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Guidance for Firms Responding to a FOIA Request via the Electronic Manufacturer Notification Collaboration Portal

Welcome to the CPSC’s electronic Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Electronic Manufacturer Notification Collaboration Portal (Collaboration Portal).  The Collaboration Portal is the latest enhancement to CPSC’s FOIA Tracking System, FOIAXpress. 

The Collaboration Portal allows CPSC’s FOIA staff to communicate electronically with manufacturers including private labelers, importers, distributors, and retailers (collectively referred to as “firms”), about information that responds to FOIA requests submitted to CPSC.  The Collaboration Portal will eliminate the need to send voluminous Section 6(b) notifications through the mail, thereby reducing CPSC’s postal mailing costs.

Key features of the Collaboration Portal include:

  • Email notification to a firm when CPSC receives a FOIA request about its product(s).
  • Electronic notification to a firm when CPSC locates information deemed responsive to a FOIA request. 
  • Sign in capability for firms to download for review and comment any information in the responsive FOIA records, which are compressed into a .zip file for faster downloading. 
  • Capacity for firms to respond and document their comments and claims of confidentiality; to upload correspondence; and, where applicable, mark up the records for CPSC’s FOIA staff to review.
  • Message system that allows CPSC’s FOIA staff and the firm to communicate.
     

To use the Collaboration Portal:

  • Obtain a CPSC-issued User ID and Password.
  • Receive an e-mail notification of a FOIA Request requiring review.
  • Go to: https://foiacollab.cpsc.gov/Collaboration/Login.aspx to sign-in to the Collaboration Portal. Sign-in to the Collaboration Portal with your User ID and Password (after your initial sign in, you will be required to change the password).
  • Locate the FOIA Request number and the Task ID number to download zip file containing the information proposed for disclosure.
  • Save the .zip file to your local hard drive or network. 
  • Open the .zip file to review the material.
  • Determine whether you will respond to the notification. If so, when you have completed your review of the information, return to the Collaboration Portal and upload your comments, claims of confidentiality, and any of the information received that you have marked or redacted for review by CPSC’s FOIA staff.

Click here to access the Collaboration Portal User Guide.

 

If your firm did not receive an e-mail registering a specific individual within your organization for access to the Collaboration Portal, send an email to cpsc-foia@cpsc.gov containing the information below:

Full Name (First, MI, Last)

Title

Organization Name

Mailing Address (Street, Suite, City/State and Zip Code)

Telephone

E-Mail Address (Mandatory – This is the User ID)

Note that only one contact person is allowed per firm. For assistance, please contact us at 1-800-638-2772, or via e-mail at: cpsc-foia@cpsc.gov.

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