$149.8-Million Budgetary Provision for Strategic Public-Sector Transformation

Work under the Strategic Public Sector Transformation Project in the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service will continue during the upcoming fiscal year with a $149.8-million budgetary provision.

This sum is contained in the 2023/24 Estimates of Expenditure, which were tabled in the House of Representatives by Portfolio Minister, Dr. the Hon. Nigel Clarke, on Tuesday (February 14).

The provision will fund programmed activities under component one, which is focused on bolstering the Public Investment Management System; component two, which targets strengthening the Budget Preparation Process and Results-based Budgeting; and component six, which looks at Project Management.

Notable among the activities under component one is the continuation of work to develop and institutionalise the Public Investment Management Information System (PIMIS).

Component two will see, among other things, support continuing for the Budget Preparation Process and Results-based Budgeting, as well as implementation of the Open Government Partnership (OGP) National Action Plan for Jamaica.

Executive project administrative closeout activities are programmed under component six.

The project, which commenced in August 2014, recorded notable achievements under four components up to December 2022.

These related to strengthening of the Public Investment Management System (component one), and the Budget Preparation Process and Results-based Budgeting (component two); Adaptive Public Sector Approaches to Promote Fiscal Sustainability (component 3); and Fostering Industrial Growth and Trade Facilitation – Bureau of Standards Jamaica (component 5a).

Key among the outcomes were the advanced development of the Public Investment Management Information System, preparation of the draft Integrated Results-based Management Policy, automation of 11 business processes for selected entities through the Electronic Content Management System, restructuring/reorganisation of Departments and Divisions under the Finance Ministry, and development of strategies for establishing an Accreditation-based Conformity Assessment System in Jamaica.

The twice-extended project, which is now slated to run until October 2023, is being funded by the World Bank, Inter-American Development Bank, and Department for International Development.