Service Delivery improvements plans / standards
BackgroundThe Public Service Regulations 2001 states the following with regard to service delivery improvement programmes:
The White paper on the Transformation of Service Delivery (Batho Pele), 1997 also emphasizes in paragraph 7.1.2 that administrative heads of departments are responsible for service delivery Improvement Programmes and that this responsibility should be clearly assigned to a person or group of people, accountable directly to the administrative head of department. Paragraph 7.1.5 describes that the relevant Minister/MEC/ executing authority must approve the department's Programme and that a copy of the approved SDIP must be sent to the Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) to inform the DPSA's yearly progress report to Parliament. According to these policy documents the SDIP is required to -
Departments are required to publish their service standards in an annual Statement of Public Service Commitment or Service Charter. These service standards must specify the level (quantity) and quality of services, and they may cover processes, outputs and outcomes. They must be set at a demanding but realistic level to be reached by adopting more efficient and customer-focussed working practices. Service standards are required to be operational for one year and be subject to an annual performance review. These should be progressively raised and ideally may not be reduced, except to accommodate changed priorities based on changing customer needs. Service standards are furthermore to be benchmarked against international standards, taking into account South Africa's current level of development. Apart from the Public Service Act, 1999, The Public Service Regulations and the Batho Pele White Paper, the Public Finance Management Act, 2000 (no 1 of 2000) (read together with Treasury Regulations), also requires Accounting Officers of national and provincial departments to submit financial and non-financial performance related information to the relevant Treasuries. Service standards or performance related issues at local government is governed by the Municipal Finance Management Act, 2003 (no 56 0f 2003) (read together with regulations), the Municipal Systems Act, 2000 (no 32 0f 2000) and the Municipal Structures Act, 1998 (no 117 of 1998). Based on a scan of available SDIP's, it seems as if there is a need to broaden the understanding of what constitutes a service standard. There are many ways in which this may be done, not just in terms of their reflecting processes, outputs and outcomes, but also in terms of their measuring effectiveness, efficiency, service quality, access to services and equity in service provision. In setting service standards, it is important that service delivery also be viewed from the customer's viewpoint and judged from criteria that he or she might use. For most customers, services must conform to the following measurable criteria:
In the recent report of the Public Service Commission on the Evaluation of Service Standards in the Public Service, it was found that only 64 out of 131 departments in the Public Service had service standards. Of these, only 44 departments had service standards that conformed to the concept of QQT (Quantity, Quality and Time). Only 9 departments referred to cost as part of their service standards. Previous surveys on the utilization of SDIP's as a means to plan for service delivery improvement, as contemplated by the Public Service Regulations, 1999 has revealed that most departments have either very poor SDIP's or none at all. In many cases, the SDIP's did not identify the clients of those departments, nor did the service standards contained in the SDIP's conform to the key criterion of measurability. Obviously, these weaknesses make it impossible for departments to develop strategies for the improvement of service delivery in general, and more specifically in those areas where delivery is under threat. As a result of this, it became increasingly topical that the current situation regarding the development of SDIP's and service standards do not successfully contribute to our efforts to improve service delivery. Many departments have, in reaction to the PSC report, initiated actions to ensure that they conform to the requirements of the Public Service Regulations regarding the development and application of SDIP's and service standards. In the Eastern Cape, a project has been initiated, with IPSP resourcing, to assist provinces with the development of service standards. Although this project is being managed and led by the Eastern Cape Department of the Premier, it is aimed at providing assistance to all 9 provinces in this regard. A service provider has already been appointed and substantial progress has been made with the development of service standards. The DPSA is also involved with this project. From existing information emanating from the PSC's report, the Batho Pele Learning Network, interaction with stakeholders of the Eastern Cape Service Standards Project and a very superficial web search, is clear that considerable confusion exist amongst departments regarding:-
Examples of SDIP'sFinancial year: 2007/2008
Related reports |
