Problem:  Government procedures for purchasing computers and other 
equipment are not fast enough to provide workers with the tools to 
do their jobs efficiently.

Proposed solution and evaluation:  The constraints on this kind of 
technology acquisition should be eased; this can improve 
efficiency of operations.  For example, a few years ago in 
Massachusetts, a disabled veterans caseworker who worked to  match 
veterans with available jobs took some initiative. He decided to 
abandon his sole reliance on the state's central office mainframe 
computer and take his personal laptop, loaded with readily 
available software, on the road. Suddenly, he was able to check a 
database, make a match, and print a resume all during his first 
contact with an employer. Quickly, he started beating the 
mainframe. His state administrator took notice, and managed to 
squeak through a request to the Department of Labor's Veterans 
Employment and Training Service for grant funding and permission 
to reprogram dollars in the fall of 1990. Soon after, 40 
Massachusetts caseworkers were working with laptops. In just one 
year, Massachusetts jumped from 47th in the nation for its 
veterans job placement rate to 23rd. 
     Although this story screams success, it is unfortunately the 
exception, not the rule. Normally, the Labor Department has to 
approve the purchase of something as small as a $30 modem in the 
field. Massachusetts got the funding only because it was the end 
of the fiscal year and money had to be spent.45 
     The point stands: When workers have current and flexible 
technology to do their jobs, they improve performance. We need to 
get more computers off the shelf and into the hands of federal 
employees. 

Citation:  1993 National Performance Review, Chapter 3

Keywords:  technology purchasing computers

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