Public Sector Entities Compete for Prime Minister’s Trophy

Some 108 public sector entities will be under intense scrutiny, to determine the extent to which they have delivered top quality service to customers, as they compete for the Prime Minister’s Trophy, in The Best Customer Service Agency Award.
The trophy, along with a cash award of $300,000, will be given to the winner at the culmination of an evaluation process, which began in June this year and ends with the awards ceremony in March 2009.
The Cabinet Office and in particular, the Public Sector Modernisation Division, acknowledges that reward and recognition are critical success factors in maintaining the vibrancy and effectiveness of the Modernisation programme, as it seeks to strengthen service delivery in the public sector.
Principal Director of the Standards, Monitoring and Evaluation Unit in the Cabinet Office, Office of the Prime Minister, Dwight Uylett, told JIS News, that the upcoming Fourth Biennial Public Sector Customer Service Competition, although designed to promote excellent service, also takes into account those public entities that offer substandard service and frustrate rather than facilitate the public interest.
“There is a formal complaints mechanism in all charter entities, whereby actions are taken to resolve complaints internally and where such actions are not dealt with appropriately, the matter will then escalate to the Cabinet Office and the Office of Public Defender, where sanctions, including financial penalties, may result,” he said.
The competition is an activity of the Citizen’s Charter/Customer Service Programme, which began in 1994, with the specific objective of strengthening service delivery, through an efficient, effective and customer-oriented public sector.
“One major exercise has been the ongoing development of Citizen’s Charters, which serve to highlight and communicate an entity’s portfolio of services offered, the standards of these services, and to facilitate the monitoring and evaluation of stated standards and service performance,” Mr. Uylett noted.
He disclosed that, to date, some 108 entities either have a Citizen’s Charter or are in the process of developing one, and that some agencies have revised their Citizen’s Charters several times, so as to keep current and relevant, the standards depicted within them.
In addition to recognising and rewarding organisations with excellent customer service, the programme speaks to continuous improvement in the quality of service to the public, while embedding a service culture in the public sector.
“We also encourage former winners to maintain or surpass their standards of service delivery. In addition, the programme seeks to demonstrate the Government’s commitment to the vision of a public sector that puts the customer first,” Mr. Ulyett emphasised.
All public sector entities are eligible for participation in the Public Sector Customer Service Competition, including Central Civil Service Organisations, Executive Agencies, Public Companies, Statutory Bodies and Government Departments. Only entities with Citizen’s Charters, however, are eligible for consideration as the Best Customer Service Agency.
The competition is one major way through which recognition is given to the key performers in the National Customer Service Programme. The other categories of winners include the Civil Service Association Trophy, to the Most Improved Customer Service Agency, plus $200,000.00 in cash; and the Cabinet Secretary’s Trophy, to The Most Creative and Innovative Agency, with a cash award of $150,000.00. Other Awards include: best hospital, police station, local public office, tax collectorate, and health centre.
Surveys are utilised and the results guide the judges in their determination of the winners in the various categories. This exercise has been traditionally carried out by independent third parties outside of the Cabinet Office, in order to ensure that proper governance, transparency and objectivity are maintained. Public participation in the surveys is critical to the success of the exercise.