Minister Updates On Govt Reform Progress

June 15, 2018

“The goal is to have the draft Government Reform Strategic Plan completed by summer 2018 and, subject to approval, implementation will commence immediately thereafter,” Minister of Government Reform Lovitta Foggo said today.

Speaking in the House of Assembly on progress made towards Government Reform, the Minister said that “reform is all about modernization and change, and this Government’s goal is to enact substantive and meaningful changes for the betterment of Bermuda.”

“The Ministry for the Cabinet Office with Responsibility for Government Reform has partnered with PricewaterhouseCoopers Advisory Limited [PwC] to deliver a strategic plan that, over time, will change the way that Government delivers its services.

“In February 2018 PwC submitted a proposal in response to the Government Request for Proposal for a Strategic Planning Consultant for the government reform initiative.

“Ultimately, PwC determined the strategic importance of this initiative was aligned with its purpose – to build trust in society and solve important problems – and agreed to provide their services in-kind.

“To be clear, PwC will deliver project outcomes without incurring any expense to the public purse”.

“To date, with the assistance of a number of stakeholders which included technical officers, union partners, and my Cabinet colleagues, we have already set out our shared vision.

“Our vision is a future-forward Government for the people of Bermuda. Underpinning this vision is a government that is transparent, agile, talented, citizen-centric, accountable, innovative, and digital and data driven.”

The Minister added the “Code of Practice for Project Management and Procurement has been finalized, approved, and subject to completion of staff training, will be implemented at the end of the month” and a “review of the almost two-hundred Government Boards and Committees is currently underway to determine which of these bodies should be discontinued, merged, or if other operating changes may be required.”

The Minister’s full statement follows below:

Good Morning Mr. Speaker,

I rise this morning to inform this Honourable House of the progress made towards Government Reform.

Mr. Speaker, as shared in October 2017 in this Honourable House, reform is all about modernization and change. And this Government’s goal is to enact substantive and meaningful changes for the betterment of Bermuda.

To this end the Ministry for the Cabinet Office with Responsibility for Government Reform has partnered with PricewaterhouseCoopers Advisory Limited [PwC] to deliver a strategic plan that, over time, will change the way that Government delivers its services.

Mr. Speaker, in February 2018 PwC submitted a proposal in response to the Government Request for Proposal for a Strategic Planning Consultant for the government reform initiative. Ultimately, PwC determined the strategic importance of this initiative was aligned with its purpose – to build trust in society and solve important problems – and agreed to provide their services in-kind.

Mr. Speaker, following the standard due diligence process and execution of letters of engagement setting out the terms and conditions of service, work commenced in March 2018.

Mr. Speaker, to be clear, PwC “will deliver project outcomes without incurring any expense to the public purse”.

Mr. Speaker, to date, with the assistance of a number of stakeholders which included technical officers, union partners, and my Cabinet colleagues, we have already set out our shared vision.

Mr. Speaker, our vision is “a future-forward Government for the people of Bermuda”. Underpinning this vision is a government that is transparent, agile, talented, citizen-centric, accountable, innovative, and digital and data driven.

Mr. Speaker, our purpose is to enhance the lives of the people of Bermuda.

As part of the effort to determine ways of improving government operations, input from the public officers, who deliver public services, is an imperative. A consultative survey was released to public officers on June 6th seeking thoughts and opinions that will help direct the development of the strategic plan.

Today, June 15th, marks the deadline for responses from public officers. Early indicators suggest that a wide cross-section of officers have already participated in the survey and it is anticipated that many more will do so prior to the end of the day.

Mr. Speaker, the goal is to have the draft Government Reform Strategic Plan completed by summer 2018 and, subject to approval, implementation will commence immediately thereafter.

Mr. Speaker, this Government is very much aware of work commenced under the public service reform initiative banner by the previous administration. An in-depth review of that work has been undertaken and the output of the former working groups has been considered.

Mr. Speaker, this Government has a deep appreciation for the many public officers who were engaged in the research, analysis, planning and implementation of the many reform initiatives previously commenced.

We have not rested or paused to undertake strategic planning in the absence of progress. Initiatives that are consistent with our vision have continued, some of which have been implemented, and new work that represents new innovative thinking has also commenced.

Mr. Speaker, by way of example, work to advance the “future state organisational structure” for the Government’s Human Resources function is nearing completion.

It is expected that consideration will soon be given to the integration of the government’s human resource services via a shared service model for transactional activities, leveraging technical knowledge, skills, and systems.

Mr. Speaker, the existing decentralised HR model that currently exists within the Government has proven hugely inefficient.

HR services are currently delivered in a fragmented and dispersed manner which results in duplication of effort, inconsistent service delivery and an inordinate amount of time to execute basic functions. The stage is now set to overhaul internal service delivery for the human resource function.

Mr. Speaker, on the matter of good governance, the Code of Practice for Project Management and Procurement has been finalized, approved, and subject to completion of staff training, will be implemented at the end of the month.

Further, a review of the almost two-hundred Government Boards and Committees is currently underway to determine which of these bodies should be discontinued, merged, or if other operating changes may be required.

Also Mr. Speaker, the terms of reference for the feasibility study that will see the Bermuda Post Office add new services and use its existing infrastructure to become Government Customer Service Centres has now been executed and the review is now in progress.

Mr. Speaker, these are but a few modernization efforts currently underway as this government takes the necessary steps to establish “a future-forward Government for the people of Bermuda.”

I will endeavour to keep this Honourable House informed of our ongoing progress as we work to evolve public administration and operations for the betterment of Bermuda.

Thank you Mr. Speaker.

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Comments (3)

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  1. Joe Bloggs says:

    “Our vision is a future-forward Government for the people of Bermuda. Underpinning this vision is a government that is transparent, agile, talented, citizen-centric, accountable, innovative, and digital and data driven”

    But NOT if you live east of White Hill!

  2. WSP says:

    so first order of duty is to resign my post because I am a empty suit in a already bloated government.
    Yours truly
    Lovetta Foggo

  3. Me says:

    No mention of equality ………?