Awards for Savings

Dear OPM,

Efficiency has been the word of the year within the federal government, a major focus area for President Trump. To me, efficiency does not mean across-the-board cost cutting but instead finding ways to work smarter - increase the quality of our services by continuously thinking about could we do so at a lower cost.

I would like OPM to set the tone for the rest of the federal agencies in this category. So far this year we have saved hundreds of millions of dollars. This is a great start, but focusing on efficiency is not a one-and-done activity; it's a continuous process of evaluating how and why we do things. I am confident we can continue to improve.

You all know the ins and outs of the agency far better than I do, so I am requesting your help to find additional opportunities. For all savings identified between now and October 31, we will share 5% of the annual savings with whomever discovers it, up to $10,000 per award. To qualify, savings must be new actions not already identified, and we must be able to implement them. Please work with our Chief of Staff to verify the savings before taking any action.

Some examples of potential savings:

• Eliminate or reduce unnecessary contracts.
• Reduce the number of software licenses to only the number of employees actively using the product.
• Replace expensive contracts with in-house talent.
• Sell unused assets.
• Increase the use of AI and technology.
• Help us identify where we have process or organizational issues that reduce our efficiency.

And much more… I am excited to see what else you come up with.

Thank you for the partnership as we continue to build a culture that asks the "why" behind our actions.

Thanks,

Scott