Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Accenture to Identify Excellence in Electronic Citizen Services
Call for eCitizen Services Awards Nominations
Cambridge, Mass., January 28, 2000 -- The Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) School of Architecture and Planning has joined forces with Accenture, the world’s leading management and technology consulting firm, to identify and encourage best practices in emerging eCitizen Services.
Awards will be given in three categories, national, state/provincial and local. U.S. and Canadian Federal Government agencies and U.S. Public and Canadian Crown corporations are eligible for the national award category. Awards for each category will be based on the level of innovation, thought leadership and transformational results represented by the entry.
"Teaming with MIT in this way to help the public sector create its future is an extension of the firm’s dedication to its government clients," said Martin Cole, Accenture managing partner for the Americas State, Provincial and Local Government practice. "Through this program, the firm hopes to encourage the public sector to move beyond transacting and publishing on the web to rethinking their entire service delivery structure to operate more efficiently and provide citizens with a higher level of service."
Governments and public corporations are encouraged to submit their best existing, web-enabled, eCitizen service programs in the competition to gain the opportunity for recognition from their peers in other government organizations, businesses and academia.
Entries will be viewed and judged over the internet by a panel of eGovernment thought leaders from academia, government and the private sector. The eCitizen Service Award will be based on the extent to which the nominated web site:
- improves citizen services,
- enhances efficiency,
- boosts competitiveness,
- and is transformational in nature.
"As governments tap the web’s full power to deliver citizen services, they will begin to offer easy, one- stop shopping that eliminates the citizen frustration of contacting several agencies to locate the correct office," said Stephen J. Rohleder, Accenture managing partner for the Americas Federal government operating unit. "Honorees will exemplify those governments that simplify interaction with the government in this way."
In a related contest, MIT students created original designs that provide potential solutions for real government problems, incorporating best practices from the private and public sectors. Cash prizes were awarded to the top three MIT student entries.
Self nominations are encouraged. E-Citizen Services Awards will be announced in July at the E-Gov Conference in Washington, D.C. Nominees will be accepted electronically through May 12, 2000.
"We’re excited to host this program and pleased with Accenture’s sponsorship and commitment to fostering excellence in eCitizen Services, to encourage MIT students, governments and public corporations to explore the potential that the worldwide web has to offer the public sector," said Bill Mitchell, dean of MIT’s School of Architecture and Planning. "These efforts support MIT’s mission of advancing knowledge and educating students in areas that will best serve the world in the 21st century."
Accenture partners also contributed to an MIT seminar this past fall on eGovernment and ways to integrate the internet into the business of government. During these seminars, Accenture executives and MIT professors shared the lectern, discussing theory, research and the latest prevailing thinking about eGovernment.
The Accenture Government Practice works with the world’s leading government organizations, helping them to transform themselves in an e-Economy and develop citizen-centered services that make a difference in their communities. Approximately 5,000 Accenture experts work with national, state and local agencies advising, implementing and even operating government services.
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Barbara Hohbach
+1 (703) 947 1838