Problem: Government procedures for purchasing computers and other equipment are not fast enough to provide workers with the tools to do their jobs efficiently. Proposed solution and evaluation: The constraints on this kind of technology acquisition should be eased; this can improve efficiency of operations. For example, a few years ago in Massachusetts, a disabled veterans caseworker who worked to match veterans with available jobs took some initiative. He decided to abandon his sole reliance on the state's central office mainframe computer and take his personal laptop, loaded with readily available software, on the road. Suddenly, he was able to check a database, make a match, and print a resume all during his first contact with an employer. Quickly, he started beating the mainframe. His state administrator took notice, and managed to squeak through a request to the Department of Labor's Veterans Employment and Training Service for grant funding and permission to reprogram dollars in the fall of 1990. Soon after, 40 Massachusetts caseworkers were working with laptops. In just one year, Massachusetts jumped from 47th in the nation for its veterans job placement rate to 23rd. Although this story screams success, it is unfortunately the exception, not the rule. Normally, the Labor Department has to approve the purchase of something as small as a $30 modem in the field. Massachusetts got the funding only because it was the end of the fiscal year and money had to be spent.45 The point stands: When workers have current and flexible technology to do their jobs, they improve performance. We need to get more computers off the shelf and into the hands of federal employees. Citation: 1993 National Performance Review, Chapter 3 Keywords: technology purchasing computers