Agency Information Collection Activities: Comment Request, 27164-27166 [2019-12289]

Agencies

• NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION

[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 112 (Tuesday, June 11, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 27164-27166]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-12289]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION


Agency Information Collection Activities: Comment Request

AGENCY: National Science Foundation.

ACTION: Submission for OMB review; comment request.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The National Science Foundation (NSF) has submitted the 
following information collection requirement to OMB for review and 
clearance under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. This is the second 
notice for public comment; the first was published in the Federal 
Register, and 136 comments were received from eight different 
institutions/individuals, along with one comment from one institution/
individual on the Financial Data Collection Tool for Major Facilities. 
NSF is forwarding the proposed submission to the Office of Management 
and Budget (OMB) for clearance simultaneously with the publication of 
this second notice. The full submission may be found at: https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain.

DATES: Comments regarding this information collection are best assured 
of having their full effect if received by July 11, 2019.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Office of Information and Regulatory 
Affairs of OMB, Attention: Desk Officer for National Science 
Foundation, 725 17th Street NW, Room 10235, Washington, DC 20503, and 
Suzanne H. Plimpton, Reports Clearance Officer, National Science 
Foundation, 2415 Eisenhower Avenue, Alexandria, VA 22314, or send email 
to [email protected]. Individuals who use a telecommunications device 
for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Information Relay Service 
(FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339, which is accessible 24 hours a day, 7 days a 
week, 365 days a year (including federal holidays).
    Copies of the submission may be obtained by calling 703-292-7556.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NSF may not conduct or sponsor a collection 
of information unless the collection of information displays a 
currently valid OMB control number and the agency informs potential 
persons who are to respond to the collection of information that such 
persons are not required to respond to the collection of information 
unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number.
    Comments regarding (a) whether the collection of information is 
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, 
including whether the information will have practical utility; (b) the 
accuracy of the agency's estimate of burden including the validity of 
the methodology and assumptions used; (c) ways to enhance the quality, 
utility and clarity of the information to be collected; (d) ways to 
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 should be addressed to the points 
of contact in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section.

Summary of Comments on the National Science Foundation's Major 
Facilities Guide:

    The draft Major Facilities Guide and Financial Data Collection Tool 
for Major Facilities were made available for review by the public on 
the NSF website at https://www.nsf.gov/bfa/lfo/lfo_documents.jsp. In 
response to the Federal Register notice published December 21, 2018, at 
83 FR 65757, NSF received 136 comments from 8 different institutions/
individuals on the Major Facilities Guide and 1 comment on the 
Financial Data Collection Tool for Major Facilities from 1 institution/
individual. A summary of the comments on the Major Facilities Guide 
follows:
     48 requested further guidance on project management 
controls and NSF oversight processes and procedures for major 
facilities and mid-scale projects;
     20 requested clarification on the processes and 
requirements associated with cost and contingency through the various 
stage of the facility lifecycle;
     24 requested clarification on the guidance for 
cybersecurity programs for major facilities;
     6 requested clarifications on guidance for mid-scale 
projects;
     8 requested clarifications of requirements during the 
various stages of the facility lifecycle;
     8 provided general observations; and
     22 provided editing recommendations such as typos and 
sentence structure.
    The full comments and NSF's response may be found via: https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain and https://www.nsf.gov/bfa/lfo/lfo_documents.jsp. NSF is moving forward with submitting the 
information collection request to OMB.
    Title of Collection: Major Facilities Guide.
    OMB Number: 3145-0239.
    Overview of this Information Collection: The National Science

[[Page 27165]]

Foundation Act of 1950 (Pub. L. 81-507) set forth NSF's mission and 
purpose:
    ``To promote the progress of science; to advance the national 
health, prosperity, and welfare; to secure the national defense. * * 
*''
    The Act authorized and directed NSF to initiate and support:
     Basic scientific research and research fundamental to the 
engineering process;
     Programs to strengthen scientific and engineering research 
potential;
     Science and engineering education programs at all levels 
and in all the various fields of science and engineering;
     Programs that provide a source of information for policy 
formulation; and
     Other activities to promote these ends.
    Among Federal agencies, NSF is a leader in providing the academic 
community with advanced instrumentation needed to conduct state-of-the-
art research and to educate the next generation of scientists, 
engineers and technical workers. The knowledge generated by these tools 
sustains U.S. leadership in science and engineering (S&E) to drive the 
U.S. economy and secure the future. NSF's responsibility is to ensure 
that the research and education communities have access to these 
resources, and to provide the support needed to utilize them optimally 
and implement timely upgrades.
    The scale of advanced instrumentation ranges from small research 
instruments to shared resources or facilities that can be used by 
entire communities. The demand for such instrumentation is very high, 
and is growing rapidly, along with the pace of discovery. For major 
facilities and shared infrastructure, the need is particularly high. 
This trend is expected to accelerate in the future as increasing 
numbers of researchers and educators rely on such major facilities, 
instruments, and databases to provide the reach to make the next 
intellectual leaps.
    NSF currently provides support for facility construction from two 
accounts: The Major Research Equipment and Facility Construction 
(MREFC) account, and the Research and Related Activities (R&RA) 
account. The MREFC account, established in FY 1995, is a separate 
budget line item that provides an agency-wide mechanism, permitting 
directorates to undertake major facility projects are roughly $70M or 
greater. Smaller projects continue to be supported from the R&RA 
Account.
    Facilities are defined as shared-use infrastructure, 
instrumentation and equipment that are accessible to a broad community 
of researchers and/or educators. Facilities may be centralized or may 
consist of distributed installations. They may incorporate large-scale 
networking or computational infrastructure, multi-user instruments or 
networks of such instruments, or other infrastructure, instrumentation 
and equipment having a major impact on a broad segment of a scientific 
or engineering discipline. Historically, awards have been made for such 
diverse projects as accelerators, telescopes, research vessels and 
aircraft, and geographically distributed but networked sensors and 
instrumentation.
    The growth and diversification of major facility projects require 
that NSF remain attentive to the ever-changing issues and challenges 
inherent in their planning, construction, operation, management and 
oversight. Most importantly, dedicated, competent NSF and awardee staff 
are needed to manage and oversee these projects; giving the attention 
and oversight that good practice dictates and that proper 
accountability to taxpayers and Congress demands. To this end, there is 
also a need for consistent, documented requirements and procedures to 
be understood and used by NSF program managers and awardees for all 
such major projects.
    Use of the Information: Facilities are an essential part of the 
science and engineering enterprise, and supporting them is one major 
responsibility of the National Science Foundation (NSF). NSF makes 
awards to external entities--primarily universities, consortia of 
universities or non-profit organizations--to undertake construction, 
management and operation of facilities. Such awards frequently take the 
form of cooperative agreements. NSF does not directly construct or 
operate the facilities it supports. However, NSF retains responsibility 
for overseeing their development, management and successful 
performance. The Major Facilities Guide is intended to:
     Provide step-by-step guidance for NSF staff and awardees 
to carry out effective project planning, management and oversight of 
major facilities while considering the varying requirements of a 
diverse portfolio;
     Clearly state the policies, processes and procedures 
pertinent at each stage of a facility's life cycle from development 
through construction, operations, and termination; and
     Document and disseminate ``good practices'' identified 
over time so that NSF and awardees can carry out their responsibilities 
more effectively.
    This version of the Major Facilities Guide (previously referred to 
as the Large Facilities Manual) reflects changes in terminology to 
align with the American Innovation and Competitiveness Act (AICA) 
terminology; adds a section for guidance on mid-scale research 
infrastructure projects; updates NSF policy on research infrastructure, 
roles and responsibilities for NSF staff, divestment stage, earned 
value management, cybersecurity, and property management; and clarifies 
cost estimating requirements. The Guide does not replace existing 
formal procedures required for all NSF awards, which are described in 
the, Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG). Instead, it 
draws upon and supplements it for the purpose of providing detailed 
guidance on NSF policy and procedures related to the planning and 
management of Major Facilities. All facilities projects require merit 
and technical review, as well as approval of certain deliverables. The 
level of review and approval varies substantially from standard grants, 
as does the level of oversight needed to ensure appropriate and proper 
accountability for federal funds. The requirements, recommended 
procedures and best practices presented in the Guide apply to any 
facility significant enough to require close and substantial 
interaction with the Foundation and the National Science Board.
    This Guide will be updated periodically to reflect changes in 
requirements, policies and/or procedures. Award Recipients are expected 
to monitor and adopt the requirements and best practices included in 
the Guide which are aimed at improving management and oversight of 
major facilities projects and at enabling the most efficient and cost-
effective delivery of tools to the research and education communities.
    The submission of proposals and subsequent project documentation to 
the Foundation related to the development, construction and operations 
of Major Facilities is part of the collection of information. This 
information is used to help NSF fulfill this responsibility in 
supporting merit-based research and education projects in all the 
scientific and engineering disciplines. The Foundation also has a 
continuing commitment to provide oversight on facilities development 
and construction which must be balanced against monitoring its 
information collection so as to identify and address any excessive 
reporting burdens.
    NSF has approximately twenty-four (24) Major Facilities in various 
stages of

[[Page 27166]]

development, construction, operations and termination. Facilities 
undergoing a major upgrade may be classified in both design or 
construction and operations at the same time. Two to four (2 to 4) new 
awards are made approximately every five (5) years based on science 
community infrastructure needs and availability of funding. Among the 
twenty-four major facilities, there are approximately seven (7) 
facilities annually that are either in development or construction. 
These stages require the highest level of reporting and management 
documentation per the Major Facilities Guide. NSF estimates there will 
be four (4) mid-scale projects in progress at a given time.
    Burden on the Public: The Foundation estimates that approximately 
five (5) Full Time Equivalents (FTEs) are necessary for each major 
facility project in design or construction to respond to NSF 
performance and financial reporting and project management 
documentation requirements on an annual basis; or 10,400 hours per 
year. The Foundation estimates approximately one and half (1.5) FTE for 
a major facility in operations to respond to NSF performance and 
financial reporting on an annual basis; or 3,120 hours per year. For 
mid-scale projects, the Foundation estimates approximately one (1) FTE 
is necessary for each mid-scale project to respond to NSF project 
management documentation requirements on an annual basis; or 2,080 
hours per year. With seven (7) major facilities in design or 
construction and twenty-one (21) in operations and four (4) mid-scale 
projects, this equates to roughly 150,000 public burden hours annually.

    Dated: June 6, 2019.
Suzanne H. Plimpton,
Reports Clearance Officer, National Science Foundation.
[FR Doc. 2019-12289 Filed 6-10-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7555-01-P