Governor Meyer Highlights $117 Million in State Government Savings

Delaware Governor Matt Meyer has released the 2026 Government Efficiency and Accountability Review annual report, highlighting 164 state agency projects and approximately $117 million in estimated lifetime savings as of July. Major initiatives include reducing state real estate costs, cutting underused fleet vehicles, streamlining business permits, and eliminating fees for DUI screening and referral services. The report also highlights employee training and innovation efforts, along with plans for a proposed digital service-improvement office to make state services more efficient and responsive.

Additional Information from the Office of Governor Matt Meyer:

“Delawareans deserve a government that is efficient, transparent and centered around the people it serves,” said Governor Matt Meyer. “This report shows what happens when we measure results, cut unnecessary delays and empower State employees to solve problems. We will build on GEAR’s foundation to make services faster, simpler and more responsive while continuing to treat taxpayer money with the care it deserves.”

The report features results from across State government with several notable highlights in efficiencies generated:

• Reducing State real estate costs. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) documented more than $76 million in savings and cost avoidance through lease negotiations, landlord-funded improvements and strategic property acquisitions.
• Eliminating unnecessary FLEET costs. The Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) reduced its assigned vehicle fleet by 109 underutilized vehicles, representing approximately $5.17 million in estimated savings over a seven-year vehicle life cycle.
• Accelerating business permits aligned with Delaware’s JobsFirst program. OMB’s Office of State Planning Coordination was able to streamline its Preliminary Land Use Service (PLUS) process, providing preliminary information for coordinated land use development and permitting, by reducing process time by five business days and overall application time for customers by 20 percent. The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control is targeting subaqueous permit turnaround times of six months rather than as long as two years, with $435,000 in projected annual savings. The Delaware Department of Transportation’s redesigned Record and Entrance Plan reviews are estimated to save nearly $1 million annually by removing more than 13,000 hours of non-value-added work.
• Lowering costs for residents. DHSS moved Driving Under the Influence (DUI) screening and referral services to a State-operated model, eliminating participant fees and generating an estimated $347,250 in direct savings for participants.
• Strengthening and incentivizing the State’s workforce. To date, 194 state employees have completed continuous improvement practitioner training led by the Department of Human Resources (DHR), building workforce skills in project management, Lean management and change management. In addition, the GEAR P3 Innovation and Efficiency Award and GEAR P3 Trailblazer Award, supported by a public-private partnership and administered by DHR, have recognized more than 150 State employees for innovation and measurable results since 2018.

“The most important story in this year’s report is the core capability Delaware has built to improve government from within,” said GEAR Executive Director Daniel Madrid. “State employees across agencies are using common methods, shared tools, data, and customer feedback to solve real service problems. The next step is to connect that operational excellence foundation with product, technology, and value management disciplines so that improvement is measured by what gets better for the people who use State services.”

Looking ahead, the report outlines a proposed multidisciplinary digital service-improvement office that builds on GEAR’s process improvement and performance-measurement work while adding product management, user experience research, technology and data capabilities.