CB (13) 11
CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION
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Capability Review and Compliance Monitoring
Issue
1. KPMG will be presenting their proposals for how they intend to deliver
compliance monitoring and capability review for both Civil Service
recruitment and public appointments over the next three years. The
Commission is the contracting authority for the contract, and the
Commission’s final input into, and approval of, the approach is therefore
being sought.
Recommendations
2. Having worked alongside KPMG during the development phase, the
Secretariat is confident that the overall approach being proposed will be
both effective and proportionate, and will allow both the Commission and
the Commissioner for Public Appointments to fulfil their statutory duties.
3. Commissioners are therefore invited to approve KPMG’s proposals, but in
doing so assure themselves on the following issues:a)
That the initial risk assessment which will form the cornerstone of
the approach takes into account the right risk indicators;
b)
That the risk scoring system being proposed, and plans for how
these ratings are disseminated and used, is appropriate;
c)
That the methodology being proposed to ensure a greater focus on
outcomes rather than process is achievable;
d)
That the proposals give appropriate weight to both Civil Service
recruitment and public appointments compliance;
e)
That the proposals for building capability (rather than just
monitoring compliance) are satisfactory; and
f)
That the overall approach is not over-elaborate, and represents a
proportionate approach that does not call too heavily on
Departmental resources.
Timing
4. The development phase of the contract concludes at the end of March,
with the new approach going live from 1 April 2013. There has been good
consultation wiht Departments throughout this phase. However, once
Commission approval has been obtained, KPMG (and the secretariat) will
need to ramp up their engagement with Departments to explain how the
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new approach will work and the demands it will place on Departmental
teams.
Background
5. The KPMG staff who will be attending the meeting are:
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Tamas Wood, Engagement Director
Alan Downey, Head of Public Sector and Relationship Partner
Tim Payne, Partner and Head of People
Susan Haddrell, the Project Manager for the compliance contract
and who is handling all the initial stakeholder engagement during
the development phase.
Tamas and Susan are the two who have been doing the bulk of the work
and will remain engaged on the project.
6. KPMG have already set out their high level proposals to the Recruitment
Standing Committee on 12 February; Mervyn Thomas, Head of Civil
Service Resourcing, and Margaret Scott, Public Appointments Assessor,
also took part in that discussion. The Committee was assured KPMG had
a good understanding of the landscape in which they will be operating and
that they have listened to a broad range of views in the development
phase to offer the CSC/CPA an innovative way to review departmental
compliance/capability which is both proportionate and effective.
7. The First Civil Service Commissioner has also met the team twice during
the development phase. He has been impressed with the level of
engagement and the quality of thinking so far, and is happy with the way
the work is shaping up.
8. The secretariat’s initial engagement with the project team has also been
very encouraging; they have worked hard to engage as wide a range of
stakeholders as possible in the short timetable and sought guidance from
secretariat on any issues that needed clarity. There can therefore be
confidence that the approach is grounded in reality and will be resilient.
The real test will, of course, come at the point of implementation, but so
far, so good.
9. Once approved KPMG will want to test the final proposal by way of small
pilots in some Departments prior to 1 April 2013. DWP, BIS, DCMS, DFID,
and GAD have all agreed to take part both for recruitment and public
appointments.
Secretariat
March 2013
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