House of Representatives Annual Report 2002: Management and Accountability

Annual Report 2001–02

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Operational initiatives
Purchasing

Operational initiatives

PeopleSoft rollout status

The rollout to all staff of the employee self-service and time and attendance modules of PeopleSoft, the departments personnel records software, was completed during financial year 200102. The time and attendance module is an intranet based time recording system; the information it generates allows the department to allocate costs very accurately to departmental outputs. The employee self-service module allows staff to view their pay slips and leave balances, to apply for leave online and to amend their personal details. The department continued to email pay slips to staff.

Financial resources

A number of significant changes were made to the staffing and operations of the Finance Office in 200102.

The significant internal control issues identified by the ANAO in its audit of financial statements for the year ending 30 June 2001 (as discussed in the external scrutiny section above) were addressed.

As reported in the 200001 annual report, the departments financial management information system (FMIS) was not fully meeting the departments needs. Following an extensive assessment process, the department decided to acquire Oracle Financials as its new FMIS. Acquisition of the new FMIS was proceeding at the end of the 200102 financial year and the implementation of the new system will be reported on in the 200203 annual report.

Information technology

The majority of the departments information technology assets were due for replacement in 200102. The election break provided an opportunity for the department to plan, test and begin to implement an information technology asset replacement strategy.

The desktop personal computers allocated to departmental staff were due for replacement early in the financial year, but purchase of replacement hardware was postponed until a recommended specification for hardware was made for the forthcoming upgrade of the Parliament House software platform. Following that recommendation in January 2002, all personal computers in the department were replaced in preparation for the introduction of the new software platform.

Records management

Deakin Consulting Proprietary Limited reviewed the departments records management processes and systems and presented a report to the Executive in May 2002. The review, which analysed the efficiency and effectiveness of the existing records management processes, made a number of recommendations and developed an action plan. The action plan, which extends to 2004, covers improvements to existing processes and the piloting of an electronic document management system. The action plan is being considered by the Executive.

In April 2001 the department began a review of its administrative records from 1927 to 1970 to determine which records should be destroyed, archived or preserved because of their historical significance. The review is due to be finalised in mid-2003.

Purchasing

In 200102 all goods and services were purchased in accordance with statutory and departmental guidelines, in particular the Chief Executives Instructions (CEIs).

Most purchasing decisions devolved to business units are based on appropriate delegations under the FMA Act, allowing business units to be more responsive to demands on their business and also increasing managers responsibility for financial matters, especially in terms of value for money. Corporate areas such as Finance and Information Technology also provide financial advice to business units, supplementing the guidelines in the CEIs. Further advice is provided on an ad hoc basis by the Joint House Department, which has an accredited procurement and contracts unit.

Table 12 provides information about key performance indicators (KPIs) for purchasing.

Table 12 Expenditure, by key performance indicators, 200102
Purchasing KPIs	200102	200001	Comments
Number of payments	3,600	2,600	The significant increase in the number of payments resulted from the additional transactions associated with the Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference, which the department jointly hosted in September 2001
Total amount of payments	$21 million	$16 million	Payments increased as a result of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference
Number of suppliers	1,089	1,007	This increase in the number of suppliers was related to the conference. However, the number of suppliers is expected to decrease significantly in 200203 because of changed business practices within the department.
Type of supplier:			The number and types of suppliers engaged by the department remained fairly constant, compared with 200001 results
Government	8.5 per cent	11.5 per cent
Large non-government	5.6 per cent	3.5 per cent
Small or medium	50.5 per cent	53 per cent
School or university	35.4 per cent	32 per cent
Number of credit cards	70	90	The departments use of credit cards decreased this financial year in terms of both the number of cards used and the total amount spent
Total amount of credit card transactions	$530,087	$878,000	The years decrease was mainly due to business changes in the department, for example, the move to electronic billing and processing of some transactions

Banking

In 200102 the parliamentary departments tendered for transactional banking services and the Reserve Bank of Australia was the successful tenderer. Joint tendering by the parliamentary departments allowed the Department of the House of Representatives to obtain the best value for the comparatively low level of transactions that it processes.

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