By Jamie L. Freedman
After evaluating and prioritizing hundreds of proposals, the Innovation Task Force enters a new stage this week, capped by the presentation of top ideas at three community-wide Showcases of Ideas. The first showcase will be held tomorrow from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Marvin Center.
The ITF’s Business Processes committee, charged with generating and analyzing ideas to enhance business operations at GW, submitted a short list of seven top ideas to make the university’s business processes more effective, efficient and innovative. The suggestions-- ranging from improving the procurement process via strategic sourcing to initiating a telecommuting program—could potentially save the university millions of dollars per year while strengthening the quality of the GW experience.
The 18-member group, led by co-chairs Dave Lawlor, senior associate vice president for finance, and Kathy Newcomer, director of the Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration, met weekly for the past six months to analyze and rank hundreds of ideas through an elaborate eight-criterion vetting process. The group then generated one-page briefing documents for top-ranked proposals and assembled them into a book, which they presented to the ITF Steering Committee for consideration.
“All of our top ideas are positive sum game opportunities, meaning everyone wins,” says Mr. Lawlor. He estimates, for example, that three of the group’s top ideas--strategic sourcing, telecommuting and a temp agency--could together save the university nearly $10 million per year, while generating myriad other benefits.
“Strategic sourcing is probably our biggest opportunity,” Mr. Lawlor says. “GW’s current procurement process is highly decentralized, which has both benefits and drawbacks. By negotiating procurement contracts with a small pool of vendors and funneling the vast majority of purchasing through them, we can leverage deep discounts that could potentially save us an estimated $6 million per year.”
Significant cost savings could also be realized by implementing a telecommuting policy at GW. “Of the roughly 5,000 benefits-eligible employees at GW, 25 percent are potential candidates for telecommuting,” Mr. Lawlor says. “By initiating a telecommuting program for 10 percent of qualified applicants, we could generate space cost savings of approximately $1 million, while increasing employee satisfaction.”
“The telecommuting idea dovetails nicely with another one of our top ideas--to reduce the amount of space the university leases,” Mr. Lawlor adds. “There is approximately 50,000 square feet of off-campus space leased by the university that we could eliminate by reallocating and better utilizing the space that we have, including expanding the number of employees on the Virginia Science and Technology Campus.” According to Mr. Lawlor, reduction of leased space could save GW nearly $2 million per year.
A fourth top idea--creating an in-house temp agency—also holds great potential for success. “We currently spend in excess of $3 million per year paying temporary employees affiliated with external agencies,” Mr. Lawlor says. “By creating an internal temp agency drawing on students and others to fill the needs of clients throughout the university, we could save at least half a million dollars a year, while providing part-time employment opportunities for students at competitive wages.”
Other top ideas submitted by the Business Processes Committee include creating an energy consortium, consolidating the processing of graduate admission applications, and developing a unified GW calendar.
According to Mr. Lawlor, the group’s diversity was an integral part of its success. “Our committee members come from across the university—from the chemistry department to the business school to the IT and finance side of the spectrum--and everyone contributed constructively and with energy to further our charter,” Mr. Lawlor says. “That’s what made for such a great dynamic and a well-rounded dialogue.”
“I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to work with the caliber of faculty and staff that were representative of this committee,” he adds. “Their engagement and energy was nothing short of superlative, and they share an unrelenting passion for seeing this vision through to conclusion.”
Dr. Newcomer concurs, stating, “It was a very open, collegial process, and I was extremely impressed by the commitment and collaboration demonstrated by participants from all corners of the university. The business members of the committee and the faculty worked extremely well together. It was an excellent coming together of folks from various points of view, unified by good will and a real interest in improving business processes and the university experience for all our stakeholders.”
Dr. Newcomer has recommended that some resources, perhaps a Presidential Administrative Fellow, be employed next year to continue sifting through the mountain of creative ideas submitted by the GW community. “We don’t want things to stop,” she explains. “This is an ongoing process, and the university must continue to have a portal where students, alumni, faculty and staff can share their ideas on innovations. We’re off to a great start, and look forward to continuing the process.”
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