Government & public services

Enterprise value transformation

Productivity – Resource management and cost to serve

Client issue

Due to escalating costs and pressure on the operation budget, the client needed to review the total cost and value of their services, which called for a cost management framework and implementation roadmap to improve resource utilisation.

How we helped

Our team approached the client’s needs as follows:

• Develop the cost management framework, which included mapping all processes, identifying activity levels of each service, calculating the staff full time equivalent (FTE) numbers, designing a mechanism to distribute direct/indirect costs, and more
• Roll-out the framework and cost (budgeting) templates from the top level through to the service level departments
• Benchmark and assess process improvement opportunities
• Identify areas for potential resource pooling and re-organisation
• Recommend improvements for the gaps identified
• Formulate roadmap for “quick wins”, operational and strategies implementation

Business results

The framework provided the client with improved insights into the benchmarks for value/cost drivers and potential operation rationalisation opportunities. Meanwhile, the roadmap provided them with a clear direction moving forward on the factors that impact their resource and productivity management.

Understanding the education sector beyond financial processes

Review of financial, operational, corporate support and governance processes

Client issue

A major university in Singapore that’s growing rapidly in size and complexity outsourced internal audit services for selected processes.

How we helped

Leveraging on our knowledge of university operations and pain points, we extended our scope of work beyond the traditional processes. We provided guidance on how consistent governance standards can be established in all schools locally and overseas, as well as how simple and regular monitoring processes can be implemented, which are vital during a time of rapid growth.

Outcome

• Correction of inconsistencies/ misalignments of work processes, policies and procedures with the Group
• Handholding for locations/ schools within short intervals, where the reviewed result were found unsatisfactory, to ensure the recommendation were adequately addressed
• Continued advice on corporate processes such as ‘whistle blowing’
• Introduction of control self assessment tailored to key processes relevant to the university to increase awareness and ownership of controls/governance.

Strengthening Singapore's value proposition as a career capital

People and change

Client issue

In efforts to strategically anchor talent in Singapore, the client undertook a project to understand what constitutes a Career Capital for foreign and local talent, and how we compare with other economies.

How we helped

We provided our client with beginning to end research and strategy development support which included:

• Identifying key attributes of a Career Capital, via literature research and review, and how they are measured
• Conducting surveys and interviews to understand the factors that motivate talents to stay
• Analysing Singapore’s strengths and weaknesses in talent retention from the data collected and key gaps identified
• Developing high-impact strategies to cultivate mindshare of Singapore as a preferred city for career development

Outcome

The study gave new insights on Singapore’s strengths and weaknesses in attracting and anchoring different groups of talents, which serves as a basis for the client’s renewed strategy and messaging initiatives.

A future-ready procurement operating model and programme for capability development

People and change

Client issue

In efforts to embed a leading procurement function across the public sector, our team was engaged to design a procurement service delivery model.

How we helped

Our team approached the engagement in two key work streams:

• Procurement operating model design – where key design elements include the procurement centre of excellence, category boards and procurement support functions
• Procurement competency framework development and implementation – to drive standardisation and improvement of procurement capability across the government

Business results

In actualising the client’s endeavour, our team developed tools that standardise and raise the level of procurement capability, identified opportunities to increase procurement efficiency, governance and transparency across the public sector and more.

Ensuring Singapore's food security

Risk mitigation and strategy roadmap

Client issue

The client needed to formulate a food security strategy for Singapore to address key risks, investigate priority initiatives and streamline efforts for current and future initiatives.

How we helped

Our team collaborated with key stakeholders and approached the client’s needs by:

• Identifying vital food security risk factors; conducting workshop assessment on their likelihood and impact
• Evaluating the client’s current strategies and initiatives from the data gathered
• Providing an objective, private sector point of view to the client
• Formulating strategies and a detailed initiative-portfolio, focusing on the top 3–5 key priority initiatives
• Charting the food security roadmap, its monitoring system, implementation, steering and coordination action points across the government

Outcome

Our collaborative approach as well as detailed thought and coordination processes provided the client with a holistic set of strategies, our team was commended – “they are dependable and have always found a win-win solution.”

Understanding competitiveness impacts and assessing strategic responses

Strategy and climate change

Client issue

A government body wanted to study a comprehensive suite of possible measures to stabilise the country’s emissions over the long term, and the impact of such measures on the competitiveness of key manufacturing sectors.
 

How we helped

PwC developed a methodology to rank the most vulnerable sectors, determine the potential impact to competitiveness in the key manufacturing sectors, assess potential responses, and proposed possible measures to reduce such impacts. The results will be used to inform future policy development.

Outcome

• A clear understanding of the key vulnerable sectors impacted by potential policy measures, backed by robust ranking methodology
• Empirical measures of profit impacts to companies, and potential leakage
• Assessment of standing against key competitor countries for specific sectors.

Positioning Singapore as a global city

City benchmarks, strategies and policy recommendations

Client issue

For Singapore to remain competitive as a global city, the client needed to identify the factors/attributes that constitute as well as measure its success, and how we compare with other competing cities.

How we helped

By applying our research methodology and framework used for our thought leadership, Cities of Opportunity and Cities of the Future, we:

• Juxtaposed and ranked Singapore against competing cities across abroad set of metrics
• Conducted scenario analysis of Singapore’s future position and sensitivity analysis to account for differences given how key criteria evolve
• Leveraged on extensive experience working with international cities to provide meaningful insights on vital areas identified

Outcome

Our leading methodology and subject matter expertise were commended by the client for having “communicated complex ideas and metrics in an easily understandable manner” and “synergising various new ideas” in addition to the in-depth analysis and recommendations we provided.

Impact of global and regional market-based- measures and targets on Singapore’s aviation industry

Econometric modeling, analysis on regulatory and economic impact

Client issue

The client needed to determine the impact of global and regional market-based measures (MBM), in particular the European Union Emissions Trading System on Singapore’s air hub development.

How we helped

Our approach to the client’s needs included:

• Delivering detailed MBM and aviation assessment reports analysing their impact on Singapore’s aviation industry
• Developing a Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) model for the analysis, which include estimations of the economic impact of both regional and global MBM schemes, as well as global targets on the aviation industry
• Conducting training workshops for key staff to use the CGE model for future analysis

Business results

In addition to providing the client with a comprehensive understanding of different MBM schemes’ impact, and which schemes are the most favourable for Singapore, we delivered a model that enables them to assess the impact of MBM schemes on demand.