1/7/09 Secretary South Announces Department of Management Services 2008 Year in Review
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2009
CONTACT: LINDA MCDONALD, (850) 921-5266
~DMS saves state billions~
TALLAHASSEE- Department of Management Services Secretary Linda H. South today announced the Department of Management Services 2008 Year in Review. Increased savings during lean budget times, expansion of radio systems for emergency first responders statewide, reduction in the rate to renew health benefits for state employees and development of a climate-friendly products list highlight accomplishments this calendar year.
"It's only in times of challenge that we really test how to succeed," said Secretary South. "The 2008 year provided plenty of opportunity for us. I am proud of the DMS team for their efforts to improve life for the good people of Florida, save their money and ensure their safety. I look forward to all we can accomplish together in 2009."
The 2008 Year in Review
- HMO Rate Renewal - Negotiated lower HMO rate renewals for State of Florida benefit coverage. Plan rates for 2009 are significantly lower than expected and will produce an estimated savings of $55 million over the next calendar year. The savings projections from this effort total $230 million over the next four years.
- State-level Purchasing Negotiations - Negotiated lower prices for many goods and services used by government groups. This year alone, strategic negotiating of purchases saved the state $1.3 billion in unspent revenue.
- Unifying State Purchasing Technology - Adoption of the legacy State Purchasing Subsystem (SPURS) MyFloridaMarketPlace by all executive state agencies (31) and the Florida Legislature to enable strategic sourcing efforts saved approximately $20 million.
- Statewide FIN Expansion - All counties in Florida are now part of the Florida Interoperability Network (FIN). FIN set a national standard for radio interoperability and now includes more than 235 dispatch centers throughout the state, their various radio systems and more than 75,000 emergency first responders.
- MyBenefits Web site - Launched www.MyFlorida.com/MyBenefits. This interactive site gives employees and retirees easy-to-read information about the benefit choices available to them and also includes a medical and dental cost calculator to help participants make educated decisions.
- Florida Climate Friendly Products List - Developed the Florida Climate Friendly Products List, which includes more than 6,680 environmentally preferable products available for purchase under Florida state term contracts. As part of Executive Order 07-126, the Department of Management Services partnered with the Department of Environmental Protection to develop the list and encourage state agencies to purchase products with a reduced environmental impact.
- MyFloridaNet Migration - Migrated statewide customers to the new MyFloridaNet data transport network. This migration increased capacity and security without increased costs to taxpayers.
For more information on the Department of Management Services, visit www.dms.MyFlorida.com.
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