Transcript Rural Planning 2016 - Shared services and land use planning

Shared Services and Land
Use Planning
Where to start …. An NGSC Perspective
Warren Groves
June 2016
Shared Services - A Working
Definition
•Shared services is the provision of a service by one part of an
organization or group where that service had previously been found in
more than one part of the organization or group. Thus the funding and
resourcing of the service is shared and the providing department
effectively becomes an internal service provider.
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Engineering Services Experience
Synopsis - NGSC
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Located in Wimmera Region in the Central West of Victoria
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Covers an area of 5,918 square kilometres
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Population of 11,719 (Density of 1 per 2.00 kilometres)
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3,048 Kilometres of local roads
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234 kilometres from Melbourne GPO to Stawell P.O.
Identification of a need/Opportunity for
Innovation - Hindmarsh Shire Council
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Hindmarsh Shire Council
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Area 7,527 square kilometres
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Population of over 6,200
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374 kilometres from Melbourne GPO to Nhill
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Unable to recruit a suitable Engineer - high costs of contractors
Assess Capacity - NGSC Infrastructure
Dept.
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Personnel - 3 design and project Engineers and a Graduate Engineer
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Maintain sufficient workload to fully occupy a full time Graduate
summer grad program -> full time
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Existing relationship with Hindmarsh Shire Management & Officers
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Sufficient fleet and equipment to support extra requirements
Early stages of the process / relationship
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Initially developed a process where individual jobs were quoted for on
a cost recovery basis
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Quotes were significantly cheaper with reduced travel costs, no
accommodation costs and completed within time frames
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Graduate Engineer -> full time utilisation?
Development of a Process
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Agree to mutually acceptable service standards
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Agree on acceptable Cost recovery basis
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Determine Transport, Travel, Wages, reasonable on costs
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Agree on skill level/experience of officers supplied
Formalisation/Benefits of the MOU
process
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Single agreement (MOU) removes need for quotes
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MOU obviates procurement considerations
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Provides ongoing service provision and certainty for Hindmarsh Shire
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Enables strategic planning
Supplementary Infrastructure
Agreements
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Oval aerating - quote for gallops adopted for Councils
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Street Sweeping
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Road Grading
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West Wimmera - agreement
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Discussions with other Councils
NGSC Environmental Health Experience
Add image
Identification of a need/Opportunity for
Innovation
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Ararat Rural City Council
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Adjoining Council
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Existing strong relationship
Assess Capacity/ Define Need - NGSC
Environmental Health Unit
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NGSC conducted service reviews in 2014 - one EHO surplus to
requirements
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Unable attract a suitable full time EHO in 2014
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Executive level in principle arrangement re a potential shared service
agreement during informal discussions
Early stages of the process / relationship
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Discussion at appropriate level - Mngr Planning, HR, Finance
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Induction at new workplace and commence duties on informal basis cost recovery of wages only
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Working from Ararat - familiarity with staff and processes
Development of a Process
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Agree to mutually acceptable service standards
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Agree on acceptable Cost recovery basis
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Determine Transport, Travel, Wages, reasonable on costs
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Agree on skill level/experience of officers supplied - EHO and EHT
provided to conduct less complicated inspections
Formalisation of the process - MOU
•Single agreement (MOU) removes uncertainties
•MOU obviates procurement considerations
•Provides ongoing service provision and certainty for ARCC
•Enables strategic planning
How can Shared Services apply to land
use planning?
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Limited capacity in
Statutory/Strategic/Enforcement
Cost of full time role/contractors
Neighbouring Councils with similar
issues
Budget limitations
How can Shared Services apply to land
use planning?
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Online interactive information /
applications
Paperless/Remote processing
Joint area initiatives (Triangle Project)
Implement RGP Initiatives
Cluster/Regional services
Shared Service Checklist
• Identification of Need / Opportunity
• Assess Capacity / Define Need
• Early Relationship / Informal stage
• Developmental/Sounding out Process
• Formalisation of Process
• Service Delivery
• Review of Process
Shared Service Case Study
• Utilise the following case study or your
own organisation to provide a
(Planning) service to a neighbouring
Council.
• What methodology would you apply
within the following circumstances?
Shared Service Case Study
• Quarreltown is staffed by 1.5 fte
Statutory, 0.5 fte Strategic Planning, 1.0
fte Admin support,
• Quareltown has ability to attract further
Statutory/Strategic Planner(s)
• Stoicville is staffed by 1.0 fte Statutory
Planner, 0.6 fte Admin support. No
current Strategic capacity
Shared Service Case Study
• Both Shires have neglected strategic
works over a number of years
• Both Shires are under pressure to
reduce staff and expenditure
• Both LGA’s use different software and
operating systems
Shared Service Case Study
• Travel time between Shires is approx.
one hour
• Both LGA’s have low rate bases and
strong reliance on external funding
• Neither LGA is adverse to embracing
opportunities for innovation