SAVE Award 2011 Ideas

In a time when the government is facing possible default, it is almost criminally negligent to spend $50 billion per year subsidizing commercial software companies. Free open source software can provide direct component-for-component replacements for virtually all desktop and server software at zero cost. Support costs are irrelevant, since the government computer support employees are being paid anyway. If all PCs ran... more »

Standardize the management of our vehicle and equipment fleets. Currently, each agency, writes policy/regulation and has software, procedures, and management policy for their fleets. Conversely, we're all doing the same thing; tracking utilization, right-sizing, greening, tracking fuel, training, etc. On top of that, each agency is writing directives, regulations, policy, and even creating separate forms. Standardizing... more »

If the Government would eliminate ALL GOVERNMENT Departments on having to spend thier alotted budgets this would save Billions of dollars and would not lead to frivilous spending to ensure they get the same amount for the upcoming year.

There are numerous Governemntal programs that perform the same or like duties, streamline them into a single deparmtent and save Billions.

Far to long Companies have been able to get tax breaks that are not needed and have been exempt in paying Billions of Dollars in taxes. This should be stopped immediately.

To often executives get HUGE bonsues that are off the backs of thier employees. If you are at the SES level, there should be no reason you should get a bonus that is comperable or more than an employee'(s) salary for an entire year.

I noticed people wearing coats/sweaters in the summer. By setting thermostat back up to 10 degrees saves up to 20% on Cooling/Heating bill. We conserve energy where ever possible at home; the same should apply at work.

We may be using Fluorescent light bulbs, but we should continue to alternate bulb use like we did prior to using Fluorescent light bulbs. We should keep some lights bulbs Off while others light bulbs are On (alternating bulbs). Thus still providing enough lighting to do the job while conserving Electricity; Reducing lighting where necessary.

In my ventures as a government employee I do see a lot of waste in electricity and water. I have noticed a sink in the bathroom of my office building that has run nonstop since I moved to this location a year and a half ago, if that was my sink at home I would have had a heart attack when I got my water bill, even after it has been reported to the building repair staff it goes unfixed, and we are asking the American people... more »

We could increase our revenue by billons each year, if we sold crop insurance instead of independent agents. We (the tax payers) pay millions to crop insurance agents to subsidize the Farmers crop insurance premiums that they pay for the coverage. This amount is to do the paper work. We already do their paper work, with the added saving that there would be each office could hire an additional full time employee to just... more »

As we've heard recently on NPR, and seen recently of ABC News, we have literally billions of $1 coins in storage which is costing us almost $500 million a year. At the same time, we have to keep printing billions of $1 paper bills which have a very short useful life and cost of hundreds of millions a year to dispose of. The $1 coin weighs almost no more than a quarter and, at most, you'd only have four or so in your... more »

Allow tax free and penalty free withdrawal of Thrift Savings Plan retirement savings for retiring employees. The option to withdraw TSP funds tax free and penalty free would allow employees to receive a buy-out without it costing current revenue.

When an employee saves money, whether it is official travel or purchase of equipment, give the person saving the money a percentage of the savings.

If the person finds a flight for official business that is $700 less then they receive 10% of the money saved.

Of course this will require legal changes made by congress, so that employees can make purchases on the free market. It can even be limited to travel or office... more »

When represenatives of claimants (at the hearing level) submit medical evidence within seven days of the hearing, those medical records must be sent to contracted medical experts scheduled to testify at the hearing by FedEx. The cost of the delivery of those last minute additions to the record to the Medical or Vocational Expert is absorbed by the Agency and also places unwarrented workload strains on an already tight... more »

Case files are a waste of paper with all the consistent printing and discarding of reports in the case files. That is an obvious waste, but what most don't realize is that we also have case file rooms or storage rooms that we rent in order to hold these case files. There is additional waste in funds that go to renting these storage rooms. And then lastly, after 5 years of a case being closed, the case is mailed to a... more »