Letter to the Committee Specialist from
the Head of the Parliamentary Relations Team, Foreign and Commonwealth
Office
FCO RESPONSE TO THE FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE
REPORT ON THE FCO DEPARTMENTAL REPORT 2008-09
In the memorandum which we sent to the Foreign Affairs
Committee on 6 April we said that we would provide some further
information on recommendations 36 and 46 in the FAC's Report of
21 March. I am pleased to enclose this information which I hope
you will find useful.
RECOMMENDATION 36
We conclude that there appears to be significant
scope for the FCO to improve its procurement practices. We recommend
that in its response to this Report the FCO should update us on
its progress in implementing its procurement improvement plan,
and in particular set out whether all elements are now back on
track for completion on time by February 2011. We further recommend
that the FCO should provide its estimates for the savings achieved
so far and likely to be achieved by the end of the project.
FCO response:
Following the FCO's Procurement Capability Review (PCR) in September
2008, we recognised
that the FCO had more opportunity to improve our procurement capability.
In response to the PCR, a
Procurement Improvement Plan (PIP) was agreed in
February 2009.
This set out a detailed range of activities and measures, with
a clear set of milestones,
to be overseen by a dedicated
project manager, in order to address the issues identified
and bring
significant transformation to FCO's procurement, over a period
up to February 2011. The milestones included the recruitment of
a new Commercial Director, a new Commercial Strategy and changes
to the FCO's procurement organisational structure.
In March 2010 the
Office of Government Commerce (OGC) conducted a 12-month milestone
(stock take) assessment that focused on the progress made by the
FCO against both its original PCR and its PIP—basically
a half-way point in the change programme.
We received the draft of the Report at the end of March. It
sets out a
positive position, concluding that during the first year solid
foundations have been laid on which the FCO can build and continue
to make improvements to its commercial and procurement capabilities,
and which indicates that the programme is generally on track.
The report highlights
a number of particular points that demonstrate progress and development,
the most notable of which are as follows:
- FCO Board has
demonstrated support for the development of our procurement capability
by endorsing a commercial strategy and supporting the appointment
of a new Commercial Director, as well as through the establishment
of a Commercial Board that sets out a clear governance structure
to oversee FCO's procurement activities, to manage risk and to
track progress against the commercial strategy. The recruitment
of the new Commercial Director, supported by her senior team,
has been instrumental in raising the profile of procurement and
injecting vigour and pace in the implementation of the PIP with
solid progress being made.
- The procurement team was restructured and organised
around teams that focused upon the FCO categories of procurement
spend, prioritising the key categories. This was a radical change.
As such there is a Category Team specifically working on Estates
Category of Spend, one dealing with Security Category of spend,
Travel category of spend and so on. This means the teams are aligned
to the relevant FCO Directorates and embedded into them. Category
management means truly understanding the business needs, managing
demand, selecting the appropriate procurement approaches and managing
the markets and supplier base to best serve these needs.
- Improvements
to the management and reporting of procurement performance and
spend.
We currently estimate
a cumulative saving, up to end of FY 09-10, of £15.3 million.
We cannot at this stage provide a projected estimate up to the
end of FY 10-11, but we keep the cumulative savings figure under
regular review and shall therefore be able to update the Committee
at a later date.
RECOMMENDATION 46
We recommend that in its response to this Report
the FCO should provide a breakdown of its 2009 Staff Survey results
between UK-based and locally-engaged staff, as it did for its
2008 Survey; or explain why this data was not produced, at a time
when local staff morale is of particular importance. (Paragraph
206)
FCO response: We
are happy to provide you with the attached spreadsheets which
show a breakdown of the 2009 Staff Engagement Survey results for
UK-based and locally-engaged staff for all survey questions (Annex
A). There is guidance at the top of each spreadsheet on how the
data should be interpreted. The FCO took part in the newly launched
Civil Service wide staff survey in 2009.
The results are in the form of the percentage positive
(strongly agree and agree), the percentage neutral (neither agree
nor disagree) and negative responses (strongly disagree and disagree).
For ease of interpretation, we have presented the findings (positive,
neutral and negative) for UK-based staff separately from locally-engaged
staff.
The FCO places a great deal of importance in the
staff survey results and we demonstrate that we act on what our
staff have said. We achieved a response rate of 85%, which was
a great achievement for an organisation with staff located across
a global network. We achieved an Employee Engagement Index of
69%, which placed the FCO above the Civil Service benchmark (58%),
above the High Performance benchmark (63%) and first among large
Government departments (of more than 10,000 staff). The Employee
Engagement Index measures advocacy, motivation and commitment
to the organisation. Our locally-engaged staff are slightly more
engaged (70%) than our UK-based staff (67%). This demonstrates
that our locally-engaged staff are highly motivated and committed
to the organisation.
17 May 2010
Annex A
| Notes: | These results show the percentage of people who responded positively, negatively or neutrally to the questions among UK based staff.
| | | |
| Most questions were asked on a five point scale (strongly agree, agree, neither agree nor disagree, disagree, strongly disagree)
| | | |
| Please note that L01 and L03 are negatively worded questions.
| | | |
| Please note that the neutral scores for L01 and L03 are for responses of "prefer not to say"; for P10 neutral scores are for responses of "Don't know".
| | | |
| The employee engagement index represents the level of engagement among staff and is made up of five questions (J50-J54).
| | | |
| | | |
| |
| Employee Engagement Index
| 67% | |
|
| | | %
| |
| | Positive
responses
| Neutral
responses | Negative
responses
|
| Line Management |
| | |
| | | |
| |
| A01 | My manager motivates me to be more effective in my job
| 67 | 20 | 13 |
| A02 | My manager is considerate of my life outside work
| 77 | 15 | 8 |
| A03 | My manager is open to my ideas
| 84 | 10 | 6 |
| A04 | My manager helps me to understand how I contribute to the FCO/Post's objectives
| 64 | 25 | 11 |
| A05 | Overall, I have confidence in the decisions made by my manager
| 75 | 16 | 9 |
| A06 | My manager recognises when I have done my job well
| 81 | 12 | 7 |
| A07 | I receive regular feedback on my performance
| 62 | 21 | 17 |
| A08 | The feedback I receive helps me to improve my performance
| 64 | 25 | 10 |
| A09 | I think that my performance is evaluated fairly
| 68 | 22 | 10 |
| A10 | Poor performance is dealt with effectively in my team
| 48 | 34 | 17 |
| | | |
| |
| Leadership and managing change
| | | |
| | | |
| |
| B11 | I feel the FCO/Post as a whole is managed well
| 50 | 25 | 25 |
| B12 | Senior managers in the FCO/Post are sufficiently visible
| 60 | 19 | 21 |
| B13 | I believe the actions of senior managers are consistent with the FCO/Post's values
| 56 | 27 | 16 |
| B14 | I believe the FCO Board has a clear vision for the future of the FCO/Post
| 36 | 37 | 27 |
| B15 | Overall, I have confidence in the decisions made by the FCO/Post's senior managers
| 46 | 31 | 23 |
| B16 | I feel that change is managed well in the FCO/Post
| 37 | 30 | 33 |
| B17 | When changes are made in the FCO/Post they are usually for the better
| 33 | 37 | 30 |
| B18 | The FCO/Post keeps me informed about matters that affect me
| 65 | 22 | 13 |
| B19 | I have the opportunity to contribute my views before decisions are made that affect me
| 41 | 28 | 31 |
| B20 | I think it is safe to challenge the way things are done in the FCO/Post
| 53 | 23 | 23 |
| | | |
| |
| My work |
| | |
| | | |
| |
| C21 | I am interested in my work
| 93 | 5 | 2 |
| C22 | I am sufficiently challenged by my work
| 81 | 10 | 9 |
| C23 | My work gives me a sense of personal accomplishment
| 79 | 12 | 9 |
| C24 | I feel involved in decisions that affect my work
| 68 | 17 | 15 |
| C25 | I have a choice in deciding how I do my work
| 79 | 13 | 8 |
| | | |
| |
| Resources and workload
| | | |
| | | |
| |
| D26 | In my job, I am clear what is expected of me
| 84 | 9 | 6 |
| D27 | I get the information I need to do my job well
| 70 | 18 | 11 |
| D28 | I have clear work objectives
| 79 | 13 | 8 |
| D29 | I have the skills I need to do my job effectively
| 87 | 9 | 5 |
| D30 | I have the tools I need to do my job effectively
| 70 | 16 | 14 |
| D31 | I have an acceptable workload
| 58 | 18 | 24 |
| D32 | I achieve a good balance between my work life and my private life
| 61 | 17 | 22 |
| | | |
| |
| Organisational objectives and purpose
| | | |
| | | |
| |
| E33 | I have a clear understanding of the FCO/Post's purpose
| 88 | 8 | 4 |
| E34 | I have a clear understanding of the FCO/Post's objectives
| 83 | 12 | 5 |
| E35 | I understand how my work contributes to the FCO/Post's objectives
| 86 | 10 | 4 |
| | | |
| |
| Pay and benefits |
| | |
| | | |
| |
| F36 | I feel that my pay adequately reflects my performance
| 30 | 21 | 49 |
| F37 | I am satisfied with the total benefits package
| 38 | 25 | 38 |
| F38 | Compared to people doing a similar job in other organisations I feel my pay is reasonable
| 21 | 18 | 61 |
| | | |
| |
| My team |
| | |
| | | |
| |
| G39 | The people in my team can be relied upon to help when things get difficult in my job
| 85 | 11 | 5 |
| G40 | The people in my team work together to find ways to improve the service we provide
| 83 | 12 | 5 |
| G41 | The people in my team are encouraged to come up with new and better ways of doing things
| 81 | 14 | 5 |
| | | |
| |
| Learning and development
| | | |
| | | |
| |
| H42 | I am able to access the right learning and development opportunities when I need to
| 67 | 19 | 14 |
| H43 | Learning and development activities I have completed in the past 12 months have helped to improve my performance
| 63 | 27 | 9 |
| H44 | There are opportunities for me to develop my career in the FCO/Post
| 56 | 23 | 21 |
| H45 | Learning and development activities I have completed while working for the FCO/Post are helping me to develop my career
| 58 | 27 | 14 |
| | | |
| |
| Inclusion and fair treatment
| | | |
| | | |
| |
| I46 | I am treated fairly at work
| 85 | 9 | 6 |
| I47 | I am treated with respect by the people I work with
| 88 | 8 | 4 |
| I48 | I feel valued for the work I do
| 70 | 17 | 13 |
| I49 | I think that the FCO/Post respects individual differences (eg cultures, working styles, backgrounds, ideas etc)
| 74 | 16 | 10 |
| | | |
| |
| Engagement |
| | |
| | | |
| |
| J50 | I am proud when I tell others I am part of the FCO/Post
| 80 | 17 | 4 |
| J51 | I would recommend the FCO/Post as a great place to work
| 57 | 26 | 17 |
| J52 | I feel a strong personal attachment to the FCO/Post
| 63 | 24 | 13 |
| J53 | The FCO/Post inspires me to do the best in my job
| 57 | 29 | 14 |
| J54 | The FCO/Post motivates me to help it achieve its objectives
| 53 | 32 | 15 |
| | | |
| |
| Taking action |
| | |
| | | |
| |
| K55 | I believe that senior managers in the FCO/Post will take action on the results from this survey
| 54 | 25 | 21 |
| K56 | I believe that managers where I work will take action on the results from this survey
| 61 | 23 | 16 |
| | | |
| |
| Discrimination, harassment and bullying
| | | |
| | | |
| |
| L01 | During the past 12 months, have you personally experienced discrimination at work?
| 83 | 6 | 11 |
| L03 | During the past 12 months, have you personally experienced bullying or harassment at work?
| 84 | 5 | 12 |
| | | |
| |
| Data security |
| | |
| | | |
| |
| M05 | I know where to go to find out about how to handle personal and sensitive information
| 88 | 8 | 4 |
| M06 | In the past 12 months, have you received training on handling data and procedures to protect personal and sensitive information?
| 84 | na | 16 |
| | | |
| |
| The Civil Service Code
| | | |
| | | |
| |
| N07 | Are you aware of the Civil Service Code?
| 80 | na | 20 |
| N08 | Are you aware of how to raise a concern under the Civil Service Code?
| 43 | na | 57 |
| N09 | Are you confident that if you raised a concern under the Civil Service Code in the FCO/Post it would be investigated properly?
| 60 | na | 40 |
| | | |
| |
| Foreign and Commonwealth Office questions
| | | |
| | | |
| |
| P01 | I would feel able to report any discrimination, bullying or harassment without worrying that it would have a negative impact on me
| 66 | 15 | 18 |
| P02 | I believe the process of filling vacancies within the FCO/Post is fair
| 43 | 26 | 31 |
| P03 | Promotion within the FCO/Post is based on merit
| 40 | 28 | 32 |
| P04 | My line manager supports flexible working
| 78 | 16 | 6 |
| P05 | The FCO/Post fosters a culture where different ways of working (e.g. part-time working, flexible working, job sharing) can be openly talked about and supported
| 78 | 16 | 6 |
| P06 | I feel safe and secure at work
| 83 | 11 | 6 |
| P07 | I understand why the FCO is changing
| 77 | 16 | 7 |
| P08 | UK-based and Local Staff work as "One Team"
| 41 | 34 | 25 |
| P09 | Staff from the FCO and other UK Government departments work as "One Team"
| 36 | 31 | 33 |
| P10 | [Answer this only if you have a UK-based line manager: they can tell you whether they have passed an ADC] My UK-based line manager has passed an Assessment and Development Centre
| 28 | 32 | 40 |
| Notes: | These results show the percentage of people who responded positively, negatively or neutrally to the questions among locally engaged staff.
| | | |
| Most questions were asked on a five point scale (strongly agree, agree, neither agree nor disagree, disagree, strongly disagree)
| | | |
| Please note that L01 and L03 are negatively worded questions.
| | | |
| Please note that the neutral scores for L01 and L03 are for responses of "prefer not to say"; for P10 neutral scores are for responses of "Don't know".
| | | |
| The employee engagement index represents the level of engagement among staff and is made up of five questions (J50-J54).
| | | |
| | | |
| |
| Employee Engagement index
| 70% | |
|
| | | %
| |
| | Positive
responses
| Neutral
responses | Negative
responses
|
| Line Management |
| | |
| | | |
| |
| A01 | My manager motivates me to be more effective in my job
| 72 | 16 | 12 |
| A02 | My manager is considerate of my life outside work
| 65 | 20 | 15 |
| A03 | My manager is open to my ideas
| 75 | 15 | 10 |
| A04 | My manager helps me to understand how I contribute to the FCO/Post's objectives
| 66 | 22 | 12 |
| A05 | Overall, I have confidence in the decisions made by my manager
| 69 | 19 | 12 |
| A06 | My manager recognises when I have done my job well
| 80 | 12 | 8 |
| A07 | I receive regular feedback on my performance
| 68 | 19 | 14 |
| A08 | The feedback I receive helps me to improve my performance
| 73 | 18 | 9 |
| A09 | I think that my performance is evaluated fairly
| 66 | 20 | 14 |
| A10 | Poor performance is dealt with effectively in my team
| 55 | 28 | 17 |
| | | |
| |
| Leadership and managing change
| | | |
| | | |
| |
| B11 | I feel the FCO/Post as a whole is managed well
| 63 | 24 | 14 |
| B12 | Senior managers in the FCO/Post are sufficiently visible
| 67 | 21 | 12 |
| B13 | I believe the actions of senior managers are consistent with the FCO/Post's values
| 61 | 27 | 12 |
| B14 | I believe the FCO Board has a clear vision for the future of the FCO/Post
| 56 | 33 | 10 |
| B15 | Overall, I have confidence in the decisions made by the FCO/Post's senior managers
| 56 | 29 | 14 |
| B16 | I feel that change is managed well in the FCO/Post
| 53 | 30 | 17 |
| B17 | When changes are made in the FCO/Post they are usually for the better
| 45 | 37 | 18 |
| B18 | The FCO/Post keeps me informed about matters that affect me
| 65 | 23 | 12 |
| B19 | I have the opportunity to contribute my views before decisions are made that affect me
| 45 | 31 | 25 |
| B20 | I think it is safe to challenge the way things are done in the FCO/Post
| 46 | 32 | 22 |
| | | |
| |
| My work |
| | |
| | | |
| |
| C21 | I am interested in my work
| 95 | 4 | 2 |
| C22 | I am sufficiently challenged by my work
| 82 | 10 | 7 |
| C23 | My work gives me a sense of personal accomplishment
| 82 | 12 | 6 |
| C24 | I feel involved in decisions that affect my work
| 64 | 20 | 17 |
| C25 | I have a choice in deciding how I do my work
| 69 | 17 | 14 |
| | | |
| |
| Resources and workload
| | | |
| | | |
| |
| D26 | In my job, I am clear what is expected of me
| 89 | 7 | 4 |
| D27 | I get the information I need to do my job well
| 75 | 16 | 8 |
| D28 | I have clear work objectives
| 85 | 10 | 5 |
| D29 | I have the skills I need to do my job effectively
| 92 | 6 | 2 |
| D30 | I have the tools I need to do my job effectively
| 76 | 14 | 10 |
| D31 | I have an acceptable workload
| 74 | 14 | 12 |
| D32 | I achieve a good balance between my work life and my private life
| 77 | 14 | 9 |
| | | |
| |
| Organisational objectives and purpose
| | | |
| | | |
| |
| E33 | I have a clear understanding of the FCO/Post's purpose
| 81 | 14 | 5 |
| E34 | I have a clear understanding of the FCO/Post's objectives
| 78 | 16 | 6 |
| E35 | I understand how my work contributes to the FCO/Post's objectives
| 85 | 11 | 4 |
| | | |
| |
| Pay and benefits |
| | |
| | | |
| |
| F36 | I feel that my pay adequately reflects my performance
| 39 | 23 | 38 |
| F37 | I am satisfied with the total benefits package
| 39 | 26 | 35 |
| F38 | Compared to people doing a similar job in other organisations I feel my pay is reasonable
| 34 | 24 | 42 |
| | | |
| |
| My team |
| | |
| | | |
| |
| G39 | The people in my team can be relied upon to help when things get difficult in my job
| 81 | 12 | 7 |
| G40 | The people in my team work together to find ways to improve the service we provide
| 81 | 13 | 6 |
| G41 | The people in my team are encouraged to come up with new and better ways of doing things
| 76 | 16 | 8 |
| | | |
| |
| Learning and development
| | | |
| | | |
| |
| H42 | I am able to access the right learning and development opportunities when I need to
| 67 | 20 | 13 |
| H43 | Learning and development activities I have completed in the past 12 months have helped to improve my performance
| 70 | 20 | 10 |
| H44 | There are opportunities for me to develop my career in the FCO/Post
| 41 | 26 | 32 |
| H45 | Learning and development activities I have completed while working for the FCO/Post are helping me to develop my career
| 59 | 25 | 16 |
| | | |
| |
| Inclusion and fair treatment
| | | |
| | | |
| |
| I46 | I am treated fairly at work
| 76 | 13 | 11 |
| I47 | I am treated with respect by the people I work with
| 84 | 10 | 6 |
| I48 | I feel valued for the work I do
| 73 | 16 | 10 |
| I49 | I think that the FCO/Post respects individual differences (eg cultures, working styles, backgrounds, ideas etc)
| 74 | 17 | 9 |
| | | |
| |
| Engagement |
| | |
| | | |
| |
| J50 | I am proud when I tell others I am part of the FCO/Post
| 79 | 16 | 5 |
| J51 | I would recommend the FCO/Post as a great place to work
| 66 | 24 | 10 |
| J52 | I feel a strong personal attachment to the FCO/Post
| 65 | 25 | 10 |
| J53 | The FCO/Post inspires me to do the best in my job
| 66 | 24 | 10 |
| J54 | The FCO/Post motivates me to help it achieve its objectives
| 62 | 27 | 11 |
| | | |
| |
| Taking action |
| | |
| | | |
| |
| K55 | I believe that senior managers in the FCO/Post will take action on the results from this survey
| 61 | 25 | 13 |
| K56 | I believe that managers where I work will take action on the results from this survey
| 60 | 26 | 14 |
| | | |
| |
| Discrimination, harassment and bullying
| | | |
| | | |
| |
| L01 | During the past 12 months, have you personally experienced discrimination at work?
| 70 | 12 | 18 |
| L03 | During the past 12 months, have you personally experienced bullying or harassment at work?
| 74 | 9 | 17 |
| | | |
| |
| Data security |
| | |
| | | |
| |
| M05 | I know where to go to find out about how to handle personal and sensitive information
| 74 | 15 | 10 |
| M06 | In the past 12 months, have you received training on handling data and procedures to protect personal and sensitive information?
| 67 | na | 33 |
| | | |
| |
| The Civil Service Code
| | | |
| | | |
| |
| N07 | Are you aware of the Civil Service Code?
| 22 | na | 78 |
| N08 | Are you aware of how to raise a concern under the Civil Service Code?
| 19 | na | 81 |
| N09 | Are you confident that if you raised a concern under the Civil Service Code in the FCO/Post it would be investigated properly?
| 35 | na | 65 |
| | | |
| |
| Foreign and Commonwealth Office questions
| | | |
| | | |
| |
| P01 | I would feel able to report any discrimination, bullying or harassment without worrying that it would have a negative impact on me
| 60 | 21 | 19 |
| P02 | I believe the process of filling vacancies within the FCO/Post is fair
| 54 | 27 | 19 |
| P03 | Promotion within the FCO/Post is based on merit
| 42 | 36 | 22 |
| P04 | My line manager supports flexible working
| 72 | 17 | 11 |
| P05 | The FCO/Post fosters a culture where different ways of working (e.g. part-time working, flexible working, job sharing) can be openly talked about and supported
| 65 | 23 | 12 |
| P06 | I feel safe and secure at work
| 73 | 15 | 11 |
| P07 | I understand why the FCO is changing
| 67 | 24 | 9 |
| P08 | UK-based and Local Staff work as "One Team"
| 51 | 25 | 24 |
| P09 | Staff from the FCO and other UK Government departments work as "One Team"
| 46 | 38 | 16 |
| P10 | [Answer this only if you have a UK-based line manager: they can tell you whether they have passed an ADC] My UK-based line manager has passed an Assessment and Development Centre
| 16 | 69 | 16 |
|
