State Department for Public Service Workshop on Performance Contracts

The State Department for Public Service held a two-day workshop on 30th and 31st August 2021 in Naivasha. The workshop sought to harmonise the State Department Performance Contracts.

The Government has used Performance Contracting as a key accountability tool since 2004 in its endeavour to improve service delivery in the Public Service. Performance Contracting is part of the broader public sector reforms aimed at improving efficiency and effectiveness in the management of the public service.

The workshop which was attended by select Heads of Department and appointed Performance Contract champions assessed the government projects carried out by the different departments within the Ministry of Public Service and Gender for the FY 2020/2021 in order to ascertain the actual delivery level against the budget allocations to the State Department for the said financial year.

The following were the objectives of the workshop:

1. To assess the implementation level of government projects being carried out under the Ministry of Public Service and Gender for the F2020/2021;
2. To analyze and report on the government projects progress vis a vis the budget for the different State Departments within the Ministry of Public Service for the FY2020/2021; and
3. To assess the challenges and emerging issues such as COVID-19 on the implementation of government projects under the Ministry of Public Service and Gender for the FY2021/2022.

Speaking during the opening ceremony in Sawela Lodge, Naivasha, Head of Central Planning and Project Monitoring Unit, Mr. David Kiboi, noted that performance contracting in the public service is pertinent in as far as measuring performance is concerned.

“If we don’t measure what we are doing, we will never get anything done. Performance Contracts ensure that what gets measured gets done,” he said.

Taking cognizance of the emerging realities of COVID-19, the Ministry of Public Service and Gender has developed a complete end-to-end online platform – the Government Performance Contracting Information System (GPCIS) towards automating the Performance Contracting process.

The system was used for the first time in FY 2020/21 to develop the FY 2020/21 Performance Contracts for all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs). The system comprises a negotiation module, vetting module, review module and monitoring & reporting modules.

These modules are fully linked to provide a logical flow of the Performance Contracting process from target setting to monitoring of progress. The overall design of the GPCIS will have the potential for the development and generation of various management reports.