The Office of the Public Service Commission conducts Panel of Peers Performance Management Review Training.

PORT VILA, 17th May 2024. The Office of the Public Service Commission conducted a Performance Management Review workshop for the Panel of Peers to commence the assessment of the Performance Agreement of Director Generals, Provincial Secretary Generals and Town Clerk on the 16th of May 2024.

The Office of the Public Commission has facilitated the assessment workshop for the Panel of Peers as part of the reform process within the Public Service Commission.

In his opening remarks, the Acting Secretary of the OPSC Mr. Jonathan Iavere reiterated that the Performance Agreement of DGs, Provincial SGs and Town Clerk is a priority agenda of the Vanuatu government.

“The PSC as the main employer arm of the government must ensure that all its senior public servants are duly carrying out their roles and responsibilities and are performing according to their Performance Agreements,” he said.

“PSC is a neutral and independent body according to Article 60.4 of the Constitution and seeks to run a fair and just assessment of its senior public servant’s performance.”

The PSC recognizes the Panel of Peers as a pool of highly intellectual and technical officers who are still effectively serving the Republic of Vanuatu and those who were former public servants who served under the PSC.

Mr. Iavere stated that all the duties implemented are aligned with the Public Service Staff Regulation Manual (PSSRM) and linked to the Decentralization policy of the Government.

“At PSC, we want to make sure service delivery is done in a manner that is efficient and effective to the people of Vanuatu and that is captured in the PA of the DGs, Provincial SGs and Town Clerk,” he said.

“They as the heads of government line agencies must ensure that the specific services under their jurisdiction are aligned with the NSDP, Corporate Plans, Annual Business Plans (against approved Budget appropriations) and Provincial Business Plans and that these services must be decentralized.”

The Panel of Peers Performance Management Review workshop is the preparatory stage where members were informed of their roles to undertake the assessment on the Performance Agreement of the senior public servants.

The workshop also featured presentations from Transparency International Vanuatu to ensure the Panel of Peers are transparent and fair when making assessment, the Department of Finance on the process of Central Tender Board, government budget cycle and dates and the PFEM Act so they have a clear understanding when conducting assessment, the Department of Strategic Planning, Policy & Aid Coordination (DSPPAC) on the project cycle, process of grant application, period of grant approval and the NSDP. The OPSC (HRM unit) presented the process of Performance Agreement and the Vanuatu National Audit Office presented how to conduct assessment and the importance of report submission.