Have a bright idea for saving Uncle Sam money? Obama wants it
The administration wants federal employees to use their firsthand experiences to point out ways the government can save money, blogger Matthew Weigelt writes.
Have any really good idea on how to save money? President Barack Obama wants to hear about them--and he’s got an award for the best one.
The second-round of the SAVE Award is here. The administration is asking federal workers to draw upon their firsthand experience and submit their ideas on how government can save money and boost performance.
Unlike the first SAVE Award, this year federal employees will rate the submissions, allowing them to apply their insight to the evaluation process to ensure the best ideas make it into the fiscal 2012 budget. Many of the other suggestions from last year’s contest were included in the federal budget this year.
Submissions will be judged according to the following criteria:
- Does the idea reduce costs in a way that is concrete and quantifiable?
- Does the idea improve the way that government operates by improving the quality of output at lower costs, simplify processes to reduce administrative burden, or improve the speed of government operations to improve efficiency?
- Does the idea have a tangible effect on people's lives or environment?
- Is there a clear and practical plan for implementing the idea?
- Will it be possible to begin realizing savings immediately?
Federal employees are encouraged to submit their suggestions via www.SaveAward.gov by July 22. The federal employee with the winning idea will once again be invited to the White House to present the idea directly to Obama.