Instructions for Submitting a Generic Fast Track Clearance Request

Instructions for submitting a Fast Track generic clearance
request to the Departmental PRA Liaison for OMB approval

Executive Order 12862 directs Federal agencies to provide service to the public that matches or exceeds the best service available in the private sector. In order to work continuously to ensure that our programs are effective and meet our customers’ needs, OMB initiated the fast track generic clearance approval process to collect qualitative feedback on our service delivery. A fast track generic clearance involves no Federal Register notices, and review and approval by OMB is usually within five business days.

1. Any operating unit (OU) that wishes to use the fast track generic clearance process must complete the Request for Approval under the “Generic Clearance for the Collection of Routine Customer Feedback” submission form. The form should be submitted via e-mail to the OU PRA liaison for review before sending it to the Commerce PRA Team.

2. The Commerce PRA team members are: Gwellnar Banks at gbanks@doc.gov or (202) 482-3781 and Glenna Mickelson at gmickelson@doc.gov or (202) 482-5190.

3. Instructions for completing this form are appended to the form.

4. All six conditions on the form under the certification section must be met in order to be eligible for the generic fast track clearance.

5. Make sure that all instruments, instructions and scripts that are part of the generic fast track request are e-mailed to the Commerce PRA Team with the request. Instruments could be surveys by telephone, in person, by mail, by Web-based or other forms of social media. Scripts could include a set of questions for surveys done over the phone or to facilitate focus groups.

6. Make sure the OMB control number 0690-0030 is displayed on each instrument; include the expiration date of 04/30/2014.

7. The Commerce PRA Team will be responsible for creating the fast track generic clearance in ROCIS. In order to complete the information collection under the fast track generic clearance, the following additional information will be required :

- Line of Business and Subfunction (select from lists provided in ROCIS on the Edit screen)

- Privacy Act System of Records Notice (SORN) and Federal Register citation information

- Number of respondents for small entities

- Percentage of respondents reporting electronically

8. No Federal Register notices are required for this submission; the 30-day notice for the initial fast track ICR to OMB was submitted to the Federal Register and published on March 15, 2011.

9. The fast track method is designed to accelerate the standard clearance process for obtaining OMB approval of collections. OMB has committed to approving these collections within five business days of submission of the request .