1. Portfolio/Number/Name:ERD/C3 - Savings in SNH |
2. Programme/Activity: Please
include a short description SNH will implement a benefits
realisation project leading to a reduction
in staff costs and a shift of the balance
of staff effort from support services to
front line delivery. |
3. Planned Savings | | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 |
Cash (m) | 0.667 | 1 | 2 |
Time Releasing (m) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
4. Accountable Officer for
delivery | Richard Wakeford |
5. Project Manager | Scott Carmichael |
6. EGDG account manager | Iain Dewar |
7. Quality Impact | Describe any impact on the quality
of service delivery. Be specific and
explain if the expectation is positive,
negative or neutral. The aim is to deliver the necessary
support services for the agreed Corporate
Plan programme with fewer staff yet no
overall loss in quality of service
delivery. A subsidiary aim of the project
is to deliver improved service delivery at
lower cost wherever possible. |
8. Dependencies | Explain if your savings are
dependant on legislation or other
structural changes. The main dependency for identified
savings is on satisfactory completion of
the ongoing programme of improvements to
ICT systems and equipment. Additional
savings will be dependant on the outcome of
the relocation exercise and the
Performance, Finance and Management Review
currently taking place. |
9. Description of efficiency and
actions to be taken | 9.1 How will the saving be made? Be
specific about number/size of contracts,
staff, posts dates etc. The benefits realisation project will
integrate improved information management
and ways of working to deliver the
Corporate Plan 2005 to 2008 with slightly
reduced staff numbers. The principal
savings will come from replacement of
cumbersome manual processes with new ways
of working designed to make best use of the
ICT infrastructure now substantially in
place. |
9.2 What action is critically
needed to secure delivery of this saving?
Be specific, and name the key action
managers if they are outwith your immediate
management chain (e.g. in an
NDPB.) The principal action required is to set
up a benefits realisation project, using
the disciplines of Prince 2 project
management methods, to identify and
implement the measures required across SNH
to achieve these changed ways of
working. |
10. Impact on Staffing to achieve the efficiency
gain | If there are to be any changes in
staff numbers (at activity level) to
achieve the efficiency gain, please
indicate how many full time equivalents and
how far you expect savings to be achieved
by natural wastage (show additions as + and
reductions as -). |
| 2005- 06 | 2006- 07 | 2007- 08 |
+ | 0 | 0 | 0 |
- | 12 | 24 | 36 |
Net | -12 | -24 | -36 |
Explanation | The baseline complement of posts
(31/12/04) is 796 FTE with an average cost
per FTE of 28K inc. ERNIC and ASLC. The
target complement of posts at 31/03/08 is
760 FTE, assuming no significant change in
the size of overall SNH work
programmes. |
11. Benefits | In general, the benefits of the
Scottish Executive Efficiency Plan are the
enhanced outputs from the resources
Ministers have been able to allocate in
SR04. But if there is a direct connection
between this efficiency saving and the
enhancement of a particular service please
describe it here. N/A |
12. Gross/Net Cash Savings | 12.1 Please set out the gross
recurring saving and any offsetting
recurring expenditure. So far, recurring savings of 0.333
million by 2005-06, 0.667 million by
2006-07 and 1 million by 2007-08 have been
identified. There is no offsetting
recurring expenditure associated with these
savings and therefore this is also the net
saving. SNH are currently undergoing a
Performance, Finance and Management Review,
which is expected to offer recommendations
with potential for securing business
efficiency gains including scope for
additional efficiency savings. The Review
and separate related work by ERAD is also
expected to identify opportunities for
sharing administrative and delivery
functions with other public bodies. These
actions will be taken forward with a view
to identifying a further 1m of recurring
savings by 2007-08. |
12.2 Against what budget does this
expenditure and saving fall? The savings identified will fall
primarily in SNH's paybill budget and their
overall running costs. |
12.3 Has this saving been built
into your budget? No |
12.4 If so, what is the maximum
allowable expenditure against the budget
data, in each year, for that saving to be
delivered? N/A |
12.5 If not, how do you propose to
invest the additional cash back into public
services? SNH works in a devolved manner over 38
area offices spread across Scotland.
Savings in SNH running costs would enable
further resources to be spent on front-line
staff such as area officers and rangers who
provide advice to land managers, members of
the public, developers and Local
Authorities. Additional resources would
also be directed to SNH's grants programme
which provides support for a wide range of
biodiversity and other natural heritage
projects. |
12.6 What plans do you have to
exceed the required saving? Explain by how
much in each year. None. |
13. Time - release savings | 13.1 Please explain any
time-releasing savings indicated at
question 3. N/A |
13.2 Please describe the method you
plan to use to calculate the cash
equivalent of those time release
savings. N/A |
14. Measurement and
Monitoring | 14.1 How are you proposing to
measure the expected efficiency benefits
(e.g. in terms of costs, level of output or
quality of service)? The principal measure will be an
improved ratio of front line to back office
posts within established service levels.
Expenditure on staff in each business area
will be measured. |
14.2 What monitoring &
reporting procedures will be put in place
to measure the efficiency savings (How
often will progress towards the target be
monitored? Who will have lead
responsibility for reporting progress and
what procedures will be in place?) Monitoring of progress to ensure
benefits delivery will lie within the scope
of the project, responsible to the SNH
Management Team. A decrease in expenditure
on staff costs in certain business areas
should be accompanied by a growth in other
areas. The financial management system will
be used to monitor this expenditure and
progress will be reported quarterly. |
14.3 Monitoring Data: Sources,
validation and risks - What data will be used to measure
progress? Is all the required information
quantifiable and readily available? If not
what action will be taken to rectify
this?
The necessary data are all available
from established corporate systems and
reporting procedures, using finance, time
recording and HR sources.
- What measures will be in place to
validate the accuracy of the data? Who will
take responsibility for this?
The relevant corporate systems are
periodically reviewed and validated.
- Are there any issues or risks
relating to how you plan to use the data?
(e.g. accuracy, difficulties in
collection)
None specific to these uses of the
data.
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