August 27 -- The Census Bureau plans to request an extension of a currently approved collection for forms C-700, C-700(R), C-700(SL), and C-700(F). These forms are used to conduct the Construction Progress Reporting Surveys (CPRS) and collect information on the dollar value of construction put in place. The public is invited to provide comments on this plan by October 26, 2021.
Form C-700, for Private Construction Projects, collects construction put in place data for nonresidential projects owned by private companies or individuals. Form C-700(R), for Multifamily Residential Projects, collects construction put in place data for private multifamily residential buildings. Form C-700(SL), for State and Local Government Projects, collects construction put in place data for state and local government projects. Form C-700(F), for Federal Government Projects, collects construction put in place data for federal government projects.
The Census Bureau uses the information from these surveys to publish the value of construction put in place for the monthly `Construction Spending' principal economic indicator. Published estimates are used by a variety of private businesses and trade associations to estimate the demand for building materials and to schedule production, distribution, and sales efforts. They also provide various government agencies with a tool to evaluate economic policy. For example, Bureau of Economic Analysis staff use data to develop the construction components of gross private domestic investment in the gross domestic product. The Federal Reserve Board and the Department of the Treasury use the value in place data to predict the gross domestic product, which is presented to the Board of Governors and has an impact on monetary policy.
There are currently no planned content changes to the questionnaires.
An independent systematic sample of construction projects is selected each month according to predetermined sample rates. Once a project is selected, it remains in the sample until completion. For the preliminary mailing, preprinted forms are mailed to respondents. After the preliminary mailing, respondents have the option to report online. Respondents that consistently report electronically, receive email notifications and reminders to complete the online survey. Non-respondents are later called by a Census interviewer and are asked to report data over the phone.
Census Construction Spending website:
https://www.census.gov/construction/c30/c30index.html
Current CPRS forms:
https://www.census.gov/construction/c30/forms.html
Technical documentation:
https://www.census.gov/construction/c30/methodology.html
FR notice inviting public comment:
https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2021/08/27/2021-18531/agency-information-collection-activities-submission-to-the-office-of-management-and-budget-omb-for
Point of contact: Trent Langley, Section Chief, Construction Expenditures Branch/Economic Indicators Division, U.S. Census Bureau 301-763-7671 Trent.G.Langley@census.gov
