The U.S. Department of the Treasury is launching a new initiative with the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) called the Savings Award for Verified Efficiencies (SAVE) Program.
This initiative empowers federal employees to identify and eliminate wasteful spending in federal contracts.
“Through this strengthened partnership, Treasury and GSA are setting a new standard for responsible stewardship of public funds”, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said. “Together, we are building a cost-saving model that can be scaled across government. We look forward to working with our partners across the Trump Administration to ensure that every taxpayer dollar is spent wisely and efficiently.”
The SAVE Program builds upon the GSA’s highly successful Defend the Spend initiative, which focused on identifying areas where government contract dollars could be used more efficiently. The Treasury has expanded this approach, creating a system where eligible employees can submit well-documented cost-saving proposals. Once verified, they will be rewarded for their contributions.
“GSA is excited to work with Secretary Bessent and his team at the Treasury on this important initiative,” GSA Acting Administrator Mike Rigas said. “The SAVE program exemplifies inter-agency collaboration at its best by combining GSA’s procurement expertise with Treasury’s fiscal oversight. By empowering frontline federal employees to act decisively on wasteful contracts, we are driving a cultural shift toward greater accountability and efficiency government wide.”
How it works is, after the Treasury’s Office of the Procurement Executive (OPE) completes its review of a SAVE proposal, GSA reviews the case, addressing any concerns and confirming all details. GSA validates that the contract termination or scope reduction occurred as described, confirms the accuracy of the claimed savings, and ensures the savings are directly attributable to the submitting employee’s actions.
GSA’s approval is mandatory before any monetary award can be issued. Approved actions that result in verified savings can earn employees an award of up to 5 percent of the savings, capped at $10,000 per contract action.
“We are proud to partner with Treasury on SAVE to facilitate the formal implementation of a proven, battle-tested process to help government ‘defend the spend’. Through this incentive program, the initiative places the tool directly in the hands of federal workers across agencies. By rewarding the federal workforce, we are democratizing savings efforts across government and strengthening our collective role as responsible fiduciaries to the American taxpayer,” GSA Commissioner Josh Gruenbaum said.
Under the SAVE Program, non-Senior Executive Service (SES) federal Treasury GS or GS-equivalent employees can submit proposals for contract cancellations, descopes, or other cost-reducing actions within their program area.