82 FR 24667 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request-Study of School Food Authority (SFA) Procurement Practices

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Food and Nutrition Service

Federal Register Volume 82, Issue 102 (May 30, 2017)

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice invites the general public and other public agencies to comment on this proposed information collection. This collection is a new information collection for the Study of School Food Authority (SFA) Procurement Practices. This study is intended to describe and assess the practices of SFAs related to procuring goods and services for school meal programs (e.g., National School Lunch Program [NSLP] and the School Breakfast Program [SBP]), and to better understand how SFAs make decisions that lead to these procurement practices. The SFA Procurement Practices study will go beyond previous studies that concentrated on single food service or Child Nutrition programs (e.g., NSLP, SBP, or the Summer Food Service Program [SFSP]) or studies that focused on single procurement practices (e.g., use of Food Service Management Companies [FSMCs]) at the SFA level. This collection includes a mixed-methods approach of qualitative and quantitative information utilizing a structured web-based survey, as well as in-depth interviews (IDIs) to be conducted by telephone. Data will be collected from a subsample of the SFA population participating in the second year of the Child Nutrition Program Operations Study-II (CN-OPS II) (OMB Number 0584-0607).

[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 102 (Tuesday, May 30, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24667-24670]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2017-11041]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food and Nutrition Service


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request--Study of School Food Authority (SFA) Procurement 
Practices

AGENCY: Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), United States Department of 
Agriculture (USDA).

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this 
notice invites the general public and other public agencies to comment 
on this proposed information collection. This collection is a new 
information collection for the Study of School Food Authority (SFA) 
Procurement Practices. This study is intended to describe and assess 
the practices of SFAs related to procuring goods and services for 
school meal programs (e.g., National School Lunch Program [NSLP] and 
the School Breakfast Program [SBP]), and to better understand how SFAs 
make decisions that lead to these procurement practices. The SFA 
Procurement Practices study will go beyond previous studies that 
concentrated on single food service or Child Nutrition programs (e.g., 
NSLP, SBP, or the Summer Food Service Program [SFSP]) or studies that 
focused on single procurement practices (e.g., use of Food Service 
Management Companies [FSMCs]) at the SFA level.
    This collection includes a mixed-methods approach of qualitative 
and quantitative information utilizing a structured web-based survey, 
as well as in-depth interviews (IDIs) to be conducted by telephone. 
Data will be collected from a subsample of the SFA population 
participating in the second year of the Child Nutrition Program 
Operations Study-II (CN-OPS II) (OMB Number 0584-0607).

DATES: Written comments must be received on or before July 31, 2017.

ADDRESSES: Comments are invited on (a) whether the proposed collection 
of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions 
of the agency, including whether the information shall have practical 
utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the 
proposed collection of information, including the validity of the 
methodology and assumptions that were used; (c) ways to enhance the 
quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and 
(d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on 
those who are to respond, including use of appropriate automated, 
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology.
    Comments may be sent to: Ashley Chaifetz, Ph.D., Social Science 
Research Analyst, Special Nutrition Evaluation Branch, Food and 
Nutrition Service, USDA, 3101 Park Center Drive, Alexandria, VA 22302. 
Comments may also be submitted via fax to the attention of Ashley 
Chaifetz at 703-305-2576 or via email to [email protected]. 
Comments will also be accepted through the Federal eRulemaking Portal. 
Go to http://www.regulations.gov and follow the online instructions for 
submitting comments electronically.
    All responses to this notice will be summarized and included in the 
request for Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval. All 
comments will be a matter of public record.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request more information on the 
proposed project, contact Ashley Chaifetz, Ph.D., Social Science 
Research Analyst, Special Nutrition Evaluation Branch, Food and 
Nutrition Service, USDA, 3101 Park Center Drive, Alexandria, VA 22302; 
Fax: 703-305-2576; Email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Title: Study of School Food Authority (SFA) Procurement Practices 
(SFA Procurement Practices Study).
    Form Number: N/A.
    OMB Number: Not yet assigned.
    Expiration Date: Not yet determined.
    Type of Request: New collection.
    Abstract: The SFA Procurement Practices Study will describe and 
evaluate the decision-making processes of SFAs regarding school food 
procurement practices. Using a nationally representative sample of 
SFAs, this study will be one of the first FNS studies of SFA 
procurement practices for school meal programs to comprehensively 
examine food service management companies, group purchasing agreements, 
recordkeeping, local food purchases, and food purchase specifications.
    The Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act and Child 
Nutrition Act provide the legislative authority for the NSLP and the 
SBP. FNS administers the NSLP and the SBP at the Federal level, in 
addition to other meal programs at schools, including the SFSP, Child 
and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), and Special Milk Program for 
Children (SMP). At the State level, school meal programs are 
administered by State agencies (typically State Departments of 
Education or Agriculture). Approximately 20,000 SFAs, which can consist 
of a school, school district, or multiple districts, are responsible 
for administering and ensuring eligibility is met for the school meal 
programs, including procurement. School food procurement consists 
mainly of commercial food purchases, but USDA Foods also make up a 
portion of the items purchased.
    For each meal served by the NSLP, the SFA receives entitlement 
dollars to purchase USDA Foods, which can include purchasing items 
directly from the USDA or diverting bulk ingredients for further 
processing. SFAs can also use their entitlement dollars to purchase 
fresh produce from the USDA Department of Defense Fresh Fruit and 
Vegetable program (USDA DoD Fresh) or the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable 
Program (FFVP). Additionally, some SFAs contract with an FSMC to manage 
on-site operations, including procurement; others enter into group 
purchasing agreements or use procurement methods such as small and 
micro-purchases.
    The objectives of the study include the following:

     Identify and describe the means through which self-
operating SFAs develop and publish solicitations, evaluate and award 
contracts, and monitor procurement contracts for all school food 
purchases.
     Identify and describe the rationale, procedures, and 
recordkeeping practices used by SFAs with respect to their contracts 
with FSMCs.
     Identify and describe the forms of cooperative purchasing 
arrangements SFAs use to purchase food products and services.
     Assess the strengths and weaknesses of SFAs with respect 
to procurement-related expertise in developing solicitation and 
contract documents, evaluating bids/responses, negotiating terms and 
conditions, and assessing the availability of State agency-provided 
technical assistance and training resources.

    The SFA Procurement Practices Study will assist FNS to better 
understand SFA procurement practices by identifying the ways SFAs make 
decisions about procuring goods and services and the outcomes of such 
decisions.
    The activities to be undertaken subject to this notice include (1)

[[Page 24668]]

conducting a structured web survey of approximately 560 SFA Child 
Nutrition Directors, and (2) conducting in-depth interviews with 100 
SFA Child Nutrition Directors, a subsample of the 560 SFA Child 
Nutrition Directors that completed the structured web survey.
    Affected Public: State, Local, and Tribal Governments.
    Type of Respondents: SFA Child Nutrition Directors.
    Estimated Total Number of Respondents: The estimated total number 
of unique respondents is 700. This figure includes 560 respondents and 
140 non-respondents. The estimated total number of participants for the 
web survey is 700 (560 respondents and 140 non-respondents at a 
response rate of 80 percent). The estimated total number of 
participants for the in-depth interviews is 125 (100 respondents and 25 
non-respondents at a response rate of 80 percent).
    Estimated Frequency of Responses per Respondent: Respondents (SFA 
Child Nutrition Directors) will be asked to complete each data 
collection instrument (web survey and IDI) no more than one time. 
Respondents may be asked to respond to only the web survey or to both 
the web survey and the IDI. FNS estimates that respondents will average 
7.2 responses (5,024/700) across the entire collection, with 
respondents averaging 4.8 responses (2,690/560) and non- respondents 
averaging 16.7 responses (2,334/140).
    For the Web survey, all 700 potential respondents will receive a 
pre-survey notification letter, a Frequently Asked Questions document, 
and a pre-survey notification email. These materials will explain the 
study and survey, and encourage and remind the respondent to complete 
the survey. During the data collection period, a first reminder email 
will be sent to an estimated 560 potential respondents who, at that 
point in time, have yet to complete the web survey. Later in the data 
collection period, a second reminder email will be sent to an estimated 
224 potential respondents who, at that point in time, have yet to 
complete the web survey. Upon completion of the web survey data 
collection period, the estimated 560 respondents will receive a post-
survey response clarification communication; an estimated 280 of these 
respondents will receive a phone call and 280 will receive an email, 
depending on the extent of the clarifications that are needed. Thank 
you emails will be sent to the estimated 280 respondents who were sent 
a response clarification email. Respondents that received a response 
clarification phone call will be thanked for their participation in the 
survey at the end of the call.
    For the in-depth interviews, 125 of the estimated 560 respondents 
to the web survey will receive a pre-interview notification letter, 
which includes the Frequently Asked Questions document that they 
received prior to the web survey. These materials will explain the 
purpose of the interview and why they were chosen for the interview, 
and will encourage them to participate. Next, each of the 125 potential 
interviewees will receive a pre-interview scheduling phone call. The 
purpose of the call will be to further encourage their participation 
and to schedule the interview. A reminder email will be sent to and a 
second pre-interview scheduling phone call will be attempted with an 
estimated 75 potential respondents who, at that point in time, have yet 
to schedule an interview. After the scheduling calls, the estimated 100 
respondents who agree to and schedule an interview will be sent a 
participant confirmation email. At the completion of the interview, the 
respondents will be thanked for their participation; thank you emails 
will not be sent out after the interview.
    Estimated Total Annual Responses: The estimated total number of 
responses across all categories is 5,024. This includes 2,690 for 
respondents and 2,334 for non-respondents.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours on Respondents: The estimated 
total annual burden hours expected across all respondents is 909.12 
hours. The estimated burden for each type of response is given in the 
table below (Exhibit 1).

    Dated: May 18, 2017.
Jessica Shahin,
Acting Administrator, Food and Nutrition Service.
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[FR Doc. 2017-11041 Filed 5-26-17; 8:45 am]
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