Arkansas Forward

Arkansas Forward is Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders' signature government efficiency initiative, built on a statewide review of all 15 cabinet departments. It targets approximately $300 million in cost savings and cost avoidance over six years across five focus areas: information technology, procurement, fleet, real estate, and personnel — backed by a 956-page strategic plan and more than 300 specific initiatives.

This portal summarizes the Arkansas Forward report, links to every public announcement from the Governor's office and the Department of Shared Administrative Services (SAS), and tracks progress against each pillar — from delivered milestones like the $102M pay plan and EO 25-10 IT modernization to upcoming opportunities like the July 2026 ARBuy go-live.

Projected impact

$300.0M

Cost savings + avoidance over 6 years

Initiatives in report

300+

Across 15 cabinet departments

Delivered milestones

Pay plan, EO 25-10, RTO, AI CoE, permitting EO, and more

Annual pay-plan investment

$102M

14,539 employees with average 9.8% raise; codified as Act 499

Where Arkansas Forward stands today

The progress report (Dec. 2024) laid out 300+ initiatives across 15 departments. Since then, the administration has delivered the new $102M state employee pay plan (codified as Act 499 of 2025), performance-based merit raises, EO 25-10 modernizing statewide IT, new flexible-schedule and return-to-office policies, two AI Center of Excellence reports, and the February 2026 permitting executive order — with ARBuy eProcurement scheduled to go live July 2026.

Report summary Progress dashboard Announcement timeline IT spend analysis

Latest milestones

See full timeline

Aug 15, 2026

Permitting 180-day improvement plans due (planned)

Per the February 2026 permitting EO, every cabinet-level permitting agency submits its written improvement plan with timelines, online one-stop portals, concurrent reviews, real-time status updates, and AI-assisted decisioning.

Cross-cuttingPlanned

Jul 1, 2026

ARBuy eProcurement go-live (planned)

SAP Ariba-based statewide eProcurement system scheduled to go live in July 2026 — unlocking statewide category management, contract consolidation, and renegotiation across the state's roughly $1.7B annual procurement base.

ProcurementPlanned

Jun 15, 2026

Permitting 120-day reviews due (planned)

Per the February 2026 permitting EO, every cabinet-level permitting agency completes its 120-day comprehensive review of permits, licenses, certifications, and other regulatory approvals.

Cross-cuttingPlanned

Apr 8, 2026

2026 State of the State address

State of the State delivered at the opening of the 95th General Assembly Fiscal Session, restating Arkansas Forward priorities and the broader efficiency agenda.

Cross-cuttingDelivered Milestone

Mar 4, 2026

Balanced budget letter to Arkansas Legislature

Sanders' balanced budget letter outlines priorities for the 2026 Fiscal Session and integrates Arkansas Forward outputs into Executive Recommendations — weaving the efficiency agenda directly into budget development.

Cross-cuttingDelivered Milestone

Topline opportunity

$300.0M over 6 yrsProjected

The Arkansas Forward goal: roughly $300 million in cost savings and cost avoidance across all 15 cabinet departments over six years, organized as more than 300 specific initiatives in the 956-page strategic plan.

Sourced from the December 2024 progress report.

Featured sources

Sanders Receives Arkansas Forward Progress Report — Governor of Arkansas, Dec 16, 2024

Announcement of the Arkansas Forward progress report identifying 300+ initiatives across all 15 cabinet departments with a $300M six-year cost-savings and cost-avoidance target across five focus areas: information technology, procurement, fleet, personnel, and real estate.

Arkansas Forward Progress Report (PDF) — Governor of Arkansas, Dec 15, 2024

Primary Arkansas Forward report PDF outlining department-by-department efficiency initiatives and the five pillar structure.

EO 25-10: Modernizing and Enhancing Efficiency, Security, and Oversight of Statewide IT Services — Governor of Arkansas, Jun 11, 2025

Executive Order centralizing statewide IT administration, mandating a centralized IT Governance Team, a statewide IT assessment, a comprehensive IT consolidation plan, and a centralized cybersecurity office.

Sanders Signs Executive Order to Speed Permitting for Economic Development Projects — Governor of Arkansas, Feb 16, 2026

Permitting Executive Order, framed as part of Arkansas Forward, requiring each Cabinet-level permitting agency to complete a 120-day comprehensive review and a 180-day written improvement plan, with online one-stop portals, concurrent reviews, and real-time status updates — including the use of AI to expedite permits.

Sanders Receives AI Center of Excellence Effectiveness and Safety Report — Governor of Arkansas, Feb 13, 2026

Two-part AI CoE report covering Government Effectiveness (productivity tools, agency modernization, Medicaid/SNAP program integrity, AI-enabled Government Services Portal) and Safety, Security & Trust (Chief AI Officer, NIST standards, data infrastructure, transparency, AI literacy).