Accenture and Massachusetts Institute of Technology to Honor Excellence in Digital Government
Call for nominations for government and higher education programs, making innovative use of the Internet to deliver services
Washington, D.C. (March 13, 2001) – Accenture and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) School of Architecture and Planning are joining forces for the second consecutive year to present the Digital Government Awards, which recognize best practices in digital government and higher education. These awards will showcase leaders in Internet government service delivery, including government-to-citizen, government-to-business and government-to-government solutions.
The Accenture and MIT Digital Government Awards will be presented in federal, state and local government categories for existing services delivered via the Internet. Awards also will be given in higher education and in recognition of the most innovative pilot or prototype program. The award recipients’ web sites will be linked to Accenture and MIT School of Architecture and Planning web sites.
"The digital economy is transforming not only relationships with citizens, but also with businesses and other government organizations," said Stephen J. Rohleder, Accenture managing partner in the Government practice. "We hope this program will serve as a catalyst for government organizations, public corporations and higher education institutions to rethink their entire service delivery structure and introduce convenient, efficient, electronic services that are on par with services that citizens, businesses and governments avail themselves of in the private sector."
Government organizations, public corporations, and higher education institutions in the United States are encouraged to visit http://digitalgovawards.org through May 25, 2001 to submit nominations for existing, web-enabled, digital solutions or services. Self-nominations are encouraged.
Nominations will be viewed and judged on-line by a panel of leaders in academia, government and other organizations. Awards for each category will be based on the level of innovation, thought leadership and transformational results represented by the entry. Nominations also will be judged on the extent to which the web site is accessible, easy to navigate, customizable and responsive. Award winners will be announced in July at the 2001 E-Gov Conference in Washington, D.C.
"The digital economy is forcing both the private and public sectors to develop new ways to provide services to customers and constituents with quicker, easier and more seamless services over the Web," said Daniel Greenwood, Director of the MIT eCommerce Architecture Project and lecturer for the MIT School of Architecture and Planning. "We hope that these awards help encourage agencies to continue making great strides in electronic service delivery."
Last year, Accenture and the MIT School of Architecture and Planning jointly launched the eCitizen Services Awards, which honored great achievements in electronic citizen services delivery. Recipients of last year’s awards included:
- In the Federal government category, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Homes and Communities web site (http://www.hud.gov) for simplifying interaction with the Department and allowing individuals and businesses to access housing and community information online;
- In State government, the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) web site (http://www/dmv.state.va.us/dmvnet/online.asp) which provides 24-hour virtual DMV services and allows citizens to transact business with the Department via the Internet;
- In Local government, the City of Boston (http://citiyofboston.com) for bringing City Hall to citizens’ homes and businesses with an interactive model of local government; and
- In the best prototype category, the District of Columbia Office of Tax and Revenue Electronic Taxpayer Service Center (http://www/taxpayerservicecenter.com) for presenting a model that enables local businesses to file and pay their taxes online, as well as review their account history.
"We were honored to be recognized by Accenture and MIT as the winner of last year’s Government Prototype Award," said Herbert J. Huff, deputy chief financial officer for the District of Columbia Office of Tax and Revenue. "Our revenue system has since moved from prototype to reality and businesses and government agencies already are reaping the benefits of improved customer service and efficiency."
Candi Harrison, web manager for HUD’s Homes and Communities web site, said, "We are more proud of the eCitizen Services Award than any other honor we have received, because it recognizes what is at the heart of every government web site – serving citizens. It’s nice to be acknowledged by reviewers who look beyond layout and fancy graphics to the real purpose of the web site and to be told ’well done.’"
About Accenture
Accenture is a $10 billion global management and technology consulting organization. The firm is reinventing itself to become the market maker, architect and builder of the new economy, bringing innovations to improve the way the world works and lives. More than 70,000 people in 46 countries deliver a wide range of specialized capabilities and solutions to clients across all industries. Under its strategy, the firm is building a network of businesses to meet the full range of client needs -- consulting, technology, outsourcing, alliances and venture capital. Accenture’s home page is http://www.accenture.com.
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Jaleh Allameh
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