Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 161 / Monday, August 20, 2018 / Notices 42101 

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. 

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 mixedmethods 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 October 19, 2018. 

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 Ashley.Chaifetz@

fns.usda.gov. 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: Ashley.Chaifetz@

fns.usda.gov. 

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) 

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 


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42102 Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 161 / Monday, August 20, 2018 / Notices 

560 SFA Child Nutrition Directors that 

completed the structured web survey. 

The original 60-Day Notice for this 

study was published in the Federal 

Register on May 30, 2017. Although the 

information collection request for the 

Study of SFA Procurement Practices 

was submitted to the Office of 

Management and Budget for review, it 

was not submitted within a year of the 

publication of the notice. Due to this, 

FNS is republishing the 60-Day Notice 

for comment. 

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 760. 

This figure includes 620 respondents 

and 140 non-respondents, as well as 

pretest respondents and State agency 

contacts. The estimated total number of 

participants for the web survey is 700 

(560 respondents and 140 nonrespondents at a response rate of 80 

percent). The estimated total number of 

participants for the in-depth interviews 

is 125 (100 respondents and 25 nonrespondents 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 7.6 responses (5,813/760) 

across the entire collection, with 

respondents averaging 6.1 responses 

(3,779/620) and non- respondents 

averaging 14.53 responses (2,034/140). 

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 350 

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 247 potential 

respondents who, at that point in time, 

have yet to complete the web survey. An 

estimated 175 potential respondents 

will receive a phone call with a 

reminder to complete the web survey. 

Upon completion of the web survey data 

collection period, the estimated 56 

respondents will receive a post-survey 

response clarification communication 

and an estimated 11 of these 

respondents will receive a clarification 

phone call. Thank you emails will be 

sent to the estimated 560 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 and will include 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 50 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 be sent out after the 

interview. 

Estimated Total Annual Responses: 

The estimated total number of responses 

across all categories is 5,813. This 

includes 3,779 for respondents and 

2,034 for non-respondents. 

Estimate of Time per Response per 

Respondent: The estimated time per 

response for all respondents is 13.09 

minutes (1,268.47 hours/5,813 

responses). That total includes the 

estimated time per response for 

respondents of 19.16 minutes (1,207.01 

hours/3,779 responses) and the 

estimated time per response for nonrespondents of 1.81 minutes (61.46 

hours/2,034 responses). 

Estimated Total Annual Burden 

Hours on Respondents: The estimated 

total annual burden hours expected 

across all respondents is 1,268.47 hours. 

The estimated burden for each type of 

response is given in the table below 

(Exhibit 1). 

Dated: August 10, 2018. 

Brandon Lipps, 

Administrator, Food and Nutrition Service. 

BILLING CODE 3410–30–P 


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Exhibit 1. Estimated Number of Respondents, Non-Respondents, and Hours of Burden 
42104 Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 161 / Monday, August 20, 2018 / Notices 

[FR Doc. 2018–17840 Filed 8–17–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–30–C 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Food and Nutrition Service 

Agency Information Collection 

Activities: Proposed Collection; 

Comment Request—Special Milk 

Program for Children 

AGENCY: Food and Nutrition Service 

(FNS), USDA. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this 

notice invites the general public and 

other public agencies to comment on 

this information collection. This 

collection is a revision of a currently 

approved collection which FNS 

employs to determine public 

participation in Special Milk Program 

for Children. 

DATES: Written comments must be 

received on or before October 19, 2018. 

ADDRESSES: Comments may be sent to: 

Tina Namian, School Programs Branch, 

Policy and Program Development 

Division, Food and Nutrition Service, 

U.S. Department of Agriculture, 3101 

Park Center Drive, Room 1206, 

Alexandria, VA 22302–1594. Comments 

may also be submitted via fax to the 

attention of Tina Namian at 703–305– 

6294 or via email to cndinternet@

fns.usda.gov. 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 approval. All 

comments will be a matter of public 

record. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Requests for additional information or 

copies of this information collection 

should be directed to Tina Namian at 

703–305–2590. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 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. 

Title: 7 CFR part 215, Special Milk 

Program for Children. 

Form Number: FNS–10 and FNS–777. 

OMB Number: 0584–0005. 

Expiration Date: January 31, 2019. 

Type of Request: Revision of a 

currently approved collection. 

Abstract: Section 3 of the Child 

Nutrition Act (CNA) of 1966, (42 U.S.C. 

1772) authorizes the Special Milk 

Program (SMP). It provides for the 

appropriation of such sums as may be 

necessary to enable the Secretary of 

Agriculture to encourage the 

consumption of fluid milk by children 

in the United States in: (1) Nonprofit 

schools of high school grade and under; 

and (2) nonprofit nursery schools, child 

care centers, settlement houses, summer 

camps, and similar nonprofit 

institutions devoted to the care and 

training of children, which do not 

participate in a food service program 

authorized under the CNA or the 

National School Lunch Act. 

Section 10 of the CNA (42 U.S.C. 

1779) requires the Secretary of 

Agriculture to prescribe such 

regulations as deemed necessary to 

carry out this Act and the National 

School Lunch Act. Pursuant to that 

provision, the Secretary has issued 7 

CFR part 215, which sets forth policies 

and procedures for the administration 

and operation of the SMP. State and 

local operators of the SMP are required 

to meet Federal reporting and 

accountability requirements. This 

information collection is required to 

administer and operate this program. 

The Program is administered at the 

State, school food authority (SFA), and 

child care institution levels; and 

operations include the submission of 

applications and agreements, 

submission and payment of claims, and 

maintenance of records. The reporting 

and record keeping burden associated 

with this revision has decreased from 

14,914 hours to 13,325 hours. These 

changes are due to decreases in the 

number of participating institutions. All 

of the reporting and recordkeeping 

requirements associated with the SMP 

are currently approved by the Office of 

Management and Budget and are in 

force. This is a revision of the currently 

approved information collection. 

Forms FNS–10 and FNS–777 collect 

information that are associated with this 

information collection; however, these 

forms are approved under another FNS 

information collection. Forms FNS–10 

and FNS–777 are used by the State 

agencies to report program data. These 

forms, and the reporting burden 

associated with them, are approved 

under OMB# 0584–0594 Food Programs 

Reporting System (FPRS) (expiration 

date 9/30/19). The recordkeeping 

burden associated with these forms is 

covered in this collection. 

Affected Public: State, Local, and 

Tribal Government (State agencies) and 

Non-profit Institutions. 

Number of Respondents: 3,499 (54 

State Agencies, 3,445 Non-profit 

Institutions). 

Estimated Number of Responses per 

Respondent (Reporting): 1.35. 

Total Annual Responses (Reporting): 

4,741. 

Reporting time per Response 

(Reporting): .25. 

Estimated Annual Reporting Burden: 

1,185. 

Number of Recordkeepers: 3,499 (54 

State Agencies, 3,445 Non-profit 

Institutions). 

Estimated Number of Responses per 

Respondent (Recordkeeping): 23.91. 

Estimated Total Number of Records to 

Keep: 83,666. 

Estimated Time per Response 

(Recordkeeping): 0.15. 

Total Estimated Recordkeeping 

Burden: 12,140. 

Total Annual Responses for 

Reporting/Recordkeeping: 88,407. 

Annual Recordkeeping and Reporting 

Burden: 13,325. 

Current OMB Inventory for Part 215: 

14,914. 

Difference (change in burden with this 

renewal): ¥1,589. 

Refer to Table 1 below for estimated 

total annual burden for each type of 

respondent. 

Dated: August 10, 2018. 

Brandon Lipps, 

Administrator, Food and Nutrition Service. 


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