[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 220 (Tuesday, November 15, 2011)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 70863-70864]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-29683]



[[Page 70861]]

Vol. 76

Tuesday,

No. 220

November 15, 2011

Part III





The President





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Executive Order 13589--Promoting Efficient Spending
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  Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 220 / Tuesday, November 15, 2011 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

[[Page 70863]]

                Executive Order 13589 of November 9, 2011

                
Promoting Efficient Spending

                By the authority vested in me as President by the 
                Constitution and the laws of the United States of 
                America, and in order to further promote efficient 
                spending in the Federal Government, it is hereby 
                ordered as follows:

                Section 1. Policy. My Administration is committed to 
                cutting waste in Federal Government spending and 
                identifying opportunities to promote efficient and 
                effective spending. The Federal Government performs 
                critical functions that support the basic protections 
                that Americans have counted on for decades. As they 
                serve taxpayers, executive departments and agencies 
                (agencies) also must act in a fiscally responsible 
                manner, including by minimizing their costs, in order 
                to perform these mission-critical functions in the most 
                efficient, cost-effective way. As such, I have pursued 
                an aggressive agenda for reducing administrative costs 
                since taking office and, most recently, within my 
                Fiscal Year 2012 Budget. Building on this effort, I 
                direct agency heads to take even more aggressive steps 
                to ensure the Government is a good steward of taxpayer 
                money.

                Sec. 2. Agency Reduction Targets. Each agency shall 
                establish a plan for reducing the combined costs 
                associated with the activities covered by sections 3 
                through 7 of this order, as well as activities included 
                in the Administrative Efficiency Initiative in the 
                Fiscal Year 2012 Budget, by not less than 20 percent 
                below Fiscal Year 2010 levels, in Fiscal Year 2013. 
                Agency plans for meeting this target shall be submitted 
                to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) within 45 
                days of the date of this order. The OMB shall monitor 
                implementation of these plans consistent with Executive 
                Order 13576 of June 13, 2011 (Delivering an Efficient, 
                Effective, and Accountable Government).

                Sec. 3. Travel. (a) Agency travel is important to the 
                effective functioning of Government and certain 
                activities can be performed only by traveling to a 
                different location. However, to ensure efficient travel 
                spending, agencies are encouraged to devise strategic 
                alternatives to Government travel, including local or 
                technological alternatives, such as teleconferencing 
                and video-conferencing. Agencies should make all 
                appropriate efforts to conduct business and host or 
                sponsor conferences in space controlled by the Federal 
                Government, wherever practicable and cost-effective. 
                Lastly, each agency should review its policies 
                associated with domestic civilian permanent change of 
                duty station travel (relocations), including 
                eligibility rules, to identify ways to reduce costs and 
                ensure appropriate controls are in place.

                    (b) Each agency, agency component, and office of 
                inspector general should designate a senior-level 
                official to be responsible for developing and 
                implementing policies and controls to ensure efficient 
                spending on travel and conference-related activities, 
                consistent with subsection (a) of this section.

                Sec. 4. Employee Information Technology Devices. 
                Agencies should assess current device inventories and 
                usage, and establish controls, to ensure that they are 
                not paying for unused or underutilized information 
                technology (IT) equipment, installed software, or 
                services. Each agency should take steps to limit the 
                number of IT devices (e.g., mobile phones, smartphones, 
                desktop and laptop computers, and tablet personal 
                computers) issued to employees, consistent with the 
                Telework Enhancement Act of 2010 (Public Law 111-292), 
                operational requirements (including continuity of 
                operations), and initiatives designed to create 
                efficiency through the effective implementation of 
                technology. To promote further efficiencies in IT, 
                agencies should

[[Page 70864]]

                consider the implementation of appropriate agency-wide 
                IT solutions that consolidate activities such as 
                desktop services, email, and collaboration tools.

                Sec. 5. Printing. Agencies are encouraged to limit the 
                publication and printing of hard copy documents and to 
                presume that information should be provided in an 
                electronic form, whenever practicable, permitted by 
                law, and consistent with applicable records retention 
                requirements. Agencies should consider using 
                acquisition vehicles developed by the OMB's Federal 
                Strategic Sourcing Initiative to acquire printing and 
                copying devices and services.

                Sec. 6. Executive Fleet Efficiencies. The President's 
                Memorandum of May 24, 2011 (Federal Fleet Performance) 
                directed agencies to improve the performance of the 
                Federal fleet of motor vehicles by increasing the use 
                of vehicle technologies, optimizing fleet size, and 
                improving agency fleet management. Building upon this 
                effort, agencies should limit executive transportation.

                Sec. 7. Extraneous Promotional Items. Agencies should 
                limit the purchase of promotional items (e.g., plaques, 
                clothing, and commemorative items), in particular where 
                they are not cost-effective.

                Sec. 8. General Provisions. (a) Nothing in this order 
                shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:

(i) authority granted by law to a department or agency, or the head 
thereof;

(ii) functions of the Director of OMB related to budgetary, administrative, 
or legislative proposals; or

(iii) the authority of inspectors general under the Inspector General Act 
of 1978, as amended.

                    (b) This order shall be implemented consistent with 
                applicable law and subject to the availability of 
                appropriations.
                    (c) Independent agencies are requested to adhere to 
                this order.
                    (d) This order is not intended to, and does not, 
                create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, 
                enforceable at law or in equity by any party against 
                the United States, its departments, agencies, or 
                entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any 
                other person.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

                THE WHITE HOUSE,

                    November 9, 2011.

[FR Doc. 2011-29683
Filed 11-14-11; 11:15 am]
Billing code 3295-F2-P