SAVE Award 2011 Ideas

The Rollover Budget Initiative (RBI) would allow units to maintain their annual budgets without being penalized for not fully utilizing the last year’s budget. Any remaining money from a fiscal year would be the base amount for the next fiscal year, which will then have additional money added to meet the unit’s requested budget. For example, if a unit requests $10,000 and has $2,000 left over from the previous year, that... more »

Similar to rollover budget and end of year spending.

Every year with about 2-3 months left in the fiscal year, not just my Field Office, but I'm sure every agency within the U.S. Government spends the rest of their budget, out of fear of not getting the same amount or more money the following year, and I'm sure as a way to justify asking for more funding. Field Offices should be able to spend what they need to complete... more »

Some of the top-rated suggestions relate to removing the "use it or lose it" nature of current agency appropriations. Because they are generally for one year at a time, agencies feel the need to use the funds, even if they waste them on unneeded items, rather than face their future funds being cut. Unfortunately, appropriations are controlled by the Constitution, a set of laws and ultimately by Congress, so the ideas... more »

I was first introduced to the reality of "use it or lose it" spending in the first year I began my government service as an enlisted U.S. Marine in 1993. This first experience involved being handed a government credit card, an internal SERVMART account, and was then directed to go to the self-service store to spend every last dollar remaining in the account on whatever was available, which was approximately $2,500.... more »