Element | Question No. | Issue | Structured Question | Justification for Asking the Question |
Partnership Management | 1 | A number of elements have been identified as essential in creating a strong foundation for partnership success. They relate to: • Management commitment and support • Capability and continuity of key personnel • Establishing and maintaining a positive working culture • Clear and open communication • Use of effective incentives | To what extent is: a) Management commitment and support b) Capability and continuity of key personnel c) Establishing and maintaining a positive working culture d) Clear and open communication e) Use of effective incentives ...needed to create a strong foundation for partnership success between the government and private sector operators? How is each achieved in practice? | To understand what essential elements are considered by government for achieving successful outcomes |
| 2 | A number of elements have been identified that may lead to relationship difficulties. They relate to: • Differing goals and priorities between the sectors • Contrasting organisational cultures • Contrasting value-sets • Tension arising between the lines of autonomy and accountability | To what extent does the private sector's: a) Goals and priorities b) Organisational culture c) Value-sets d) Lines of autonomy and accountability ...cause relationship difficulties for the government? How are these issues resolved? Practical examples? | To understand relationship difficulties experienced between the government and private sector operators |
| 3 | A range of issues have been identified that potentially, if better partnership management practices had been applied, better value for money outcomes could have been achieved. They relate to: • Deciding against applying abatements for failing to delivery projects to schedule or completing agreed remedial action • Generating adverse media attention for the government | Why and to what extent have private sector operators not been held fully accountable for underperformance in an attempt by government to foster positive working relationships with them, in terms of: a) Deciding against applying abatements for failing to deliver projects to schedule or completing agreed remedial action? b) Generating adverse media attention for the government? To what extent do these decisions/outcomes arise from policy interpretation or governance practicalities? | To understand why private sector operators have not been consistently penalised for underperformance and what issues could be better managed that may lead to improved value for money outcomes |
Risk Management | 4 | A range of issues have been identified that potentially, may lead to higher than projected operating costs. They relate to: • Higher production costs • Higher input costs • Reduced input quality • Unsuitable design • Reduced equipment reliability • Higher maintenance costs • Occupational health and safety issues • Unplanned equipment / plant upgrades • Inherent defects • Technical obsolescence • Lower than expected service user demand / volume • Contractual disputes | Although inherent operating risks tend to be borne by private sector operators, to what extent is: a) Higher production costs b) Higher input costs c) Reduced input quality d) Unsuitable design e) Reduced equipment reliability f) Higher maintenance costs g) Occupational health and safety issues h) Unplanned equipment / plant upgrades i) Inherent defects j) Technical obsolescence k) Lower than expected service user demand / volume l) Contractual disputes ...of concern to the government and in which way could this risk impact directly on government? Can direct examples for any of these be provided? Can any practical remedial measures be described? | To identify what type of inherent operating risks or elements of these risks that if realised may have a detrimental impact on government |
| 5 | A range of issues have been identified that may present residual risk to government. They relate to: • Higher production costs • Higher input costs • Reduced input quality • Unsuitable design • Reduced equipment reliability • Higher maintenance costs • Occupational health and safety issues • Unplanned equipment / plant upgrades • Inherent defects • Technical obsolescence • Lower than expected service user demand / volume | To what extent is the government prepared to accept residual risk, relating to: a) Higher production costs b) Higher input costs c) Reduced input quality d) Unsuitable design e) Reduced equipment reliability f) Higher maintenance costs g) Occupational health and safety issues h) Unplanned equipment / plant upgrades i) Inherent defects j) Technical obsolescence k) Lower than expected service user demand / volume ...and what types of further treatments should be undertaken to minimise the likelihood / consequence of these risks being realised for government? | To identify what types of activities are undertaken or have been planned by government to reduce the likelihood of the risks occurring or to lessen the impact of events on operations, should they be realised |
| 6 | Although risk management leading to innovation has been discussed in the preceding chapters, there have been no clear or tangible examples identified in the operational setting | In which ways has effective risk management led to operational innovation and how do you think the government will benefit from this over time? Can direct examples for any of the risks arising from 5 (a) to (k) be provided? Can any practical risk response measures be described? | To discover if operational innovation is given adequate consideration and if it is realistically factored into the concept of achieving 'value for money' outcomes |
Performance Management | 7 | A number of elements have been identified where the government may be falling short in providing advice and in enforcing abatements. This relates to: • Providing critical evaluation and advice in the design of effective performance measures / management systems • Ensuring abatements are applied for failing to provide performance data or supplying incomplete or poor quality data • Consistently applying abatements for operational underperformance | To what extent, to date, has the government fallen short with regard to its private sector partners in: a) Providing critical evaluation and advice in the design of effective performance measures / management systems b) Ensuring abatements are applied for failing to provide performance data or supplying incomplete or poor quality data c) Consistently applying abatements for operational underperformance ...and what more should be done to improve current practices? Can examples be cited and improvements described? | To understand the reasons why / difficulties of not holding private sector operators fully to account and what could be done to improve the situation |
| 8 | A review of the literature demonstrates that there are circumstances where the government does not apply abatements to private sector operators for underperformance. By not publically disclosing the rationale for doing so, the actions of the government are perceived to be inconsistent and thus do not lead to value for money outcomes | Describe any circumstances where 'payment for performance' should not be enforced and what could be done in these instances to achieve better value for money outcomes? | To establish if there are limitations of the 'payment for performance' principle and if so, what else could be done to achieve better value for money outcomes |
| 9 | A range of qualitative issues have been identified are difficult to measure. They are: • Effectiveness • Quality • Relationships • Outcomes | How can the government ensure that qualitative factors such as: a) Effectiveness b) Quality c) Relationships d) Outcomes ...are managed more effectively that lead to better to value for money outcomes? Provide examples and describe how measures are developed and implemented in practice? How are the measures directly linked/translated to VFM assessment | To discover if there is value in attempting to measure highly subjective factors, and if so, how this could be done successfully |