The inaugural class of employees selected by the General Services Administration for its GSA Labs program identified opportunities to cut costs, streamline agency websites, and assess emerging technologies, according to the agency.
The agency said 25 employees, selected from more than 300 applicants, spent eight months developing solutions to operational challenges. They identified nearly $229 million in potential savings, cost avoidance, and additional revenue through projects aimed at improving agency operations.
“GSA is at its best when we empower employees to identify problems and build practical solutions,” the agency said in an Oct. 21 blog post. “Every day, our teams see firsthand where processes can be simplified, where technology can save time, and where better approaches can improve service to our customers: the American people.”
GSA said the program provided employees with dedicated time to work across organizational boundaries, test new approaches, and develop solutions to challenges they encounter in their work.
The program’s Public Buildings Service Fee Review team identified the largest financial opportunity: approximately $195 million in additional annual fee revenue from a new fee structure recommendation.
The Federal Contract Integrity team contributed to 4,359 hours saved, equivalent to approximately two full-time employees’ capacity, and identified $29 million in canceled contract value, GSA said.
The GSA Super Intelligence Impact Metrics team developed an approach to consistently measure the value and risks associated with artificial intelligence, with the Trump administration calls super intelligence.
According to GSA, the team identified potential use cases for evaluation and gathered stakeholder input to inform its recommendations.
Another team focused on reducing GSA’s web footprint. The Website Rationalization team identified opportunities to decommission 34 websites and consolidate two others, potentially avoiding $3.6 million in annual costs.
The agency said it is preparing for the next cohort of GSA Labs participants.
Photo credit: GSA