Government services should be efficient, cost effective and put the customer first. This is good for Jamaicans who interact with public officials or entities on everything from getting a medical appointment to paying taxes. It is also good for the economy. Less red tape spurs more investment and growth.
Enter the Public Sector Transformation Programme (PSTP). The project has helped trim excesses from over 30 public bodies, generating savings worth over JMD 1 billion.The wage bill has also been reduced, and a shared services centre is being established to centralize certain key functions that are duplicated in every ministry, such as legal and human resources.
The Support for Public Sector Transformation Programme won first place award at the IDB Jamaica Project Execution Challenge for Exceptional Execution Award for excellent project planning and delivery of project results. The announcement was made at an IDB virtual awards ceremony on Thursday, August 27.
PEU Challenge Goals and Objectives
“The Challenge was a year-long journey with the Project Executing Units (PEUs), who are directly responsible in delivering the results of the various programs,” said Adriana La Valley, Jamaica’s former Chief of Operations for the IDB. “The Challenge was a behavioral insight exercise that stimulated and recognized best practices in leadership and project execution and promoting the IDB’s mission to improve lives in Jamaica. Together, we developed tools to help maintain the focus in execution, deliver results and improve performance.”
The Challenge evaluated planned vs actual project performance during 2019 and documented the know-how of project execution based on the experience of the PEUs and Operations Teams using the new templates.
The competition also provided the platform to re-emphasize the benefits of proactive analysis and the use of performance simulators to run several operational scenarios. Seeing the impact of delayed activities, shifts prioritization in the short term and helps improve project execution.
Other Winners
Other finalists in the Challenge included the Citizen Security and Justice Programme (CSJP), the Adaptation Programme and Financing Mechanism for the Pilot Programme for Climate Resilience and Integrated Support to Jamaica’s Social Protection Strategy (PATH).
CSJP targets youth who are at risk of becoming involved in violence or criminal activity. Operating across 50 volatile and violence prone communities, over 5000 persons benefited from the programme, which includes targeted public health interventions.
The Adaptation Programme and Financing Mechanism for the Pilot Programme for Climate Resilience enhances Jamaica’s resilience to climate change, by strengthening adaptive capacity across priority sectors.
The Integrated Support to Jamaica’s Social Protection Strategy (PATH) supports the capacity of the Ministry of Labour and Social Security to improve quality and access to the network of social services to the poor and vulnerable.
Therese Turner-Jones, IDB Jamaica Country Representative and General Manager for the Country Caribbean Group in congratulating the award recipients underscored the importance of expert project execution noting that it helped promote productivity in national life by making it easier for citizens to transact business with the government.
“In this period of COVID our efficiency becomes even more crucial as inequities have widened, many more are on the periphery and are undergoing immense hardship. I am happy that this Challenge has opened up the possibilities for us to work even more effectively with our Jamaican counterparts for the greater good of society.” Turner-Jones said.
Richard Panton of the PSTP programme said the team was delighted on learning of its win. “We have been deliberate in the design of the programme and the application of the tools and templates which enables effective implementation. This award will inspire us to work even harder.”
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