Public Consultation Toolkit - Civil Service College

Public Consultation Toolkit 35 36 Public Consultation Toolkit
Timeframe allocated to consultation period
6. Consultation preparation
and implementation
With the establishment of the consultation strategy in the pre-consultation phase and
conceptual development phase, the next phase would be to plan and implement the
consultation exercise. This entails:
The actual timeframe allocated to the consultation would vary with the nature, scope and extent
of the policy/initiative undergoing development and the impact it has on the stakeholders.
For a full-scale consultation, it is suggested that agencies allocate at least three months for the
consultation process, with provisions for a longer duration if required.
Logistical arrangements
Public consultation is one of the customer touch points where agencies interact directly with
the public. Feedback can also be collated in face-to-face sessions and not just via email. Hence,
during the implementation of the consultation exercise, event management matters such as
logistics and attitude of officers will affect the public’s opinion of the agencies. Some of the areas
officers need to manage are captured in the checklist in Table 6-1 on page 37.
• Developing the action plan and timeline of consultation;
• Designing the consultation materials; and
• Generating awareness amongst stakeholders to be consulted.
6.1. Step 4: Develop action plan and timeline
Officers need to set out an action plan and detailed timeline to implement the consultation
strategy.
Action plan
The action plan provides a tool for the planning of the operational procedures required in a
consultation exercise. Key components which need to be considered are:
• Activities, such as:
- Obtaining approval for the consultation strategy
- Developing consultation materials
- Making logistical preparation and planning
- Determining the consultation period
- Preparing the consultation report
- Evaluating consultation effectiveness
• Time required for each activity
• Responsible parties involved
The action plan should be continuously monitored to ensure that the activities are on track. A
template of an action plan can be found in Appendix B.