Tom Wolf: We Found $109M in Savings in Two Weeks

He says PA's new efficiency office is off to a solid start.

Gov. Wolf | Photo Credit: Jeff Fusco

Gov. Wolf | Photo Credit: Jeff Fusco

About two weeks ago, Gov. Tom Wolf launched the Governor’s Office of Transformation, Innovation, Modernization and Efficiency. He even calls it by its cheesy acronym: GO-TIME.

Wolf says the office has already located $109 million in expected cost savings for Pennsylvania.

The majority of that will come from revamping the state’s contracting system. By using best practices and what’s known as “reverse auctioning,” Wolf anticipates saving $100 million. The additional $9 million in savings will come from updating technology and streamlining various government functions.

“Since the launch of GO-TIME, agencies and state employees have submitted 157 ideas to make government work more efficiently,” says Wolf in a statement. “I’m heartened to know that so many people and leaders across departments share our commitment to creating a government that works.”

Wolf is scheduled to unveil his first budget next week, as Pennsylvania is facing a $2.3 billion budget deficit. More than $100 million in savings should theoretically make it a tiny bit easier to sell any tax hikes or service cuts needed to plug that gap.