Solutions for Achieving Value and Excellence (SAVE)
Solutions for Achieving Value and Excellence (SAVE) supports The City’s financial sustainability and Administration’s commitment to delivering modern and affordable municipal services to Calgarians while also supporting our long-term purpose of making life better every day.
The Solutions for Achieving Value and Excellence (SAVE) program helped The City review existing initiatives and look for new solutions to modernize service delivery while continuing to keep citizens at the center of our decisions.
SAVE process
City staff partnered with consultants at Ernst and Young (EY) to design a program that citizens could trust to be rigorous, inclusive, and efficient. The SAVE program is being delivered through the following phases:
- Idea generation
- Opportunity identification*
- Business case development
- Implementation of SAVE projects
- Benefits realization
*SAVE projects were selected based on approved criteria that considered the ability to deliver savings and/or enhanced sources of revenue within the 2021-2022 timeframe, risks impacts, the desired culture at The City, as well as the ease and speed of implementation.
What is the status of the SAVE program?
Informed by feedback from front-line employees, Council and Calgarians, the SAVE team explored various options and approaches to balance overall service delivery, affordability, and risk. Through Council’s direction to enhance The City’s financial sustainability, drive innovation, and modernize service delivery, the SAVE program delivered $26.4 million in base operating reductions in 2021 and will deliver a further $52.2 million in base operating reductions in 2022, plus additional revenue and one-time savings. These reductions enabled Council to lower the tax rate in 2021 and make some critical investments in our community in 2022.