Producing an effective Performance Specification involves defining the end without specifying the means. Outputs should clearly and comprehensively state what is required, and the standards to be achieved. How the outputs are to be achieved will form part of the proposal from the Proponents.
In summary, a good Performance Specification must:
• Reflect the actual requirements of users.
• Be clear, concise and unambiguous.
• Give the potential proponents sufficient information to decide and cost the facilities and services they will offer.
• Take account of the need for compliance with legal or other statutory requirements and policies, and compatibility requirements - e.g. with IT systems.
• Specify any constraints which are essential to defining a deliverable project - e.g. planning requirements, access times, 'go live' date. These should distinguish between mandatory and other constraints.
• Permit projects to be evaluated in the procurement process against defined criteria.
• Identify those service areas which are critical to the availability and performance of the facility and which therefore will be given most weight in the payment structure and performance monitoring.
• Only contain requirements that can be afforded by the department or stakeholders and are deliverable.
A good Performance Specification must communicate what is expected from proponents, leaving them room to produce innovative, cost-effective solutions to the clearly specified needs and requirements of the department and stakeholders.