News

Current Newsletter

THE APPLICATION OF AN OUTCOME AND PROGRAM ASSESSMENT FRAMEWORK

In the General Government Sector (GGS) there has been a requirement since 1999 to specify, measure, and report on outcomes and outputs. By now each agency should have established a comprehensive, relevant and informative regime of measurable performance indicators. To evaluate performance against those indicators, a cost effective system for capturing, monitoring and reporting is required.

On behalf of its Government clients, PSI develops performance-related indicators; and provides reports on the degree of achievement against targets, benchmarks, and other details of the extent of program achievement. Our design and evaluation skills comply with the current Outcomes and Programs Framework (as administered by the Department of Finance and Deregulation) and accordingly focus on measuring outcomes in both qualitative and quantitative ways.

PSI has extensive experience in translating program outcomes, and policy objectives into meaningful, clearly understood, and measurable indicators. We provide everything from 'greenfield' support (i.e. designing from scratch) to practical ongoing assistance in implementation and review, to ensure that the GGS can better effectively report on, and through that, better manage its policy implementation.

Readers are directed to www.anao.gov.au for ANAO Audit Report No. 5 2011-12.

Projects recently undertaken

Victoria

PSI's involvement in high profile environmental grants/tender programs continues with the award of the role of Probity Adviser to the Green Grants program being implemented by the Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE). This engagement follows the successful completion of the CORE 4 Grants program with West Gippsland Catchment Management Authority and the Victorian Local Sustainability Accord - Round 5 with DSE. Over the last 10 years PSI has established itself as the premier provider of procurement and probity advice to environmental grants/ tender programs across Victoria.

PSI is also currently engaged in providing procurement and probity advice to Wimmera, Glenelg-Hopkins, Corangamite and Northeast Catchment Management Authorities for a variety of environmental grants/tender programs;

Current Victorian projects include;

Department of Justice

Probity audit/advice for Corrections Victoria for;

A major Contract Review
A High Profile Technology Tender process
A tender for a significant Operation Grants process

Victoria Police

Appointed to the Strategic Projects Probity Practitioner Services Panel
Appointed as General Probity Adviser to Procurement Contracts and Commercial Division
Probity Adviser to a significant ICT Procurement Program
Probity Auditor for General Duties Uniform Tender
Probity Auditor for General Duties Uniform Boots Tender

South Australia

Projects undertaken recently in South Australia included completion of the tendering processes and commencement of works for the South Road Superway, beginning of the procurement processes to allow the duplication of the Southern Expressway, ongoing work with SA Water on the Network Water Security Program, and the Mt Barker/Murray Bridge Wastewater and Mt Barker Development Water Supply Projects, as well as support to a range of other government services projects. Recognising PSI's continued growth in South Australia, Lex van Blyenburgh was appointed as Senior Adviser, further increasing our local capacity. Lex brings significant experience in the contracting and procurement sector and had already been working in some government key projects.

Federal

Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities

Providing Probity and Process advice for water related projects including:

Strategic Sub-System Rationalisation
Irrigator Led Group Proposals
Southern Murray Darling Basin Water Entitlements Purchases.

SEMINARS

PSI Asia Pacific is able to provide our clients with high value seminars/workshops on procurement topics based on our experience across the last twenty years of delivering services to Federal, State and Local Government in everything from Whole of Government Outsourcing, to policy and strategy development. Seminars typically run for one or two hours, and are tailored to your environment.

Topics include;

Business case - How to write one
Specification - How to develop, including KPIs
Tendering - Procurement strategies and processes overview
Responding to Tender requests - Strategies for success
Pricing - Competition, risk and structure
Evaluation - Requirements, options and risks
Negotiation - How to negotiate from both sides of the table at once
KPIs - Performance measures that are effective
Contract management - Preparation, structure, implementation to get the best result
Category management - Not the same as contract management! Managing the users
Probity - Practical Probity - sensible and flexible, and with a goal
Value for Money - What is it, and how do you know when you have it?

All of these come with examples and memorable war stories!

HELP DESK

We are also in the process of setting up a web-based Procurement/Probity Help Desk which will provide ad-hoc advice or provide a gateway to more formal analysis and advice... More on this soon!

GRANTS PROGRAMS

Our proven expertise in the conduct of government procurement programs also enables us to effectively assist Government and add value to grants programs by using similar robust methodologies.

Our services include the following:

Identifying and managing risks associated with grants strategies
Assisting in planning the delivery, monitoring and performance evaluation of grants programs
Developing grants application forms and supporting documentation
Delivering grant writing 'how-to' workshops to improve the quality of submissions received from applicants
Developing the appraisal criteria and procedures
Identifying and scoping the needs and defining the objectives
Appraising applications, assessing value for money and selecting the optimum outcomes.
Preparing the funding agreement management framework
Conducting program performance reviews
Putting in place the probity framework to ensure procedural fairness throughout the grants application lifecycle
Reviewing and streamlining the grants management process

PSI provides essential advice and support service, during these often complex and sensitive phases.

2 attachments

PSI Celebrates 21 Years of Service in 2012

PSI was established in Canberra in 1991 and now has offices in Canberra, Melbourne, Adelaide and Hong Kong. The owners’ backgrounds vary. One is an IT specialist with 30 years experience in software design and technical support. Another is an ex-Australian military Officer who worked in Defence logistics for 20 years; and the third worked in the engineering and construction sector for 22 years. All these previous careers and experience required professionalism, logical thinking for complex challenges, considered judgment, risk management, and the flexible application of common sense.

The original need for our business’ services was Defence’s outsourcing program in the early 1990s. The company has since expanded its product-range to cover complex procurement, contractor performance, probity and governance, and business process improvement for high risk and/or high value projects across Federal, State and Local Governments.

We are typically engaged via government standing offers thus allowing for rapid and trouble-free contracting, with assurance of our capabilities and value for money

Our assignment count, over the 21 years, is in the thousands; and with each relationship, both we and our clients have been rewarded.

Over the years, PSI has had to be aware of, and overcome, a range of challenges. Recognising the project-driven nature of our work, we have had to optimise the firm’s capabilities to ensure that fluctuations in demand have not left us idle on the one hand, or overwhelmed on the other. Diversification from our original Defence-oriented role to include the entire Federal Government, and later, State and Local governments, particularly in Victoria and South Australia, has protected us from challenges such as elections, changes of government, major policy changes etc., and allowed us to grow the business in a sustainable manner. Our greatest challenge is finding the right people to be our on-staff Advisers, and we solve that by conducting our own rigorous recruitment processes when required.

Our greatest achievement is being in an ever challenging business for 21 years, during which time we have earned the respect of many people as a business that exceeds expectations and willingly provides value from our rich source of experience.

Our focus is on our team and the provision of very high quality products to all clients, both big and small. We will only offer clients what we know we can provide and seek long-term relationships, built on trust and confidentiality. Ultimately we focus on outcomes, underpinned by well-designed and facilitated processes.

PSI would like to thank our clients and our team for their support in the last 21 years, and look forward to providing them with outstanding service over the next 21!

Select!Gain

Select!Gain - a proven evaluation methodology for simple and complex decision making.

The Select!Gain (S!G) methodology is a robust, structured process management system that evaluated tenders for goods and services, and equally as successfully evaluated options for decision makers. The software can manage large amounts of evaluation data and provide reports that give a user flexibility and a clear decision audit trail. Select!Gain and its supporting methodology is now available via this website.

If you feel that your project could be improved with Select!Gain, please request a no obligation S!G Information Brief using Contact Us and you could be provided with:

Strategic acquisition planning guidance;
Evaluation design and implementation guidance;
Risk analysis and mitigation guidance;
S!G help during a project;
Managing tendered performance;
Planning and implementing negotiations support;
List of S!G documentation available on-line; and
Option for a 'Health Check' of your project.

Select!Gain and its supporting methodology is now available via this website. Request that a S!G consultant contact you by using the details on the Contact page.

Risk Assessment in IT Outsourcing

There are four significant areas of risk associated with the outsourcing of information technology (IT) support to an external Service Provider by a major public sector entity.

They are: Service Risk, Business Risk, Market Risk and Political Risk.

This paper identifies the major risk components in each area and suggests mitigation strategies.

1 attachment

PSI Asia Pacific - Advisers to Government