Save Award 2010 Ideas

The Congressional Record cost tax payers $28,390,000 each year to print and deliver to Congress. If converted to electronic format, voice and color enhancements could be added simultaneously with electronic dissemination to significantly reduce these costs in the millions of dollars. Additionally, speedier dissemination (via email, RSS Feed, special website, etc.), authentication and preservation would be guaranteed... more »

This one-time benefit no longer satisifies its original intent, has never been increased with inflation, and does little to decrease cost of a person's final expenses. The cost to the government and taxpayer to accept, adjudicate, process, and make payment further decreases its actual value. Eliminate it all together and extend the solvency of social security; our most necessary trust fund and social safety net.

Enroll all employees into the VA Health Care System, except for persons whose residence is geographically challenged to travel to a VA Medical Center. A portion of the projected health benefit costs could be appropriated to the VA to enhance services, where needed, for our veterans and our government employees. It would save taxpayer, and employees' families money, and send a message of confidence in the health care... more »

I suggest we obtain EZ Pass devices for all of our government vehicles (GOVs). We used to have EZ Passes, but they were removed from our GOVs recently due to some kind of micro-funding issue. Now employees have to pay the tolls with their own cash and submit travel vouchers for each trip, incurring an additional $5 Local Travel Claims Transaction Fee for each voucher we submit through E-Travel. Submitting travel vouchers... more »

Here at the new FDA headquarters in White Oak, MD I see outdoor lighting that is left on during the daytime and I think about the savings to the American people if someone would just flip a switch and turn the lights off during the day, just like we do at home. If every Government Building did the same the savings could be enormous. Simple common sense

During TDY's ensure not to cross send employees or deplete an org of employees on TDY where others will have to be sent on TDY into that org.

example: Western region is sent on TDY to aid the southern region. An org in western region is depleted of employees. Another org or region's employee is sent TDY into the depleted western region's org to aid. TDY funds were wasted when one employee could have remained in the... more »

Create 1% incentive bonus program for budget managers. Managers would get 1% of money they save or of the % they exceed their goals. This would help incent employees to look for additional ways to save the government money- if they knew they would share in the savings.

Stop Paying Federal Benefits to Inmates

Ensure Federal Benefits Are Not Paid to Ineligible Incarcerated Individuals.

To eliminate the waste of taxpayer money government wide and run the federal benefit programs with more efficiency and save money:

(1) Identify all U.S. Federal Agencies having programs that provide individuals, or beneficiaries of individuals, with some form of federal benefit or federal aid.

(2)... more »

Require all Federal Agencies that provide federal benefits or aid must use the Social Security Administration "Federal Benefit/Prisoner Data Exchange System" when determining benefit eligibility according to the agency policy requirement for individuals, or beneficiaries of individuals, incarcerated in federal prisons.
(http://www.socialsecurity.gov/history/ssa/ssa2000chapter6.html)

The Federal Bureau of Prisons currently... more »

Reduction of Agency costs associated with Gov’t travel

Consideration of using alternative payment methods / means to pay travel, Meals and Incidental Expenses (M&IE) for government employees who are required to travel as a function of their employment, reducing unnecessary use of paper supplies and ensuring accountability of financial allocations during reconciliation of monthly district expenditures. Understanding not... more »

For those window offices, they don't need a lot of lights during the day. They should turn off the lights or just leave minimum lights on.

Eliminate PCOM!!!! PCOM, The software program in which all Social Security business is run is so ancient it is embarrassing. When I first saw the program, 6 years ago when I started this job, I laughed aloud and thought it was a joke. PCOM looks like it was created in the 80's, and in the 6 years since I started it has not been replaced. It has hundreds of different problems from lack of interfacing between sub-programs,... more »

Move toward Green computing. Replace standard high energy / high BTU producing servers with energy efficient, smaller footprint blade servers. Implement cheaper data storage solutions, using tiered storage appliances. Support work from home by using MS SharePoint and Citrix for a standard cloud-computing environment. Reduce energy costs by reducing the workweek to 4 days, allowing users to either work a 4 day/10 hours... more »

I suggest the institution of a moratorium on renaming any existing USG agency, office, program, entity, or facility. Giving something a new name is too often done to create the appearance of substantive change when in most cases there is little or no change in objectives, responsibilities, or functions. Changing a name results in substantial costs incurred to replace enormous amounts of material and publications that... more »

Add a section to all US government employees' appraisals for the employee and their supervisor to document how the employee has saved money or energy without reducing the quality of their work or their office's work. In any organization what you measure and reward will grow. Often employees have a chance to save the government money or energy, but they are not incentivized. It may be a hassle for them to go the extra... more »