-of-information activity is the same as in prior periods.  There may be circumstances that may preclude consultation in a specific situation.  These circumstances should be explained.

This does not apply to the collection of Tip Information or Claim Information, which is entirely voluntary.  The collection does not impose any retention requirement.  

The 60-Day Notice was published in the Federal Register on March 4, 2026 (91 FR 10633). The comment period ended on April 4, 2026. No comments were received.
The 30-Day Notice was published in the Federal Register on May 20, 2026 (91 FR 29510).  The comment period will be open until June 20, 2026.


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

28 U.S.C. § 524(c) gives the Attorney General of the United States has the discretion to use certain funds to pay “awards for information or assistance leading to a civil or criminal forfeiture.”  As part of the CWA Program, this collection solicits Tip Information and Claim Information necessary for the Attorney General to exercise this discretion.  The Department assesses that offering monetary awards to respondents, based on 28 U.S.C. § 524(c) and other applicable laws, regulations, and policies, enhances its ability to investigate and prosecute federal crimes.

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

CWA Program guidance provides respondents with the following assurance of confidentiality, which is premised on existing laws governing information provided in the course of a federal criminal investigation: 

The Department will not publicly disclose any information, including information you submit to the Department, that could reasonably be expected to reveal the identity of a whistleblower, except as required by law or Department policy as determined by the Department in its sole discretion, unless and until required to be disclosed to a defendant in connection with a judicial or administrative proceeding. If, in its sole discretion, the Department determines that it is necessary to accomplish a valid law enforcement purpose or to protect the public, the Department may provide your information to another federal, state, local, tribal, or international enforcement agency, provided that such agency complies with the same confidentiality commitments.

Records in this system will be maintained in accordance with DAA-0060-2014-0004, Citizen/Public Correspondence.

    11. Provide 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.  This justification should include the reasons why the agency considers the questions necessary, the specific uses to be made of the information, the explanation to be given to persons from whom the information is requested, and any steps to be taken to obtain their consent.

N/A.  The collection is entirely voluntary and does not specifically ask questions regarding such topics.  Respondents may choose to include or omit any information regarding such topics at their own personal discretion. 

    12. Provide estimates of the hour burden of the collection of information.  The statement should:

    • Indicate the number of respondents, frequency of response, annual hour burden, and an explanation of how the burden was estimated.  Unless directed to do so, agencies should not conduct special surveys to obtain information on which to base hour burden estimates.  Consultation with a sample (fewer than 10) of potential respondents is desirable.  If the hour burden on respondents is expected to vary widely because of differences in activity, size, or complexity, show the range of estimated hour burden, and explain the reasons for the variance.  General estimates should not include burden hours for customary and usual business practices.

Since the CWA Program officially began in August 2024, it has generally received approximately 20-40 individual submissions a week (totaling well over 1,000 unique submissions as of December 12, 2025).  According to records maintained by CWA Program staff, these submissions have come from over 1,000 individual respondents (some respondents make multiple submissions or send material to add to a previously-filed unique submission).   

    • If this request for approval covers more than one form, provide separate hour burden estimates for each form.

    1. “New Submission” form: 0.5 – 0.75 hours (30-45 minutes).
    2. “Follow-Up” form: 0.1-0.2 hours (approximately 5-10 minutes).
    3. “General Inquiry form”: 0.1-0.2 hours (approximately 5-10 minutes).

    • Provide estimates of annualized cost to respondents for the hour burdens for collections of information, identifying and using appropriate wage rate categories.  The cost of contracting out or paying outside parties for information collection activities should not be included here.  Instead, this cost should be included in Item 14.

N/A.  The collection is entirely voluntary and there is no readily-identifiable typical respondent, wage rate category, etc.  

13. Provide an estimate of the total annual cost burden to respondents or recordkeepers resulting from the collection of information.  (Do not include the cost of any hour burden shown in Items 12 and 14).

N/A.  The collection is entirely voluntary.  It does not require any start-up, operation, or maintenance costs, nor does it impose any independent recordkeeping requirements or related retention / storage costs.  (Respondents and their attorneys may decide to retain records related to the program to assist in maintaining their eligibility for an award, although they would do so at their discretion or as required by other aspects of law, regulation, or policy.) 

    • The cost estimate should be split into two components:  (a) a total capital
and start-up cost component (annualized over its expected useful life); and (b) a
total operation and maintenance and purchase of service component.  
		The estimates should take into account costs associated with generating, 
		maintaining, and disclosing or providing the information.  Include descriptions of 
methods used to estimate major cost factors including system and technology acquisition, expected useful life of capital equipment, the discount rate(s), and the time period over which costs will be incurred.  Capital and start-up costs include, among other items, preparations for collecting information such as purchasing computers and software; monitoring, sampling, drilling and testing equipment; and record storage facilities.

    • If cost estimates are expected to vary widely, agencies should present ranges of cost burdens and explain the reasons for the variance.  The cost of purchasing or contracting out information collection services should be a part of this cost burden estimate.  In developing cost burden estimates, agencies may consult with a sample of respondents (fewer than 10), utilize the 60-day pre-OMB submission public comment process and use existing economic or regulatory impact analysis associated with the rulemaking containing the information collection, as appropriate.

    • Generally, estimates should not include purchases of equipment or services, or portions thereof, made: (1) prior to October 1, 1995, (2) to achieve regulatory compliance with requirements not associated with the information collection, (3) for reasons other than to provide information or keep records for the government, or (4) as part of customary and usual business or private practices.

14.  Provide estimates of the annualized cost to the Federal Government.  Also, provide a description of the method used to estimate cost, which should include quantification of hours, operational expenses (such as equipment, overhead, printing, and support staff), any other expense that would not have been incurred without this collection of information.  Agencies also may aggregate cost estimates from Items 12, 13, and 14 into a single table.
 
    • Non-attorney CWA Program staff (a mix of contractors and Department employees at various GS levels) currently require approximately 8 hours per week to review submissions.  CWA Program staff anticipate that implementing this collection will reduce that time to roughly 5 hours per week. 

    • Currently, Department attorneys at various GS levels who oversee the CWA Program spend approximately 8 hours per week reviewing new submissions.  CWA Program staff anticipate that implementing this collection will reduce that time to roughly 5 hours per week. 

    • These estimates focus only on the initial intake process, which the collection will facilitate.  Because the Department intends to continue operating the CWA Program regardless of the outcome of this review, these estimates do not consider time spent by Department personnel (including attorneys, non-attorneys, and contractors) managing Tip Information or Claim Information at subsequent layers of review, investigation, and prosecution or litigation.  Nor do they consider time spent in connection with managing the claims and awards process.  The collection will, however, significantly streamline and automate existing manual processes, leading to significant time savings and opportunities to refocus Department staff and resources on priority tasks.

15.	Explain the reasons for any program changes or adjustments.
	
	N/A.  

16. For collections of information whose results will be published, outline plans for tabulations, and publication.  Address any complex analytical techniques that will be used.  Provide the time schedule for the entire project, including beginning and ending dates of the collection of information, completion of report, publication dates, and other actions.

The CWA Program does not plan to publish Tip Information or Claim Information in the form that respondents submit them.  It is possible that information respondents provide to the CWA Program, including Tip Information or Claim Information, could become public in accordance with: (a) existing law, regulation, or policy; or (b) court orders in connection with criminal prosecutions involving Tip Information or Claim Information.  

The Department may occasionally publish information, in writing or via oral remarks, related to the CWA Program.  This could include information derived from Tip Information or Claim Information by Department personnel (e.g., numbers of tips received relating to a particular type of criminal conduct; number of claims filed relating to a particular covered action).  The Department does not, however, intend to publish the underlying Tip Information or Claim Information itself in connection with such periodic disclosures. 

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

N/A.  The Department is not requesting such approval in connection with this collection. 

18. Explain each exception to the certification statement.

N/A.  There are no exceptions to the certification statement. 

B. COLLECTIONS OF INFORMATON EMPLOYING STATISTICAL METHODS.
This collection does not contain statistical data.