Editorial: Drive to Excellence pays dividends for state

New websites are latest projects in efficiency push.

Last update: October 10, 2007 - 6:31 PM

Minnesota's state agencies issue more than 500 licenses, from "Above ground storage tanks" to "Youth camps." (Apparently, no agency has come up with a license requirement whose name begins with "z.")

Applying for one of those licenses has become a less daunting task, thanks to a new first-stop website. Enter "License Minnesota" in your favorite search engine, and you'll be guided through the state's licensure maze.

A similar guide has also been created to help people with disabilities find state services. Check www.mndisability.gov.

The two web tools are among the most recent products of the 30-month-old, employee-led efficiency campaign within the Pawlenty administration, called Drive to Excellence.

The 700 employees who have contributed to the drive for better, cheaper government service have new reason to crow. Last month, the web-based procurement management system Drive to Excellence developed won the highest award given by the National Association of State Procurement Officers.

Administration Commissioner Dana Badgerow says procurement changes made under the drive's banner will save taxpayers a handsome $142 million over five years. This drive is clearly going in the right direction.

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