Accenture and Massachusetts Institute of Technology to Identify Excellence in Digital Government
Call for 2002 Award Nominations Announced for Government and Higher Education Programs Using the Internet to Transform Service Delivery
WASHINGTON, D.C.; March 7, 2002 – Accenture and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) School of Architecture and Planning are joining forces to present the third-annual Digital Government Awards, which recognize outstanding achievements in delivery of eGovernment services. These awards will showcase leaders in using the Internet to deliver greater services, including higher education, government-to-citizen, government-to-business, and government-to-government programs and services.
The Accenture and MIT Digital Government Awards will be presented in federal, state and local government categories for existing services delivered via the Web. Awards also will be given in higher education and in recognition of the most innovative pilot or prototype program. This year, a new award, called the Agent of Change, will honor an individual in government or higher education who inspires others to push the boundaries of eGovernment to deliver greater services and improve operations in government agencies and at institutes of higher learning.
“For the third consecutive year, we plan to recognize and reward innovative leaders in digital government and higher education, honoring them for their vision, creativity and initiative,” said Stan Gutkowski, an Accenture managing partner in the Government practice. “We hope these awards will serve as a catalyst for organizations in government and higher education to set new standards in the transformation of convenient, effective, electronic services.”
Government organizations, public corporations and higher education institutions in the United States are encouraged to visit www.digitalgovawards.org through April 19, 2002 to submit nominations for existing, web-enabled programs or services. Self-nominations are encouraged. Individuals also are encouraged to visit the site to nominate an Agent of Change, an innovative leader who has inspired and motivated others in the transformation of services in government or higher education during the past year.
Nominations will be viewed and evaluated online by a panel of leaders in academia, government and other organizations. Awards for each category will be based on the degree of creative thinking and innovative use of Web-enabled technology used to create or enhance service delivery; the extent to which the nomination successfully addresses a significant problem faced by the users or the organization; the level of transformation and demonstrated effectiveness and tangible results achieved in the delivery of the program or service. Award recipients will be recognized in June at the 2002 E-Gov Conference in Washington, D.C.
“From our perspective, the key ingredients for successful digital service are creativity and innovation at the design and architectural level," said Daniel Greenwood, Director of the MIT eCommerce Architecture Project and lecturer for the MIT School of Architecture and Planning. “During the last three years, we have watched organizations evolve from simply publishing information on the Web to using technology to transform the way government and higher education services are delivered.”
Recipients of last year’s awards included:
- In the Federal government category, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Student Financial Assistance gained recognition for simplifying the student loan process with its Direct Loan Servicing Web site.
- In State government, The New Jersey Department of Human Services’ One EASE-E Link (OEL) web site received high marks for its collaboration of state, county, private and nonprofit human service providers delivering a variety of social, health and employment services online.
- In Local government, the City of Los Angeles Information Technology Agency was recognized for its web site, recently redesigned to give residents, businesses and tourists a one-stop-shop for government information and services.
- In Higher Education, the University of Wisconsin, Madison addressed inefficiencies caused by scattered resources and hundreds of disparate Web sites by creating My UW-Madison, a personalized Web portal for students.
- In the Prototype category, the Simplified Tax and Wage Reporting System, a joint partnership program among four federal agencies and multiple states and private organizations, developed a prototype to simplify the employment tax and wage reporting process.
“We saw the Accenture and MIT Digital Government Awards as a great motivation tool for our project team,” said Cliff Eng, assistant general manager of the Los Angeles Information Technology Agency. “The award validated our team’s hard work and provided recognition within the organization. I encourage government agencies and higher education institutes to apply for the 2002 awards.”
Bill Kowalski, executive director of the New Jersey Department of Human Services OEL initiative said, “We were honored to be recognized by Accenture and MIT as the winner of last year’s state government award. Our business is serving citizens, and it’s always nice to be acknowledged for bringing innovation and creativity to electronic service delivery.”
About Accenture
Accenture is the world’s leading management and technology services organization. Through its network of businesses approach -- in which the company enhances its consulting and outsourcing expertise through alliances, affiliated companies and other capabilities -- Accenture delivers innovations that help clients across all industries quickly realize their visions. With more than 75,000 people in 47 countries, the company generated net revenues of $11.44 billion for the fiscal year ended August 31, 2001. Its home page is www.accenture.com.
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