Governor cites $360,000 in procurement savings, 500 state phones eliminated and other efficiency steps

The governor on Friday told reporters that recent efficiency efforts across state government have produced several immediate savings, including about $360,000 from a new procurement software control, the elimination of roughly 500 state cell phones (about $500,000 per year) and a reduction of 41 vehicles in the agriculture department that he estimated will save about $350,000.

The governor said the Office of Management and Enterprise Services (OMES) is leading the effort and that the administration has launched a public-facing portal for employees and members of the public to submit ideas for additional savings. "We've got Mark Nuttall, who's a great Oklahoman out of Norman, helping with this project, and we have a group of, a team in OMES that's also handling it with, Rick Rose," the governor said.

Why it matters: the governor framed the measures as part of a broader push to find efficiencies in state operations and to redeploy staff and resources. He said the procurement software is preventing "some rogue purchases from happening," freeing OMES procurement staff for other duties. The administration also highlighted a $42,000 rebate from a lighting retrofit and cited plans for further energy-saving upgrades; the governor mentioned an automated lawnmower at the State Capitol as another example of technology-driven savings.

Details and context: the governor described two separate portals — one for the public to report inefficiencies and another for state agencies to submit their own ideas — and said the goal is to have employees "rising up to the top so we can actually dig in and help." He provided dollar estimates for three discrete efforts: $360,000 saved from procurement changes, about $500,000 annual savings from removing 500 state cell phones, and roughly $350,000 from reducing 41 vehicles in the Department of Agriculture.

The governor did not identify a legislative action or formal vote tied to these measures. He described them as agency-level or administrative changes being implemented by OMES and other departments. Officials did not provide a detailed accounting for how the savings were calculated, whether one-time or recurring, or whether all agencies participated in each action.

What's next: the governor said agencies are "digging in" and that more details will come as the administration compiles additional efficiency recommendations from the portals and agency reviews. He did not set a timeline for a comprehensive report or independent verification of the savings figures.

Ending: the governor closed the efficiency portion of the briefing by inviting further questions and emphasizing the administration's interest in technology and process changes that reduce costs and reallocate staff time.