By Calvin Biesecker
Drawing on her management experience as Arizona’s governor, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano yesterday issued a directive aimed at increasing efficiencies and promoting greater accountability throughout the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
DHS is putting together a steering committee composed of key office and component leadership to oversee the Efficiency Review Initiative. The steering committee will identify and develop strategies to reduce costs, streamline processes, eliminate duplication and improve transparency and customer service, the department said.
Since being sworn in last month Napolitano has issued a series of action directives covering a wide range of policies such as border security and cyber security in order to gain a deeper understanding of the homeland security issues facing the country. But whereas the previous directives were aimed at helping her get a handle on matters, the new directive goes beyond that by shooting for substantive changes in the day to day ways the department does business.
DHS said that when Napolitano was a governor she oversaw a similar initiative that resulted in over $1 billion in savings for Arizona focused on procurement, energy conservation, travel, fleet management, training and electronic communications.
The steering committee will meet for the first time later this month. No specific timelines have been set for completing work under the efficiency initiative and no specific cost savings have been identified.
“Developing a leaner, smarter and more efficient DHS is a responsibility shared by all agencies, offices and employees across the department,” Napolitano said in a statement. “Transforming DHS will require a significant effort on everyone’s behalf. But through a unified and sustained effort, we will make lasting and meaningful improvements.”
As part of the review each DHS agency will do its own internal review of efforts related to improving efficiency, which will be incorporated into a department-wide inventory. The internal review will include the balance between contractors and full-time agency personnel, procurement, energy conservation, travel expenses, reducing printing and mailing costs by using electronic communication, fleet management and training.
Napolitano has also been doing “line by line” examinations of the department’s and agencies’ budgets, a DHS spokeswoman said.