Public sector shared services

PricewaterhouseCoopers ("PwC") provides advice on shared services for Government and public sector organisations wishing to improve both the efficiency and effectiveness of transaction processing functions, enabling clients to consolidate transaction processing functions in either internal or outsourced service centres. The use of shared services in the Government and public sector is growing and is generating both efficiency gains and cost savings.

Shared services provide management with the means to consolidate, simplify and standardise transaction processing activities in centres of excellence. The transfer of transaction processing into shared services also makes it possible for senior management to dedicate more time to activities which add value.

We understand from experience what it takes to make shared services a success and that those organisations that do realise or exceed anticipated benefits do so by having effective:

• Senior level sponsorship and support throughout the project
• Business case for change
• Governance and accountability
• Methodology, supported by a structured approach that encompasses the entire shared services life cycle
• Stakeholder engagement
• People and change management
• End-to-end process transformation
• Systems and infrastructure support.

PwC's shared service approach is based around the following sections of the Shared Service life cycle.

• The case for change - Successful shared services programmes are driven by imperatives in the core business strategy.
• Shared service centre design - Service blueprint development involves designing the various elements that are to be brought together to ensure that the shared services operate as expected.
• Implementation - The establishment of a shared service centre involves bringing together the skills and expertise needed to deliver a complex, multidisciplinary program with organisation, people, process, systems and infrastructure elements within the time, quality and cost parameters.
• Ongoing operational support - The real success of a shared services programme comes from ongoing service delivery, together with a management focus on continuous improvement.

PwC services

Our shared service centre specialists provide a range of services and advice including:

• Options and strategy analyses
• Business case development
• Shared service centre design - governance, management, core and support processes
• Advice on shared service centre build and implementation
• Transition planning - human resources change and associated programme management
• Transition management to ongoing operational support
• In conjunction with our outsourcing specialists, advising on private sector participation in shared service centre provision and ongoing support