Ninth annual report underscores progress in modernizing services, improving transparency, and ensuring responsible use of taxpayer dollars

WILMINGTON – Governor Matt Meyer today highlighted the release of the ninth annual report of the Government Efficiency and Accountability Review (GEAR) Board, highlighting the State’s continued work to make government more transparent, cost-effective, and responsive to Delawareans. The GEAR Board, created to strengthen a culture of continuous improvement across state agencies, focuses on streamlining processes, modernizing systems, and advancing data-driven decision-making.

“State government should be honest, transparent, and efficient. Through innovative, collaborative suggestions that are driven by data, the 2025 GEAR report will help ensure that Delawareans’ tax dollars are being used effectively,” Governor Matt Meyer said. “Thank you to the tremendous leaders serving on the GEAR board who have worked on these recommendations. From streamlining permitting to modernizing digital services, they are making sure state government better serves all Delawareans.”

The 2025 report highlights key accomplishments across state government, including:

• Growing continuous improvement capacity, with more than 175 employees from 23 agencies advancing 160 initiatives projected to save an estimated $110 million over their lifespan.
• Launching a permitting efficiency blitz using Lean and Agile practices to support Ready in Six, reducing processing times by four business weeks and saving at least $1.2 million annually.
• Implementing the State Land Inventory Management (SLIM) system to centralize data on state-owned property and support informed decision-making on utilization, surplus assets, environmental impacts, and economic development planning.
• Delivering taxpayer savings through lease restructuring, fleet cost controls, healthcare cost containment, streamlined onboarding, stronger correctional officer retention, online environmental permitting tools, integrated school library catalog access, modernized background checks, and continued optimization of financial, HR, criminal justice, and IT systems.
• Recognizing innovation through GEAR’s Public-Private Partnership awards, honoring teams from the Department of Education, the Department of Services for Children, Youth and their Families, and the Department of Transportation for projects that improved services, reduced costs, and applied new technology.

The 2025 report also outlines recommendations to accelerate modernization, including:

• Continuing employee training programs in continuous improvement, leadership, business analysis, and project management practices through the First State Quality Improvement Fund.
• Expanding Ready in Six reforms across DelDOT, OMB, and DNREC and exploring a virtual one-stop permitting system to improve predictability, visibility, and turnaround times.
• Scaling digital government services through the Go DE platform, allowing residents and visitors to access state services anytime and on any device.
• Advancing the use of emerging tools, including artificial intelligence and business process analytics, to improve operations and accelerate measurable outcomes.

State leaders have noted that the momentum generated through GEAR is producing measurable outcomes for taxpayers and enhancing service delivery for residents and businesses. The GEAR Program Management Team emphasized that continued progress will be driven by strong collaboration among the Governor, Cabinet agencies, and statewide partners in alignment with the Meyer Administration’s commitment to integrity, efficiency, and collaboration.

“With more than 175 State employees engaged in training, applying Lean methods, and leading projects across Delaware government, the drive for greater efficiency and a culture of continuous improvement continues to grow,” the GEAR Program Management Team led by Charles Clark and Daniel Madrid, Executive Director and Deputy Director of GEAR, and Bryan Sullivan, OMB’s Director of Management Efficiency said. “As more practitioners are trained, expectations have risen, and we are strengthening return-on-investment analysis, consistent business processes, and project and change management practices to deliver measurable outcomes. GEAR looks forward to continuing this work with guidance from the Governor, his Cabinet, and members of the GEAR Board, aligned with the Meyer Administration’s values of integrity, efficiency, and collaboration, because when we invest in people, process, and data, we deliver better results for Delawareans.”

For any questions, please email govcomm@delaware.gov.

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