Departmental Evaluation Plan, fiscal years 2024 to 2025 through 2028 to 2029

Department of Public Services and Procurement Canada
Office of the Chief Audit, Evaluation and Risk Executive

Date: August 2024
Final version

On this page

• 1. Introduction
• 2. Key accomplishments in the 2023 to 2024 fiscal year
• 3. Annual evaluation planning exercise
• Annex 1: Projects for 2024 to 2025 through 2028 to 2029 fiscal years
• Annex 2: Programs excluded from the Plan

1. Introduction

The Office of the Chief Audit, Evaluation and Risk Executive (OCAERE) of Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) integrates 3 departmental oversight functions:

• internal audit
• evaluation
• integrated risk management

The mission of the Evaluation Services Directorate (ESD), is to provide timely and high quality evaluation and advisory services to facilitate decision-making, help improve policies and programs, and ensure accountability.

This document presents the Departmental Evaluation Plan (the Plan) for PSPC for fiscal years starting in 2024 to 2025 and ending in 2028 to 2029, developed in compliance with the requirements of the Treasury Board Policy on Results (2016) and the Financial Administration Act.

Plan development

The plan was updated at the same time as the Departmental Risk-Based Audit Plan (RBAP), both under the supervision of the Chief Audit, Evaluation and Risk Executive. The objective was not only to promote better synergy between the 2 functions, but also to reduce, as much as possible, the burden of this exercise on the stakeholders. Moreover, the following activities were carried out in collaboration with Controls Services Directorate of the Finance Branch for both the plan and the RBAP:

• planning and conducting joint consultations with Departmental senior management
• aligning evaluation and audit timelines with respect to governance and joint development of presentations to selected committees
• consideration of potential joint audit and evaluation projects

A preliminary list of evaluation projects for years 2024 to 2025 through 2028 to 2029 was presented to the Performance Measurement, Evaluation and Results Committee (PMERC) for senior management review and feedback. Subsequently, the Plan was shared with the Evaluation Advisory Committee (EAC) and then with the PMERC for recommendation to the Deputy Minister for approval. The Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS) was also consulted in the preparation of the Plan.

Types of evaluations

The ESD  applies the flexibility provided by the Policy on Results and carries out different types of evaluations to meet the information needs of senior management.  Both mandatory and discretionary evaluations are conducted at PSPC.

Mandatory evaluations: Evaluations of programs or initiatives that must be implemented at specific times in accordance with commitments made in TB submissions. In addition, horizontal evaluations led by other departments in which PSPC is involved as well as assessments conducted in compliance with policy requirements, such as the neutral assessment of the evaluation function.

Discretionary evaluations: Evaluation of programs, internal services, policies and priorities for which the evaluation schedule is based on an analysis of risks and, senior management needs and priorities.

In addition to conducting evaluations, the ESD supports supplementary activities relating to performance measurement to support the department in an effective and timely manner.

Evaluation Services Directorate: Human resources

As of April 2024, the evaluation team comprised 8 full-time equivalent (FTE) positions.

Table 1^{Footnote 1}: Number of Full-time equivalents as of April 2024

Classification and Level	Number
EX-01	1
EC-07	2
EC-06	1
EC-05	1
EC-04	1
EC-03	2
Total number of FTEs	8

2. Key accomplishments in the 2023 to 2024 fiscal year

As illustrated in table 2, the ESD worked on a total of 9 evaluation projects over the course of the 2023 to 2024 fiscal year. With regards to PSPC led projects, the ESD started 3 projects:

• Evaluation of the Risk-Based Approach to Defence and Marine Procurement
• Evaluation of the Electronic Procurement Solution
• Neutral assessment of the evaluation function

while continuing work on 3 projects carried forward from the previous years:

• Evaluation of PSPC’s use of selected consulting services
• Review of the Space Envelope Regime
• Evaluation of the Accessible Government-Built Environment Initiative

Additionally, PSPC provided support to 3 horizontal evaluations in fiscal year 2023 to 2024 at different stages of conduct. 

Table 2: Evaluation projects in the 2023 to 2024 fiscal year

Evaluation project	Evaluation Phase as of April 2024	Planned Deputy Minister approval date
Evaluation of PSPC’s Use of Selected Consulting Services	Approval	Approved
Review of the Space Envelope Regime	Approval	Approved
Evaluation of the Accessible Government Built Environment Initiative	Approval	Approved
Evaluation of the Risk-Based Approach to Defence and Marine Procurement	Planning	Q2 2024 to 2025
Neutral Assessment of the PSPC Evaluation Function	Planning	Q2 2024 to 2025
Evaluation of the Electronic Procurement Solution	Planning	Q4 2025 to 2026
Horizontal Evaluation of the Canadian Drugs and Substances Strategy (including the Substance Use and Addictions Program, and Opioid) led by Health Canada	Approval	Approved
Horizontal Evaluation of the National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking led by Public Safety Canada	Approval	Approved
Horizontal Evaluation of the Federal Contaminated Sites Action Plan – Phase IV led by Environment and Climate Change Canada	Conduct	Q4 2023 to 2024Footnote 2

3. Annual evaluation planning exercise

PSPC has prepared its 5-year Plan in consideration of TB requirements as well as TBS guidance. For departmental planning purposes, the first year of the Plan (fiscal year 2024 to 2025) represents the strongest commitments to the subject matter and timing of ESD projects. For the 2024 to 2025 fiscal year, the ESD anticipates completing 4 carry-forward projects (2 evaluations; 1 neutral assessment; and 1 horizontal evaluation) while launching 2 projects (2 evaluations) (Refer to Annex 1 for details). Subsequent years (years 2 through 5) provide a tentative projection of project scheduling that ESD anticipates to implement while recognizing that the timing and focus of evaluations may change based on future needs and stakeholder consultations. Over the proposed 5 year period covered by this Plan, a total of 21 projects are identified between fiscal year 2024 to 2025 and fiscal year 2028 to 2029.

Annex 1: Projects for 2024 to 2025 through 2028 to 2029 fiscal years

Annex 1 details the planned projects to be carried out by the ESD during the 5-year period identified for the Plan. The start dates identified for the evaluation projects are listed in the anticipated quarter in which the evaluation will formally begin its planning activities. End dates identified for evaluation projects indicate the quarter in which final reports and management action plans are anticipated to receive Deputy Minister approval.

Annex 2: Programs excluded from the Plan

Annex 2 identifies and provides rationales for the exclusion from the Plan of five program areas representing 3.44% of planned spending for 2024-2025.  Also excluded from coverage in the Plan are PSPC’s Internal Services^{Footnote 3} representing approximately 7.4% of planned spending for 2024 to 2025.

Programs excluded from the DEP are those which generally have previously undergone comprehensive evaluations; represent low materiality; have not completed significant changes to their design; and have not been identified as a priority area for a discretionary evaluation as part of the annual consultation process.

Payments instead of property taxes to local governments (0.13% of PSPC 2024 to 2025 spending) issues payments to taxing authorities under the authority of the Payments in Lieu of Taxes Act. Local governments receive payments in recognition of the services they provide to federal property located in their jurisdictions because the Government of Canada property is exempt from taxation. The program is intended to provide fair and equitable administration of payments to taxing authorities on behalf of federal custodian departments and agencies.  The program was last evaluated in 2008 to 2009. Consequently, the priority for evaluating this program is low, unless there is a major change in the program’s design.

Payments and revenue collection (2.8% of PSPC 2024 to 2025 spending) is to ensure the integrity of the Treasury for Canadians as well as to develop and maintain the Receiver General’s treasury systems. The Receiver General program was evaluated in 2015 to 2016.  The program is undergoing significant transformation of its reporting tools and is the subject of upcoming oversight engagements by the PSPC’s internal audit function. As such, evaluation of this program has been excluded from the current five-year departmental evaluation plan.

Government-wide accounting and reporting  (0.35% of PSPC 2024 to 2025 spending) helps to ensure maintenance of the accounts of Canada and the Chart of Accounts at the federal administration level as well as the production of the Public Accounts of Canada, including the audited consolidated annual financial statements and the Monthly Statements of Financial Operations for the Government of Canada. The Receiver General program was evaluated in 2015 to 2016. The program is undergoing significant transformation of its reporting tools and will be the subject of oversight engagements by the PSPC’s internal audit function. As such, evaluation of this program has been excluded from the current five-year departmental evaluation plan.

Document imaging services (0.09% of PSPC 2024 to 2025 spending) provides quality and cost effective document imaging and data capture services to federal organizations by leveraging internal production and private sector contractors under the Departmental Standing Offer. The service consists of image processing, indexing and secure archiving of electronic records. The program was last evaluated in the 2014 to 2015 fiscal year. Consequently, the priority for evaluating this program is low, unless there is a major change in the program’s design.

Service management (0.07% of PSPC 2024 to 2025 spending) enables the designated service official to deliver programs of work, and data for departmental service results reporting. The priority for evaluating this program is low, unless there is a major change in the program’s design.