The state's 10th annual GEAR report is released, the second of Gov. Matt Meyer’s term.
The Government Efficiency and Accountability Review, or GEAR, makes recommendations to boost government effectiveness and efficiency.
Last year, GEAR reported $110 million in potential savings across the lifespan of the report’s proposed projects. GEAR Executive director Daniel Madrid says it also has many other ways to improve government function when considering new technology.
“I think we’ve only touched the tip of the iceberg. I think we’re going to be able to show results faster and actually build more momentum around efficiency and effectiveness. And it is a balancing act. It’s not just about saving money, it’s about making services more accessible, intuitive, streamlined.” he said.
This year, GEAR leadership says they’ve entered a transition period, focusing now on a “multidisciplinary digital service-improvement” model.
“Seeing how people actually experience, which is often online these days, and finding ways to make that better. So I think there’s an extension of our work that will start blending in technology.” said Madrid.
And, he adds that he doesn’t mean putting everything into an AI algorithm, either.
“Everyone’s very excited about AI these days. But, if you put AI on a bad process, you’re going to get bad results.” he said.
This year, projects proposed by GEAR promise $117 million in total savings over the lifespan of proposed projects, if they’re all implemented. That’s up $7 million from a year ago.
