90,000
Ideas shared by tens of thousands of government employees
500,000
Votes cast, ensuring that the top ideas were identified, developed, and implemented
$20000000
Savings generated by top ideas, helping the government operate more efficiently and effectively.
Overview
Every year, the President puts out an open call out to all federal employees inviting them to publicly submit their money-saving ideas online using IdeaScale technology. This call is promoted by various branches, departments and organizations within the government encouraging employees to share whatever thoughts they have on the subject.
The ideas are submitted, users vote the ideas up and down and the best ideas usually bubble up to the top.
The Office of Management and Budget then narrows down the best ideas to a “final four” which can be viewed and voted on by the American public. The winner is granted the honor of presenting his or her idea to the President in Washington.
Results
The first year’s winner suggested that medications and supplies used to treat VA patients be sent home with the patients rather than destroyed. This idea alone will save the American people an easy $14.5 million before 2014.
In 2011 the top idea suggested establishing a centralized tool repository, or “lending library,” for NASA employees to use when developing and building space flight projects. His idea alone received nearly 40% of the total online votes.
And these just represent the winning ideas. Dozens of the most promising ideas have been included in the President’s Budget, specifically in the Terminations, Reductions, and Savings section that are saving taxpayer’s millions of dollars every year.
