Savings Reported As A Result Of State Agency Process Improvements

Gov. Ricketts (holding proclamation), COE Director Matthew Singh (to the left of the Governor), and State employees at today’s news conference.

LINCOLN, NE (October 24, 2022) – Governor Pete Ricketts and State leaders said today that the State’s Center of Operational Excellence (COE) has helped create a more effective, more efficient, and customer-focused state government. As a part of the Nebraska Department of Administrative Services (DAS), the COE was created to lead the State’s process improvement initiatives.

“The Center of Operational Excellence drives a culture of continuous improvement in state government,” said Gov. Ricketts. By training State employees in process improvement skills, the COE is helping to reduce waste, shorten wait times, and improve the overall quality of services delivered by State agencies. Thank you to the COE for leading the charge to provide a better customer experience for Nebraskans.”

Since 2016, the COE has facilitated over 900 process improvement projects, leading to over 900,000 hours of work saved for State employees. By the end of 2022, the COE will have provided $100 million in savings to Nebraska taxpayers. In recognition of the COE’s accomplishments, Gov. Ricketts has proclaimed October as “Center of Operational Excellence” month in Nebraska.

“Through the trainings provided by the COE, our State employees are now equipped with the skills to identify and implement process improvement strategies in their day-to-day work to help provide better services to the people of Nebraska,” said COE Director Matthew Singh.

At the news conference, State leaders elaborated on some of the impactful process improvement success stories in their agencies, including:

The Nebraska Department of Economic Development’s One-Stop Business Licensing Portal
- The portal provides a one-stop-shop where business operators can go to find all of their needed filings (onestop.nebraska.gov)
The Nebraska Department of Transportation’s (NDOT) Right of Way process
- By using process improvement methods, NDOT has significantly shortened the time needed to record deeds in order to expedite construction projects
Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) reimbursements
- Teammates at DHHS have found efficient ways to expedite travel and lodging reimbursements for families who take their child to see a specialist as part of the Disabled Children’s Program or Medically Handicapped Children’s Program.