Federal Register #2026-22117

Census Bureau research on alternative business-survey reporting methods

The U.S. Census Bureau is seeking clearance to research alternative methods for companies to report data for business surveys. - Government buyer: U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Census Bureau. - Purpose: Obtain OMB clearance for a voluntary, three-phase research and information-collection effort; this is not a request to purchase products or services. - Research topics: Nonstandard company data-file submissions, direct and automated reporting options, data quality and availability, respondent burden, processing resources, and potential automated data pipelines. - Estimated participation and burden: 125 respondents in Phase 1, 180 in Phase 2, and 500 in Phase 3; 1,993 total burden hours. - Other agencies named: Bureau of Labor Statistics and Bureau of Economic Analysis may receive information about collection strategies and lessons learned. - OEMs, vendors, products, and part numbers: None identified; no product or service line items are specified. - Notable requirements: Participation is voluntary, and company data submissions will be protected.

Description

The U.S. Census Bureau requests a new generic clearance to research alternative methods for companies to provide data for business surveys, including nonstandard file submissions and automated reporting. The research will assess feasibility, data quality, respondent burden, and the resources needed to process alternative submissions, and will proceed in three phases. The effort aims to improve data collection and timeliness while reducing reporting burden and maintaining privacy and confidentiality. Participation is voluntary; the notice requests public comments within 30 days of publication.

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