Enhancements to Alternative Service Delivery process to increase efficiency, value for money
WINNIPEG - February 27, 2012 - In order to support Council's mandate for efficient and effective use of taxpayers' money, the Winnipeg Public Service is recommending improvements to the Alternate Service Delivery (ASD) review process.
The ASD process, adopted by Council in March, 1998 and revised in February, 2004 is intended to find innovative ways of delivering service to citizens, to provide the best value for citizens' tax dollars.
The proposed revisions to the existing ASD policy and review process are intended to provide a more flexible, all-inclusive review procedure for any new service delivery options that might be identified.
"Modified managed competition will allow the City to measure how cost-effective our services are to ensure that taxpayers are getting value for their tax dollars," said Councillor Scott Fielding, Chair of Alternate Service Delivery.
Specifically, the report recommends inclusion of Modified Managed Competition (MMC) and Public Private Partnerships (P3, or PPP) options. The formal addition of these two options would provide important, strategic advantages in government service delivery, as both options focus on the effective use of competition and cooperation to fulfill the goals of ASD.
An MMC process is similar to a true competitive proposal situation, in which bids are solicited from external service providers. However, in an MMC model, costing details including human resource implications for a service would be shared with the relevant civic union. This level of collaboration between management and unions would enable the cooperative development of solutions prior to the City initiating requests for proposals for the provision of services.
The second proposed addition to the ASD review process, Public Private Partnership, involves development of a business case and a value for money (VFM) assessment. A favourable VFM assessment determines whether the P3 option is recommended.
In addition to the proposed ASD process improvements, the Public Service continues to look at our operations for achievable service efficiencies and will bring forward potential ASD candidates to the Alternate Service Delivery Committee as warranted.
The ASD review process has produced numerous improvements to service delivery models; among them:
- The Winnipeg Parking Authority, which was transitioned to Special Operating Agency status in 2004 under the ASD process, has been successful in achieving the goals of modernizing and enhancing parking services while working toward self-sufficiency instead of ongoing reliance on full tax support for its operations.
- The Chief Peguis Trail Extension Project, opened nearly a year ahead of schedule in December 2011, is a successful example of the P3 model of ASD. A value for money assessment had concluded that this would be an effective model of delivering new infrastructure at a lower cost over the life of the asset.
Council approval is required before the Public Service can implement the recommendations. The Alternate Service Delivery Committee will consider the report on March 1, 2012.