DEVELOPMENT AGENDA PRIORITY D: An efficient, effective and accountable public service.
About priority D
- A Tobago public service that is fit for purpose is closely connected to Development Agenda Priority C. The Tobago public service represents a holdover from the colonial epoch of Trinidad and Tobago. Regrettably, the vestiges of this colonial era still permeate the institutional structures and administrative procedures of the Tobago House of Assembly's operations.
- Consequently, the Tobago House of Assembly will pursue an ambitious agenda for the comprehensive transformation of the Tobago public service, aimed at providing timely, efficient, effective, and accountable administrative support in delivering public goods and services to all end users.
- An efficient, effective, and accountable public service makes optimal use of resources, provides high-quality services, and operates with transparency and responsiveness.
- It is guided by legal and ethical standards, emphasizes achieving tangible results, and continually seeks to improve and innovate.
- A public service that adheres to these principles will effectively meet the public's needs while upholding high standards of governance, performance, and service quality and delivery levels.
Primary performance benchmark: Priority D
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Benchmark: Improve efficiency in the delivery of public goods and services to at least 70% by 2035 and at least 95% by 2045.
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Indicator of progress/success: Percent efficiency in the delivery of public goods and services year-over-year.
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Benchmark country: Estonia.
Major concerns: Priority D.
| Concerns | Problem Statements |
| Archaic operational procedures | a. Institutional inertia sustained by operational administrative procedures grounded in the delivery of public services in early post-independence Trinidad and Tobago. |
| Institutional arrangement and transformation capacity | b. Mismatch between institutional recommendations for transformation and the human resource needs for transforming. |
| Performance management | c. Outdated performance management systems leading to inefficiency and a lack of accountability in public service delivery. |
| Development mandates and delivery capacity | d. Misalignment between mandates and priorities for development and the implementation capacity of the public service delivery system. |
1.0 Selected Focus Areas Priority D?
The Tobago House of Assembly has established the Public Sector Strategy and Performance Management Office (SPMO) to drive the transformation of public service efficiency and delivery.
Currently, the SPMO is located within the Office of the Chief Secretary (OCS). Ultimately, the THA will establish a new division, the Division of Governmental Affairs (DGA), within which the SPMO will be located. Until that time, the SPMO will focus on the following areas:
- Performance Management and Accountability:
- Performance Management Systems: Implement performance management systems to ensure public servants are accountable for their work and that their performance is regularly evaluated. This includes setting clear goals, providing timely feedback, and linking performance to rewards and career advancement opportunities.
- Accountability Mechanisms: Establish strong accountability mechanisms to ensure transparency and integrity in public service, including regular audits, performance reviews, and clear reporting structures.
- Training and Capacity Building:
- Continuous Professional Development: Provide ongoing training and development opportunities to enhance the skills and knowledge of public servants, including specialized training in areas such as digital transformation, project management, and public policy.
- Public Service Academy: Establish a Public Service Academy to provide comprehensive training programs for public servants at all levels of the Public Service to foster a culture of continuous learning and professionalism.
- Digital Transformation and E-governance:
- E-Governance Initiatives: Integrate public services on the Tobago Online e-governance platforms to make government services more accessible to all end-users. This includes digitizing administrative processes, providing online services, and enhancing data management systems.
- Digital Literacy: Promote digital literacy among public servants and citizens, including training programs and public awareness campaigns to ensure effective use digital tools and services.
- Reform and Modernization:
- Service Reform: Comprehensively reform the management of government services to address inefficiencies and outdated practices by streamlining processes, reducing bureaucracy, and adopting modern management techniques.
- Modernization Initiatives: Implement modernization initiatives to update public service operations and enhance responsiveness to the needs of citizens. This includes adopting new technologies, improving service delivery, and enhancing organizational structures.
- Good Governance and Transparency:
- Transparency Measures: Promote transparency in public service operations by making information accessible to the public, ensuring open decision-making processes, and implementing anti-corruption measures.
- Engagement: Encourage citizen engagement in public service activities through consultations, feedback mechanisms, and participatory decision-making processes.
- Human Resource Management:
- Recruitment and Retention: Develop effective recruitment and retention strategies to attract and retain talented individuals in the public service. This includes competitive salaries, career development opportunities, and a positive work environment.
- Diversity and Inclusion: Promote diversity and inclusion in the public service to ensure that all segments of the population are represented in public service agencies.
MAIN REFERENCE INFORMATION
- Government Performance Management System - T&T Edition
- Trinidad and Tobago moves to improve public sector productivity with CDB training
- Building a national performance framework for evaluation
- An Appeal to Support Tobago’s Self-Government
- Challenging The Public Service Paradigm in Trinidad and Tobago: Toward Meaningful Reform
- Shaping performance: A manual for performance management in the public service
- Current good practices and new development in public service management: A profile of the public service of Trinidad and Tobago
- PSC Response - 1st and 5th Reports - JSC MCSC - Public Service Commission
- Green paper on transforming the civil service: renewal and modernization
- Digital Government Review of Latin America and the Caribbean: Building Inclusive and Responsive Public Services
OTHER INFORMATION
Targets and Indicators of Progress/Success
Target-D-1
Establish the Public Sector Strategy and Performance Management Office by 2026.
Indicator-D-1
The Public Sector Strategy and Performance Management Office is operationalized by 2026.
Target-D-2
Establish the Public Service Delivery and Service Quality Index, PSDSQI, by 2027.
Indicator-D-2
The PSDSQI is operationalized by 2027.
Target-D-3
Reduce the transaction cycle time for the delivery of all public goods and services by at least 50% by 2027 and by at least 75% by 2030.
Indicator-D-3
Transaction cycle time in delivering public goods services year-over-year.
Target-D-4
Reduce customer wait times for the start of a transaction by at least 50% by 2027 and at least 75% by 2030.
Indicator-D-4
Customer wait time for the start of a transaction year-over-year.
Target-D-5
Reduce turnaround time for completing all public service internal administrative procedures by at least 50% by 2027 and at least 75% by 2030.
Indicator-D-5
Turnaround time for completing public service internal administrative procedures year-over-year.
Target-D-6
Achieve at least 20% youth participation in executive and senior leadership in the public sector by 2035 and at least 30% by 2045.
Indicator-D-6
Percent youth participation in executive and senior leadership in the public sector year-over-year.
Target-D-7
Establish the Public Service Data Processing Center to provide 24 hours of data processing support related to administrative matters in all Divisions and agencies of the Tobago House of Assembly by 2026.
Indicator-D-7
The Public Service Data Processing Center is operationalized by 2026.
Target-D-8
Invest an appropriate % equivalent of GDP in public service transformation by 2035 and an appropriate % equivalent of GDP by 2045.
Indicator-D-8
Percentage of GDP equivalent invested in public service transformation year-over-year.
