Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; NIST MEP Client Impact Survey

• Citation: 91 FR 55519
• Published date: 28 August 2026
• FR Document: 2026-17569
• Pages: 55519-55519
• Section: Notices
• Issuer: Commerce Department,National Institute of Standards and Technology

Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 166 (Friday, August 28, 2026)

[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 166 (Friday, August 28, 2026)]
                [Notices]
                [Page 55519]
                From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
                [FR Doc No: 2026-17569]
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                DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
                National Institute of Standards and Technology
                Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the
                Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment
                Request; NIST MEP Client Impact Survey
                AGENCY: National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST),
                Commerce.
                ACTION: Notice of Information Collection, request for comment.
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                SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce, in accordance with the Paperwork
                Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), invites the general public and other
                Federal agencies to comment on proposed, and continuing information
                collections, which helps us assess the impact of our information
                collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting burden. The
                purpose of this notice is to allow for 60 days of public comment
                preceding submission of the collection to OMB.
                DATES: To ensure consideration, comments regarding this proposed
                information collection must be received on or before October 27, 2026.
                ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit written comments by
                mail to Maureen O'Reilly, Management Analyst, NIST, 100 Bureau Drive,
                MS 1710, Gaithersburg, MD 20899 or by email to [email protected]. Please
                reference OMB Control Number 0693-0021 in the subject line of your
                comments. Do not submit Confidential Business Information or otherwise
                sensitive or protected information.
                FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or
                specific questions related to collection activities should be directed
                to Melissa Davis, NIST MEP, by phone at 301.975.5039, or by email at
                [email protected].
                SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
                I. Abstract
                 Sponsored by NIST, the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) is
                a national network of state-designated manufacturing extension centers
                working with small and medium-sized manufacturers (SMMs) to assist them
                in developing new products and customers, expanding and diversifying
                markets, adopting new technologies, developing workforce strategies and
                solutions, and enhancing value within supply chains, ultimately
                improving SMM productivity and competitiveness. The information
                collected will provide the MEP Program with information and
                intelligence regarding outcomes associated with MEP Center technical
                assistance provided to U.S. based manufacturers. The collected
                information will assist in determining the performance of the MEP
                Centers at both local and national levels, provide information critical
                to monitoring and reporting on MEP programmatic performance, support a
                greater understanding of the effect of MEP Center technical assistance
                on U.S. SMMs, provide local insights on manufacturing trends, and
                assist management in policy decisions. Responses to the collection of
                information are voluntary. The information collected will include MEP
                client inputs regarding their sales, costs, investments, and
                employment, as well as inputs on client competitiveness challenges. MEP
                clients will take the survey online. Customers will only be surveyed
                once per year under this collection. Data collected in this survey is
                confidential.
                II. Method of Collection
                 Information will be collected electronically.
                III. Data
                 OMB Control Number: 0693-0021.
                 Form Number(s): None.
                 Type of Review: Extension of a current information collection.
                 Affected Public: Business or other for-profit organizations.
                 Estimated Number of Respondents: 14,500.
                 Estimated Time per Response: 12 minutes.
                 Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 2,900.
                 Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: 0.
                 Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
                IV. Request for Comments
                 We are soliciting public comments to permit the Department/Bureau
                to: (a) Evaluate whether the proposed information collection is
                necessary for the proper functions of the Department, including whether
                the information will have practical utility; (b) Evaluate the accuracy
                of our estimate of the time and cost burden for this proposed
                collection, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions
                used; (c) Evaluate ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of
                the information to be collected; and (d) Minimize the reporting burden
                on those who are to respond, including the use of automated collection
                techniques or other forms of information technology.
                 Comments that you submit in response to this notice are a matter of
                public record. We will include or summarize each comment in our request
                to OMB to approve this ICR. Before including your address, phone
                number, email address, or other personal identifying information in
                your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment--including
                your personal identifying information--may be made publicly available
                at any time. While you may ask us in your comment to withhold your
                personal identifying information from public review, we cannot
                guarantee that we will be able to do so.
                Sheleen Dumas,
                Departmental PRA Compliance Officer, Office of the Under Secretary for
                Economic Affairs, Commerce Department.
                [FR Doc. 2026-17569 Filed 8-27-26; 8:45 am]
                BILLING CODE 3510-13-P