Financial/Accounting Resources and Advice    

Financial strategy, long-term planning and performance

If you have a well constructed, appropriately resourced and implemented financial strategy, it will help to ensure that your organisation's core business programs are properly funded and effective.

We can help to:

·       Develop or fine tune your financial strategy and long term plans

·       Prepare or review budgets

·       Liaise with central agencies

·       Advise you on how to effectively monitor, analyse and report on financial performance

·       Develop funding strategies

·       Perform due diligence reviews of agency or third party financial positions

Taxation

You need to be careful that the ongoing reforms and amendments to taxation law and related practices do not lead to your agency falling foul of the increased scrutiny by regulatory agencies and the heavy penalties that can result from non-compliance.Our skilled and qualified taxation consultants assess and provide guidance on your compliance obligations in relation to:

·       GST

·       FBT

·       PAYG

·       Payroll tax

·       SGC

Accounting Services

At any time, you may simply find yourself short of specific accounting skills or resources. Our consultants can help you, on a project or secondment basis, to do the following:

·       Prepare budgets and cash forecasting

·       Prepare routine monthly returns/reports

·       Prepare annual statutory accounts

·       Perform pre and post implementation reviews of accounting/financial systems

·       Project manage the year end accounting process

·       Provide technical support and advice on accounting and financial reporting requirements

·      Review compliance requirements with legislation, regulations, central agency guidelines and Accounting Standards

·       Develop, re-engineer and review accounting policies, procedures, processes and internal controls.

Workplace relations

Induction

Developing effective induction procedures and strategies is known to be important to the future of the employment relationship - but is often poorly done or simply neglected. Workplace demands and scattered entry on duty dates make the conduct of group induction programs both difficult and infrequent. By working with your key staff, IAB can assess the special needs and concerns of your organisation to develop a tailored, workable solution that helps the employment relationship to start in a positive and proactive way.

Performance management and measurement

There are many reasons for assessing or managing the performance of people, programs or projects. In all cases, however, outcomes or outputs need to be measured. In the case of people management, the tool is a mutual one for staff and their supervisors -providing a framework for staff development, performance improvement and reward/recognition.

Some of the many reasons to develop a performance management tool include:

- The ability to monitor a new role, unit, program or project;
- Support the transparent management of individual staff, work groups, branches, divisions or entire organisations;
- To ensure that temporary higher duty arrangements are providing professional growth challenges for an employee;
- To determine if poor performance or outcomes will require close management of an employee or a project; and
- To be able to carry out an assessment when an SES contract is commenced or renewed.

IAB can offer the services of a number of experienced consultants who have developed and successfully used performance measurement and management tools and systems in senior public sector roles.

Recruitment and remuneration of SES staff

Recruiting and remunerating SES staff are vital roles for the CEO, and consume considerable time and effort. IAB's employment experts can provide assistance in all areas, from being an independent on a selection panel to providing confidential and timely assistance to CEO's and their nominees in implementing SOORT determinations.

Reviewing/developing workplace agreements

Revising an award or workplace agreement can be a significant drain on an organisation's resources. It involves planning, strategy development, consultation and administration. The IAB's knowledgeable and experienced consultants can provide support to an organisation in all areas, including undertaking analysis of existing or proposed arrangements.

Flexible work practices

Agencies often require assistance in developing work pattern variations to leverage their business flexibility. The IAB provides a service that uses the Premier's Department guidelines and appropriate industrial instruments.

Ethical environment issues

Probity audit

Probity Auditors independently oversee the tender process for large projects, providing advice to the tender evaluation committee and delivering a written report on the conduct of the tendering process. This role must be filled by an experienced person who is independent of the tender process. Having someone from outside the organisation who understands public sector requirements from the inside can be very reassuring.

A number of experienced Probity Auditors are available through the IAB, which has adopted the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption methodology for Probity Audit. This methodology provides assurance that the tendering process is being conducted fairly, impartially and honestly, and in a manner consistent with community expectations.

Privacy management planning

All Public Sector agencies are required to respond to the impact of the Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act 1998. IAB has a number of consultants trained by the Privacy Commission and listed on the Commission's Register of Approved Consultants.

IAB has practical experience in preparing Privacy Management Plans including:

- Privacy inventory and audit;
- Assessment of the organisation's compliance with the information protection principles;
- Developing codes of practice;
- Identifying staff training/awareness needs; and
- Developing internal procedures.

Our consultants can also offer review services to assist agencies in identifying improvements to Plans already in operation.

Investigations and inquiries

The requirements of the Public Sector Management Act, Public Sector Management (General) Regulation, and Premier's memoranda/guidelines are specific and complex. Grievances and possible breaches of discipline are
the most common reasons for seeking the assistance of an external person to conduct a fact-finding, preliminary, disciplinary or general investigation. Allegations received may also be protected under the Protected Disclosures Act, and these must be processed in accordance with specific requirements.

IAB consultants are recognised and respected across the sector for their expertise in dealing with these complex and sensitive issues. To ensure the timely resolution of investigations or inquiries, our consultants provide independent, objective and impartial advice and recommended actions. This allows an agency to keep its resources free to deal with both the management issue at hand as well as the operational requirements of the business.

Corporate governance

Ensuring that the board and management remain in effective control is crucial to the continuous improvement of the organisation for which they are responsible.

In a corporate governance review, key factors influencing the openness, integrity and accountability of the board are compared with guidelines issued by the Audit Office in "On Board, guide to better practice for public sector governing and advisory boards".

An IAB report to the board, CEO or Minister is able to provide advice and recommendations to enhance the board's contribution to governance of the organisation. IAB can also assist with the implementation of accepted recommendations.

Strategic directions and outcomes

Business and strategic issues

Our consultants have broad-ranging expertise in the development of operational and strategic plans at work unit, branch, division and whole of agency level, or for specific business initiatives. IAB can provide single consultants or multidisciplinary teams to work with your key staff in needs assessment, strategy development and planning, implementation and post hoc evaluation.

Risk management policy and plan

Risk is inherent in everything we do, whether it is deciding work priorities, making budgetary or staffing decisions, managing a project, dealing with clients, purchasing new systems and equipment, taking decisions about the future or deciding not to take any action at all. A key component of risk management is the development and implementation of a risk management policy and plan providing management and staff with a consistent framework and mechanism for monitoring and reporting on risk management performance and issues.

Service Level Agreements

Service level agreements in the public sector have become quite common. These can be intra or inter agency agreements for which a service is provided, the performance is monitored and funds are exchanged. IAB can assist by:

Developing or reviewing outsourcing arrangements; or
Reviewing shared service arrangements.

Mediation/Dispute resolution

Disputes about relatively minor issues can often lead to costly legal battles. Mediation is a form of conciliation which is voluntary, informal, impartial and confidential. It saves time, money and prevents conflicts from escalating. Mediation also allows people to take decision-making into their own hands rather than having decisions imposed by a third party. Our experience has shown that it is highly successful when used in conflicts between individuals. At the IAB we can offer consultants accredited by the Australian Commercial Disputes Centre to mediate complaints, grievances and the early stages of contract dispute.

Policy development

Positive workplace dynamics are facilitated when staff and management are fully aware of their roles and responsibilities. There are a number of laws, policies and guidelines that direct behaviour in the workplace. There are also specific policies or codes that an organisation should communicate to staff and consultants alike. Our consultants work in consultation with responsible agency staff to ensure that your policies are meaningful and manageable for the organisation.

Among other things IAB can assist in the development and implementation of strategies for:

- Harassment free workplace;
- Complaints handling;
- Grievance handling;
- Occupational health and safety;
- Working from home;
- Alcohol and other drugs use; and
- Code of conduct.

Structural, process, policy or procedural reviews

The IAB can provide advice and assistance in areas such as:

- Staffing, scheduling and rostering;
- Administrative systems; and
- Organisation structures (work unit, branch, division or organisation-wide).

If your organisation is in the process of voluntary change, or even adapting to a new environment, your established work methods may need to be reassessed.

Evaluation services offered by IAB include review of:

- Project plans (pre-implementation assessment);
- Progress against plans (status report);
- Project implementation (post- implementation review); and
- Management practice in a work area (to recommend improvements in effectiveness and efficiency).

Another viewpoint will often assist management in developing the best outcome when reviewing structural arrangements at unit, branch, division or whole of organisation level. Our consultants have the experience to provide support to management in a team approach or develop proposals for management to consider.