WESTERN CAPE PREMIERS SERVICE EXCELLENCE AWARDS

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WESTERN CAPEPREMIERS SERVICE EXCELLENCE AWARDS

• Ms. Ntsietso Sesiu
• Social Capital Development
• 16 February 2009

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BACKGROUND

• The Premiers Service Excellence Awards were
  launched in 2005
• To showcase and celebrate those units within
  departments who have managed to clearly indicate
  a comprehension and inculcation of the Batho Pele
  Principles in the way they deliver services to
  their internal and external clients.
• To celebrate those that have displayed a culture
  of service delivery, service excellence, social
  cohesion and Ubuntu.
• To recognize and reward community-based projects
  that made a contribution to Letsema in the
  Western Cape Province.
• To showcase best-practice examples of the
  operationalisation of the provincial human and
  social capital development strategy.

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THE AWARDS PROCESS
Application Forms
Written Evidence
Moderator
Assessor
Final Shortlist
Site visits
Independent Adjudicators
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AWARDS PROCESS

• Independent adjudicators with knowledge on
  adjudication and assessment processes.
• Previous experience in adjudication
• Knowledge and understanding of Public Sector
  Policies and Service Delivery
• Knowledge of Batho Pele, Ikapa GDS, Human and
  Social Capital Development Strategy
• Training done with PwC tools.
• Organisations/ teams nominate their projects or
  the project is nominated via various units of the
  departments.
• There are three winning categories
• First prize - Gold trophy.
• Second prize- Silver trophy
• Third prize -Bronze trophy.

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CHALLENGES

• Lack of budget for the awards
• Withdrawal of sponsors ( Standard Bank and
  Parmalat)
• Lack of support from internal communications,
  which resulted in week marketing and
  communication of the awards.
• Voluntary entry to the awards becomes a challenge
  as some departments do not participate in the
  awards at all.
• Projects, unable to complete the application
  forms and compilation of evidence is poor.
• None existence of specific or defined winning
  categories,
• Incorporation of national and local government
  projects.
• Sustained service excellence by winning projects
• Follow-up mechanisms with winning projects

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SUCCESSES

• Over the past 3 year, quality of projects entered
  has improved
• Sharing of best practice by the winning projects,
  through platforms of engagement,
• Since inception of the awards inculcation of
  Batho Pele principles in nominated projects has
  improved gradually.
• Forster of bridging social capital through
  strengthened partnerships,
• Showcase, pockets of innovation and sustained
  service excellence
• Introduction of feedback workshops with entered
  projects.

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AWARDS LESSONS LEARNED

• That the Batho Pele principles can not be the
  only criterion used to measure service
  excellence.
• Internal vs external focused projects need to be
  measured differently so that we are able to
  measure apples with apples. Need to introduce
  winning categories
• The tools used for the PSEA process need to be
  reviewed.
• Improved buy-in and commitment from departments
  re the appointment and selection of assessors
  and moderators.

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AWARDS LESSONS LEARNED

• There is a need for pre screening the projects
  before they went through assessment and
  moderation.
• The Batho Pele learning networks must take
  forward its mandate of ensuring that the platform
  is strengthened for sharing of and replication of
  best practices and lessons learnt.
• Appropriate initiatives be undertaken to market
  and communicate the PSEA.
• Through the Khaedu deployment, managers should
  identify best practice examples and encourage
  officials to do more on the implementation of
  Batho Pele.

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WAY FORWARD

• The Batho Pele Revitalisation Programme be
  rigorously implemented in order to bridge the
  specific gaps identified through PSEA
• Tools need to be redesigned in order for the
  developmental objectives of Ikapa GDS to be
  assessed.
• Prior-training / support of interested projects
  on the use of the tool.
• Introduction of Departmental Service Excellence
  Awards which will be coordinated in collaboration
  with the DotP.
• PSEA becomes the highest accolade for service
  excellence in the province.
• ME Mechanism to be introduced, (e.g unannounced
  visits can be done with the winners) and
  Introduction of the right to strip a project of
  its award by the DG.

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Thank you