FR Doc 03-5270

[Federal Register: March 6, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 44)]
[Notices]
[Page 10754-10756]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr06mr03-106]

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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Employment and Training Administration

Proposed Collection; Comment Request

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Labor, as part of its continuing effort to
reduce paperwork and respondent burden, conducts a pre-clearance
consultation program to provide the general public and Federal agencies
with an opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing
collections of information in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction
Act of 1995 (PRA95) [44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)]. This program helps to
ensure that requested data can be provided in the desired format,
reporting burden (time and financial resources) is minimized,
collection instruments are clearly understood, and the impact of
collection requirements on respondents can be properly assessed.
Currently the Employment Administration is soliciting comments
concerning the proposed extension with change of the Standard Job Corps
Center Request for Proposal and Related Contracting Information
Reporting Requirements. A copy of the proposed information request
(ICR) can be obtained by contacting the office listed below in the
addressee section of this notice.

DATES: Written comments must be submitted to the office listed in the
addressee section below on or before May 5, 2003.

ADDRESSES: Renee Evans, Office of Job Corps, 200 Constitution Avenue,
Room N-4464, Washington, DC 20210. E-mail address: raevans@doleta.gov;

Telephone number: (202) 693-3091 (This is not a toll-free number); Fax
number: (202) 693-2767.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: I. Background: The Job Corps is an
intensive, residential training program for economically challenged
young people aged 16 to 24 who are out of school and out of work. Job
Corps is authorized by Title I, Subtitle C, of the Workforce Investment
Act (WIA) of 1998. WIA provides that up to 20 percent of the
individuals enrolled in the Job Corps may be nonresidential
participants. The program is principally carried out through a
nationwide network of 118 Job Corps centers. The centers are located at
facilities either owned or leased by the Federal Government. The
Department has a direct role in the operation of Job Corps, and does
not serve as a pass-through agency for this program. It is the
Department's responsibility to establish Job Corps centers and to
select operators for them. Of the 118 current centers, 28 are operated
through interagency agreements by the Departments of Agriculture and
Interior. These centers are located on Federal lands controlled by
these two agencies. The remaining 90 centers are managed and operated
by large and small corporations and nonprofit organizations selected by
the Department in accordance with the Federal Acquisition Regulations,
and in most cases through a competitive procurement process. Many of
the current contractors manage and operate more than one center.
II. Review Focus: The Department of Labor is particularly
interested in comments which:
[sbull] Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency,
including whether the information will have practical utility;
[sbull] Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the
burden of the proposed collection of information,

[[Page 10755]]

including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used;
[sbull] Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the
information to be collected; and
[sbull] Minimize the burden of the collection of information on
those who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate
automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection
techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting
electronic submissions of responses.
III. Current Actions: The Request for Proposal (RFP) provides
potential offerors with the Government's expectations for the
development of proposals to operate Job Corps Centers. The proposals
developed by offerors in response to the RFP are evaluated in terms of
technical factors and costs. These proposals serve the principal basis
for selection of a successful offeror. The operation of the Job Corps
program is such that many activities required of contractors must be
coordinated with organizations, both Federal and nonfederal. Most of
the information collection requirements of Job Corps Center operators
stem directly from operational needs or are necessary to ensure
compliance with Federal requirements and the terms of the contract.
Statistical reports are normally generated from source documents
directly by the Federal Government, not contractors. During the last
two years, several paper forms have been automated, and in many
instances, eliminated. Data is entered directly into a database and
reports are generated as a result of the data. Examples of these are
ETA Forms 2110 (Center Financial Report), 2181 & 2181A (Center
Operations Budget), 6-127 (Job Corps Utilization Summary), 6-131A
(Disciplinary Discharge), 6-131B (Review Board Hearings), 6-131C
(Rights to Appeal), 6-40 (Student Profile), 6-61 (Notice of
Termination) and 3-38 (Property Inventory Transcription). In addition,
several forms are now provided in Portable Data File (PDF) format.
These forms are the 6-125 (Job Corps Health Staff Activity), 6-128 (Job
Corps Health Annual Service Costs), 6-112 (Immunization Record), 6-135
(CM Health Record Envelope), 6-136 (CM Health Record Folder), 6-37
(Inspection Residential & Educational Facilities), 6-38 (Inspection
Water Supply Facilities), and 6-39 (Inspection of Waste Treatment
Facilities Costs.)
Type of Review: Revision.
Agency: Employment and Training Administration.
Title: Standard Center Job Corps Request for Proposal and Related
Contractor Information Gathering Reporting Requirements.
OMB Number: 1205-0219.
Recordkeeping: Center operators are required to keep accurate
records on each Job Corps student. All records are required to be
maintained on Center for five years.
Affected Public: Business, for profit and not-for-profit
institutions, and Tribal Governments.
Burden Summary: I. The annual burden hours estimated for the
preparation of the Standard Center Job Corps Request for Proposal
submitted by new and experienced contractors is 15,300 hours.
II. Data collection for the Center Financial and the Center
Operations Budget Reports is made more than quarterly, and is essential
to ensure contractor financial compliance with contractual requirements
and to ensure orderly operations of the program (1,462 hours).

III. Data previously collected on the forms listed below is now
being collected in an electronic information system (347 hours). Data
is entered utilizing a personal computer that transmits the data
electronically to a centralized database. From this database many
management and performance reports are created. Previously the burden
for preparing these forms manually was approximately 8,181 hours.

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Number of Submissions per Total annual Hours per Total burden
Required activity ETA form No. respondents year submissions submission hours
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Job Corps Utilization Summary.............. 6-127......................... 118 12 1416 0.01875 27
(1 minute)
Disciplinary Discharge..................... 6-131A........................ 1500 1 1500 0.01875 28
Review Board Hearings...................... 6-131B........................ 1500 1 1500 0.01875 28
Rights to Appeal........................... 6-131C........................ 1500 1 1500 0.01875 28
Student Profile............................ 6-40.......................... 1500 1 1500 0.01875 28
Notice of Termination...................... 6-61.......................... 1500 1 1500 0.01875 28
Property Inventory Transcription........... 3-28.......................... 126 52 6552 0.0275 180
(3 minutes)
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Total.................................. .............................. .............. ............... .............. ............ 347
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Student personnel requirements such as: Student payroll
information, student training and education courses received, student
leave, disciplinary actions and medical information is also being
collected in an electronic information system. The total burden hours
last reported for processing these requirements were 46,720 burden
hours. However, due to the fact that identical information is being
collected for multiple purposes, the burden for additional data entry
has been reduced. The initial data entry is maintained in the national
database and used for multiple reporting purposes, therefore reducing
the need to enter the data more than once. As a result, the burden
hours

[[Page 10756]]

have been reduced from 46,720 to a total of 20,000 hours. The total
burden associated with the input of data to data screens is 20,347
hours.
IV. Major record keeping and operational forms listed below that
pertain to student and facility administrative matters are not provided
in Portable Data Files or PDF forms. The total burden for processing
these forms is 22,300 hours.

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Number of Submissions per Total annual Hours per Total burden
Required activity ETA form No. respondents year submissions submission hours
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Job Corps Health Staff Activity........... 6-125......................... 118 1 118 0.25 29.5
(25 min)
Job Corps Health Annual Service Costs..... 6-128......................... 118 1 118 0.25 29.5
Immunization Record....................... 6-112......................... 71000 1 71000 0.05 3550
(5 min)
CM Health Record Envelope................. 6-135......................... 71000 1 71000 0.125 8875
(13 min)
CM Health Record Folder................... 6-136......................... 71000 1 71000 0.125 8875
Inspection of Residential & Educational 6-37.......................... 118 4 472 0.5 236
Facilities.
Inspection of Waste Treatment Facilities 6-39.......................... 23 4 92 1.25 115
Costs. (1 hr. 25
min)
Inspection Water Supply Facilities........ 6-38.......................... 118 4 472 1.25 590
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Total................................. .............................. .............. ............... .............. ............ 22,300
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V. A total of 7,302 burden hours are estimated for the preparation
of the Center Operating Plans listed below that are required for the
operation of a Job Corps center.

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Number of Submissions per Total annual Hours per Total burden
Required activity ETA form No. respondents year submissions submission hours
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Center Operation Plan..................... .............................. 90 1 90 30 2700
Maintenance............................... .............................. 118 1 118 5 590
C/M Welfare............................... .............................. 118 1 118 2 236
Annual VST................................ .............................. 118 1 118 24 2832
Annual Staff Training..................... .............................. 118 1 118 1 118
Energy Conservation....................... .............................. 118 1 118 5 590
Outreach.................................. .............................. 118 1 118 2 236
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Total................................. .............................. .............. ............... .............. ............ 7,302
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Total Estimated Burden: 66,711 hours.
Total Burden Cost (Capital/Startup): The Office of Job Corps has
automated the data collection process for its Centers. The Center
Information System allows all centers to directly input data into a
national database. As a result, the burden hours associated with the
preparation of forms has decreased significantly. The maintenance cost
associated with the system is estimated to be $2.7 million a year for
hardware and software.
Total Burden Cost (Operating/Maintaining): The costs to contractors
for accomplishing record keeping requirements is contracted and
computed by the Federal government annually. While precise costs cannot
be identified, at the present time and based on past experience, the
annual and related costs for contractor staff are estimated to be
$955,458, which represents an average cost of $14.00 per hour.
Comments submitted in response to this comment request will be
summarized and/or included in the request for Office of Management and
Budget approval of the information collection request; they will also
become a matter of public record.

Dated: February 27, 2003.
Richard C. Trigg,
Administrator, Office of Job Corps.
[FR Doc. 03-5270 Filed 3-5-03; 8:45 am]

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