Recommendation RHI-10: External Consultants Guidance

These recommendations can be accepted in full.

They have been addressed through work to date, including:
• job-specific appointments within the NICS generalist grades;
• the piloting of Cabinet Office’s “Commercial Skills Assessment and Development Centre” to evaluate its potential as a mechanism to improve commercial skills across NI Departments;
• the encouragement of senior leaders to access the Cabinet Office / Oxford University Major Projects Leadership Academy (MPLA);
• the introduction of a new portfolio of commercial awareness and skills training for all generalist grades;
• the introduction of a learning and development framework for economists, including commercial awareness.
• assurances sought from Departments that senior managers will, as a matter of course, review the levels of specific expertise required to deliver their business and take appropriate steps to secure the appropriate expertise and manage the associated risks;
• the issue of corporate guidance on managing handovers for incorporation within departmental procedures;

Further work is required to:
• reform the role and sponsorship of the Civil Service Commissioners for NI
• launch and implement talent management products across the NICS;
• Deliver NICS Recruitment Plan - phase 1 & 2
• Match to job roles and appoint further staff via SO/DP recruitment competition
• Agree scope and timeframe for review of NICS recruitment;
• Develop proposals for the review of NICS workforce model (disciplines, occupational groups, professions, job roles, etc)
• Develop terms of reference for the review of NICS approach to professions. To incorporate recommendations arising from NIAO VFM report and PAC report
• Further alignment of NICSHR resources and operations to deliver on NICS corporate HR priorities including resourcing activities for critical posts.
• Ongoing improvement of recruitment and selection processes.
• Incorporation of the sequencing and flexibility of handling staff moves to secure business (alongside the ongoing work on talent management and skills development) into the review of resourcing.
• Progress implementation of new processes and procedures that enable line managers’ capability and confidence in their people-management roles
• extend the work of the Policy Community;
• develop the role of the SRO in ensuring they have the right skills available to them to deliver the policy, including externally-sourced expertise;
• develop the Guidance on the Use of Professional Services including Consultants, including issues of the ‘intelligent customer’ role and the knowledge transfer needed;
• develop the guidance on assessing the need for specialist support within project management / assurance methodologies, in the TEO Guide to Policy Making.