Community planning services in Glenelg Shire Council : 1998-2005 ...

5.1 Introduction
Did the council effectively manage its outsourced planning services? 103
Accountability must be preserved when services are contracted out - “…
while responsibility to do certain things can be transferred, accountability
for the results cannot. Whatever the method of service delivery, a
government agency must remain accountable for the efficient performance
of the functions delegated to it by Government …” 46
As a planning authority, the Glenelg Shire Council is responsible for
planning activities within the shire. While the council is free to determine
how its planning services are delivered, it continues to be responsible for
all planning decisions, regardless of who makes the decisions or how they are
made.
Consequently, where an external contractor provides planning services, the
council must maintain adequate procedures in place to oversee and
manage those services. This ensures that:
the contractor complies with contractual obligations to deliver planning
services according to the specified time, cost and standards (quantitative
and qualitative)
planning services are delivered efficiently and effectively
the council has sufficient information to make a decision regarding
succession arrangements when the contract ends.
Inadequate service delivery – whether through failure of the service
provider or poor contract management – may impact on an organisation’s
resources, reputation and compliance. It may even cause business
interruption. Where the failure is associated with a key business process
such as urban and regional planning, there will invariably be an impact on
the community.
Beyond the terms and conditions of the actual contract (in this case, a
standard commercial contract), contract management has 3 key stages:
setting up of the contractual arrangement
ongoing day-to-day management of the contract
evaluation and succession planning.
The following 3 sections consider each of these in turn, to determine if the
council effectively managed the delivery of its outsourced planning
services.
46 The Audit Office of New South Wales 1999, Contracting Out Review Guide, The Audit Office of
New South Wales, Sydney, p. 1.