The White House
Office of the
Press Secretary
For Immediate Release
November 09, 2011
EXECUTIVE ORDER PROMOTING EFFICIENT SPENDING
By the authority
vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States
of America, and in order to further promote efficient spending in the Federal
Government, it is hereby ordered as follows:
Section 1.
Policy. My Administration is committed to
cutting waste in Federal Government spending and identifying opportunities to
promote efficient and effective spending. The Federal Government performs
critical functions that support the basic protections that Americans have
counted on for decades. As they serve taxpayers, executive departments and
agencies (agencies) also must act in a fiscally responsible manner, including by
minimizing their costs, in order to perform these mission critical functions in
the most efficient, cost effective way. As such, I have pursued an
aggressive agenda for reducing administrative costs since taking office and,
most recently, within my Fiscal Year 2012 Budget. Building on this effort,
I direct agency heads to take even more aggressive steps to ensure the
Government is a good steward of taxpayer money.
Sec. 2.
Agency Reduction Targets.
Each agency shall establish a plan for reducing the combined costs associated
with the activities covered by sections 3 through 7 of this order, as well as
activities included in the Administrative Efficiency Initiative in the Fiscal
Year 2012 Budget, by not less than 20 percent below Fiscal Year 2010 levels, in
Fiscal Year 2013. Agency plans for meeting this target shall be submitted
to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) within 45 days of the date of this
order. The OMB shall monitor implementation of these plans consistent with
Executive Order 13576 of June 13, 2011 (Delivering an Efficient, Effective, and
Accountable Government).
Sec. 3.
Travel. (a) Agency travel is
important to the effective functioning of Government and certain activities can
be performed only by traveling to a different location. However, to ensure
efficient travel spending, agencies are encouraged to devise strategic
alternatives to Government travel, including local or technological
alternatives, such as teleconferencing and video conferencing. Agencies
should make all appropriate efforts to conduct business and host or sponsor
conferences in space controlled by the Federal Government, wherever practicable
and cost effective. Lastly, each agency should review its policies
associated with domestic civilian permanent change of duty station travel
(relocations), including eligibility rules, to identify ways to reduce costs and
ensure appropriate controls are in place.
(b) Each
agency, agency component, and office of inspector general should designate a
senior level official to be responsible for developing and implementing policies
and controls to ensure efficient spending on travel and conference related
activities, consistent with subsection (a) of this section.
Sec. 4.
Employee Information Technology Devices.
Agencies should assess current device inventories and usage, and establish
controls, to ensure that they are not paying for unused or underutilized
information technology (IT) equipment, installed software, or services.
Each agency should take steps to limit the number of IT devices (e.g., mobile
phones, smartphones, desktop and laptop computers, and tablet personal
computers) issued to employees, consistent with the Telework Enhancement Act of
2010 (Public Law 111 292), operational requirements (including continuity of
operations), and initiatives designed to create efficiency through the effective
implementation of technology. To promote further efficiencies in IT,
agencies should consider the implementation of appropriate agency-wide IT
solutions that consolidate activities such as desktop services, email, and
collaboration tools.
Sec. 5.
Printing. Agencies are encouraged to limit
the publication and printing of hard copy documents and to presume that
information should be provided in an electronic form, whenever practicable,
permitted by law, and consistent with applicable records retention requirements.
Agencies should consider using acquisition vehicles developed by the OMB's
Federal Strategic Sourcing Initiative to acquire printing and copying devices
and services.
Sec. 6.
Executive Fleet Efficiencies.
The President's Memorandum of May 24, 2011 (Federal Fleet Performance) directed
agencies to improve the performance of the Federal fleet of motor vehicles by
increasing the use of vehicle technologies, optimizing fleet size, and improving
agency fleet management. Building upon this effort, agencies should limit
executive transportation.
Sec. 7.
Extraneous Promotional Items.
Agencies should limit the purchase of promotional items (e.g., plaques,
clothing, and commemorative items), in particular where they are not
cost-effective.
Sec. 8.
General Provisions. (a) Nothing in
this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:
(i)
authority granted by law to a department or agency, or the head thereof;
(ii) functions of the Director of OMB related to budgetary,
administrative, or legislative proposals; or
(iii) the authority of inspectors general under the Inspector General Act
of 1978, as amended.
(b) This
order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the
availability of appropriations.
(c)
Independent agencies are requested to adhere to this order.
(d) This
order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive
or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United
States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or
agents, or any other person.
BARACK OBAMA
THE WHITE HOUSE,
November 9, 2011.