Governing the City State - Chief Minister and Treasury Directorate ...

Concerns ExpressedConcerns were expressed within the ACTPS about the capacity of Shared Services staff tounderstand agency business – and this perceived failure leading to re-creation of transferredpositions in a number of current agencies. While recognising the significant scaling up of theGovernment’s capital works program in recent years, and the workload pressures that hascreated in the absence of a commensurate increase in staff, concerns were also expressedabout the ability of Shared Services to support agency service and program delivery. In thiscontext, a desire for a more flexible and tailored approach to procurement processes wasadvocated, in part to avoid what are perceived as unnecessary hurdles and delays in minorprojects, and to permit greater focus on larger or more complex projects. This perceivedrigidity was also reflected in criticism of the procurement funding model.Contributors to the Review argued that agencies have the strongest interest in knowing theirbusiness needs and how a new project can contribute to their service delivery, and thereforeneed to carry major responsibility for delivery of projects. This, of course, assumes thatagencies have the right skills mix to manage those projects properly. With this in mind,suggestions were made that Procurement Solutions should more often embed staff in agenciesto assist with the procurement and delivery of projects. This approach would add to availableflexibility in allocation of project management staff according to the relative size of agencycapital works programs. It would not replace the need for Procurement Solutions to maintaina central core of staff to provide expert advice and specialist procurement services whichwould include tendering, quantity surveying and contract selection and preparation. This areacould also assist with electronic lodgment, payment of claims and reporting.During consultations, concerns were expressed about the project management skills andexpertise within Shared Services (and indeed the wider ACTPS) to oversee project delivery.There is a clear need for enhanced skills and arguably more resources in this area ofGovernment which is so critical to supporting the capacity of the ACTPS to deliver policiesand programs, as well as to the reputation of the ACTPS and the Government as competentstewards of public funds and economic managers. The need to ensure the Budget decisionmaking process takes full account of costs of delivery and project management of capitalworks budget bids was repeatedly raised in this context.In relation to project management capacity, one Submission to the Review noted, forexample:Procurement Solutions are not sufficiently experienced in project management to truly addvalue to their clients and the ACT Government. Instead they should be engaging professionaland experienced private sector project managers to oversee the delivery of a significantproportion of the ACT’s overall capital works program.Administrative Arrangements Changes: 135