Public Services and Procurement Canada
Internal services: Planned results—2021 to 2022 Departmental Plan

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Internal services are those groups of related activities and resources that the federal government considers to be services in support of programs and/or required to meet corporate obligations of an organization. Internal services refers to the activities and resources of the 10 distinct services that support program delivery in the organization, regardless of the internal services delivery model in a department. These services are:

• management and oversight services
• communications services
• legal services
• human resources management services
• financial management services
• information management services
• information technology services
• real property management services
• materiel management services
• acquisition management services

Planning highlights

To better align resources to meet departmental priorities, Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) will continue embedding integrated business planning across the department through the implementation of its evergreen integrated business plan, which it launched for the first time in May 2020. At the same time, the department will ensure information regarding its activities and results is more effectively communicated to Parliament and Canadians.

PSPC continues efforts to ensure compliance with proactive publication requirements under the Access to Information Act. To further support the government's commitment to openness and transparency, PSPC is developing a departmental transparency strategy to provide Canadians with relevant and timely information related to the department's mandate. As part of this approach, PSPC has published detailed information online about COVID-19 contracts.

The department is continuing to modernize the way it engages with Canadians and its employees by enhancing proactive communications approaches and its use of social media platforms to better reach its varied audiences. In 2021, management of PSPC web content will be centralized, allowing better integration of messages and supporting a user-centric, accessible and task-based approach to the provision of information and services. Communication approaches will be informed by the diverse information needs of PSPC employees, clients and partners, and the public, and aligned with the department's Integrated Business Plan and support the Minister's mandate and priorities.

Given PSPC's role as common service provider, the department has a unique opportunity to be a leader and support its clients in reconciliation efforts. Important action is underway across the department, however, an overarching strategy is needed to ensure a coordinated approach across the organization and with Indigenous partners. To meet this need, the Reconciliation and Indigenous Engagement Unit is developing a Reconciliation Strategy to support all PSPC reconciliation and Indigenous engagement activities and identify opportunities to develop and enhance policies, programs and initiatives that will advance reconciliation.

With respect to diversity and inclusion, PSPC will continue the dialogue it initiated in 2020 to 2021 with diverse groups of employees on their lived experience at the department. This dialogue will allow the department to frame and refine its actions related to shifting departmental culture; improving the recruitment, development and promotion practices; and addressing barriers in the delivery of programs and services. The department's executives and middle management will continue their learning path on unconscious bias and anti-racism, with a view to engaging all PSPC employees on this important topic. PSPC will continue to develop targeted recruitment and development strategies and provide services, tools, and expert advice to hiring managers to promote a more inclusive workplace and to ensure the department's workforce reflects the diversity of Canada's evolving population.

In support of mental health, PSPC will continue to provide mental health tools for managers and employees, virtual access to all mental health and well-being services and mental health ombudsman's individual consultations, as well as increase mental health visibility and awareness.

PSPC is looking to optimize security throughout the department by continuing to deliver on a 3-year Departmental Security Plan and building security specialist capacity and expertise across the department. This will be accomplished through program transformation initiatives or leading innovative projects taking into account the evolving security landscape.

In support of its implementation of the Treasury Board Secretariat Policy on Service and Digital, PSPC will continue engaging with the service providers within PSPC branches to establish service management, service delivery practices, communities of practice, governance as well as systems that will enable the department to access its "one PSPC" vision in a predominantly digital and cloud ready landscape.

Key risks

There are a number of risks that could impact the successful delivery of internal services.

Data analytics

There is a risk that PSPC will not be able to readily access reliable data and will not have the expertise needed to analyze it in order to make timely and informed decisions. To mitigate this risk, PSPC will implement the required data repositories like data warehouses, and will continue to invest in other data analytics capacity tools and related strategies. In addition, PSPC's digital services will implement its recently-developed Human Resources Strategy, which will focus on developing capacities within data analytics, data science and artificial intelligence.

Departmental coordination

There is a risk that the diversity of PSPC's varied business lines will impact the department's ability to collectively plan, and to make resourcing decisions that will achieve departmental results and support a culture of "One PSPC". To mitigate this risk, PSPC will continue strengthening its department-wide integrated planning process, which includes the integrated business plan. This will improve PSPC's common approaches to strategic and operational planning, budgeting, resource allocation, and performance monitoring and reporting. PSPC will also take advantage of opportunities for increased collaboration by strengthening its strategic policy function, promoting and reinforcing the "One PSPC" approach in planning and communication, and continuing to adapt training and governance structures. This will ensure a better alignment of resources with core priorities and more consistency in client service experiences.

Departmental risk management culture

There is a risk that PSPC's departmental risk management culture change initiative will not foster the adaptability needed to seize opportunities and minimize threats in an integrated manner, while also maintaining the resilience required to safeguard trust in its ongoing ability to deliver. To mitigate this risk, PSPC has undertaken a number of important initiatives. These include developing a coherent and strong risk management framework, regularly renewing the department's risk profile in order to communicate key strategic risks, and developing a new risk tolerance approach, which will be progressively implemented across PSPC through stakeholder and partner engagement on pilot projects.

PSPC will continue building collaborative relationships between its integrated risk management and integrated business planning units, as well as business line specialists, in order to capture and communicate opportunities and threats to the department's operational priorities, as well as in managing risks linked to shared accountabilities with other departments.

Digital transformation

There is a risk that PSPC will not continue to have the modern and reliable systems, expertise and cyber safeguards needed to effectively operate and deliver services in a predominantly digital environment, which now includes a much increased full-time and department-wide reliance on telework. To mitigate this risk, the department has implemented new virtual team environments and collaborative tools, including Teams and other Microsoft 365 applications. PSPC also created the Cloud Competency Centre, and is currently engaging with the private sector in order to establish delivery systems that will enable the department to acquire the in-house expertise needed to improve cloud readiness. PSPC will also implement the recently developed Digital Services Human Resources Strategy, the information technology (IT) Project Management Framework, and a cybersecurity management action plan to adapt to the changing digital environment.

Recruitment and retention

There is a risk that PSPC will not be able to attract and retain the specialized, skilled and diverse workforce needed to deliver timely and quality services to its clients. To mitigate this risk, PSPC has implemented a cohesive, department-wide People Management Plan that is aligned with the department's integrated planning processes. This plan is helping to prioritize human resources programs and strategies, and to integrate leadership development and succession planning. Maintaining and refreshing the People Management Plan, as well as continuing the implementation of other staffing and talent management modernization initiatives, will enable PSPC to attract and retain the specialized and diverse staff required to deliver on its plans and priorities. These initiatives, along with ongoing efforts by the Office of the Mental Health Ombudsman as well as regular check-ins with staff, seek to mitigate impacts of a work environment currently experiencing rapid and frequent changes. PSPC continues to take steps to address challenges around workload management and promote work/life balance.

Planned budgetary financial resources for internal services

The decrease in net planned spending is mainly due to the completion of information technology projects and a decrease in spending for some projects in subsequent years such as the Government of Canada trusted platform project and the digital convergence project. The net decrease is also due to the end of incremental funding for human resources services to employees for the pay administration initiative. Funding will be adjusted should future approvals be received.

Financial, human resources and performance information for Public Services and Procurement Canada's program inventory is available in the Government of Canada InfoBase.

Planned human resources for internal services

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