Public Services and Procurement Canada responds to release of Auditor General's spring reports

May 29, 2018 - Ottawa, Ontario - Public Services and Procurement Canada

Today, the Auditor General tabled his Spring 2018 Auditor General of Canada Reports, which examined the building and implementation of Phoenix, as well as the disposal of surplus government goods and services. Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) accepts the recommendations in both chapters and has already taken steps to fully implement them.

Phoenix

The Auditor General’s reports confirm what we have long maintained about the origins of this issue: the scope and complexity of the Pay Administration Transformation Initiative was vastly underestimated, and system functionality, testing and training were descoped to save money and meet timelines. Clearly, there were many mistakes made and we will learn from them all.

In response to the recommendations, we are strengthening policy instruments, governance structures and project management approaches around government-wide information technology initiatives. This will include improved training, early engagement and a deeper analysis of project trends and issues. These improvements will ensure that mistakes experienced with the Phoenix pay system are not repeated.

We remain focused on helping employees facing pay issues. In November 2017, we introduced a suite of measures to stabilize pay. Since then, progress has been made in a number of areas. For instance, the Pay Pod approach that was recently implemented will result in more efficient and comprehensive resolution of pay issues for employees, and help reduce the backlog. In addition, the improved Client Contact Centre will provide more real-time accurate information to employees about their pay files and better answer questions. See our website for a progress update on these measures and our priorities for 2018 to 2019.

Disposal of Surplus Goods

As a common service provider, PSPC provides disposal services to the Government of Canada, and is also responsible for the management, including the disposal, of its own assets.

While the audit concluded that the sale of surplus government goods and equipment through PSPC’s GCSurplus platform works well, it also provided recommendations to improve the consistency and cost effectiveness of the disposal process. Work is underway to respond to these recommendations.