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ARCHIVED - Public Works and Government Services Canada - Supplementary Tables


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Response to Parliamentary Committees and External Audits


Response to Parliamentary Committees
Responses to the Auditor General (including to the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development)
Auditor General
Spring 2010 Report
Chapter 1 – Aging Information Technology Systems
The objective of the audit was to determine whether selected entities had adequately identified and were managing the risks related to critical aging information technology (IT) systems. The audit covered the government entities with the largest IT expenditures — the Canada Revenue Agency, Public Works and Government Services Canada, Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and Citizenship and Immigration Canada expenditures — as well as the Treasury Board Secretariat’s Chief Information Officer Branch.
Recommendations

Five recommendations were directed at the various federal organizations. Public Works and Government Services Canada was involved in three recommendations.

1.49 Citizenship and Immigration Canada, Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, and Public Works and Government Services Canada should use a department-wide portfolio management approach to ensure that they focus on current and planned IT investments that best contribute to meeting their business objectives, with an acceptable degree of risk and at a reasonable cost.

1.50 Citizenship and Immigration Canada, Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, and Public Works and Government Services Canada should develop a multi-year IT investment plan that presents a balanced mix of mandatory, sustaining, and discretionary investments that they require to both sustain existing systems and to improve service delivery.

1.59 Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, Public Works and Government Services Canada, Citizenship and Immigration Canada, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police should develop an action plan for each significant aging IT risk. The plans should include specific strategies, key activities, deliverables, and timelines to manage these risks. These entities should report progress regularly to senior management.

Departmental Response Public Works and Government Services Canada agreed with the recommendations and has committed to implementing corrective action. For further information visit: http://www.oag-bvg.gc.ca/internet/English/parl_oag_201004_01_e_33714.html
  Chapter 3 – Rehabilitating the Parliament Buildings
The audit objective was to determine whether Public Works and Government Services Canada manages the project for the rehabilitation of the Parliament buildings using sound management practices that respect the heritage character of the buildings while meeting the needs of Parliament.
Recommendations

One recommendation was directed at Public Works and Government Services Canada.

3.56 The Minister of Public Works and Government Services Canada, in cooperation with and with the support of the speakers of the Senate and the House of Commons—and in concert with the Senate Standing Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration, and the Board of Internal Economy—should develop and propose mechanisms to ensure that responsibility and accountability for the Parliament buildings rest with the Senate and the House of Commons.

Departmental Response Public Works and Government Services Canada agreed with the recommendation and has committed to implementing corrective action. For further information visit: Please see Section I or http://www.oag-bvg.gc.ca/internet/English/parl_oag_201004_03_e_33716.html
Auditor General
Fall 2010 Report

Chapter 1 – Canada’s Economic Action Plan
The audit objective was to determine whether selected federal entities have adequately managed selected programs for Canada’s Economic Action Plan by putting in place appropriate management practices and providing programs to eligible recipients in a timely manner.

Public Works and Government Services Canada was one of ten departments selected for this audit.

Recommendations No recommendation was directed at Public Works and Government Services Canada. For further information, visit: http://www.oag-bvg.gc.ca/internet/English/parl_oag_201010_01_e_34284.html#appb
 

Chapter 4 – Managing Conflict of Interest
The objectives of the audit were to determine whether:

  • the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat provides the tools that departments need to meet federal government conflict of interest responsibilities, and
  • the five selected departments have ensured that mechanisms and assistance are in place and that designated senior officials have enough knowledge to meet their responsibilities on the issue of conflict of interest.
Recommendations

Six recommendations were directed at the various federal organizations Public Works and Government Services Canada was involved in three recommendations.

4.64 Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Canadian Heritage, Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, Natural Resources Canada, and Public Works and Government Services Canada should develop an approach to risk assessment that includes identification and prioritization of risks, assessment and mitigation strategies, and residual risk assessment, in the key areas where major conflicts of interest could arise.

4.65 Once they have identified high-risk areas through an appropriate risk assessment process, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Canadian Heritage, Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, Natural Resources Canada, and Public Works and Government Services Canada should require public servants in identified high-risk areas to report regularly, whether or not they have a conflict of interest.

4.72 Canadian Heritage, Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, Natural Resources Canada, and Public Works and Government Services Canada should ensure that their training is based on the conflict of interest risks that staff in specific areas face as they carry out their duties; the training should include case studies and scenarios in these areas.

Departmental Response Public Works and Government Services Canada agreed with the audit recommendations and has committed to implementing corrective action. For further information, visit: http://www.oag-bvg.gc.ca/internet/English/parl_oag_201010_04_e_34287.html
 

Chapter 6 – Acquisition of Military Helicopters
The overall objective of the audit was to determine whether National Defence and Public Works and Government Services Canada managed the acquisition of selected military helicopters in compliance with key provisions of government contracting and major capital project legislation, regulations, policies, and guidelines and to determine whether the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat performed its related challenge function.

Recommendations

Two of six recommendations were directed at Public Works and Government Services Canada.

6.65 Public Works and Government Services Canada should review and apply the lessons learned with these helicopter acquisitions to ensure that, for future major capital equipment acquisitions, the degree of modifications and/or development involved is fully reflected in approval documents and in the assessment of risk, and that procurement strategies and contracts are tailored to the complexity of the equipment being acquired.

6.76 Public Works and Government Services Canada should undertake a review of lessons learned in the use of long-term in-service support contracts before amending the contract in 2013 with Boeing, in order to ensure that risks are appropriately identified and managed, costs are properly determined, and alternative service delivery options are considered.

Departmental Response Public Works and Government Services Canada agreed with the audit recommendations and has committed to implementing corrective action. For further information, visit: http://www.oag-bvg.gc.ca/internet/English/parl_oag_201010_06_e_34289.html
CESD
Fall 2010 Report

Chapter 4 - Environmental Petitions
The objective of this chapter was to inform Parliament and Canadians about the use of the petitions process. It describes the number, nature, and status of petitions received received between July 1, 2009 and June 30, 2010, and the timeliness of responses from ministers.

While Public Works and Government Services Canada was late responding to the only petition it was responsible for this year, it missed the deadline by only one day.

Recommendations The chapter made no recommendations. For further information, visit: http://www.oag-bvg.gc.ca/internet/English/parl_cesd_201012_04_e_34427.html
Responses to Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada
October 2010

Personal Information Disposal Practices in Selected Federal Institutions The audit objective was to determine whether selected government institutions have developed and implemented adequate controls – including policies and procedures – to ensure personal information is disposed of in a secure manner. The audit included Library and Archives Canada, Public Works and Government Services Canada (Crown Assets Distribution) and Industry Canada (Computers for Schools program).

Recommendations No recommendation was directed at Public Works and Government Services Canada. For further information, visit: http://www.priv.gc.ca/information/pub/ar-vr/ar-vr_pidp_2010_e.cfm
Responses to Office of the Comptroller General (OCG)
OCG
April 2010

Horizontal Internal Audit of Information Technology Asset Management in Small Departments and Agencies (SDAs)

The objective of the audit was to determine whether the management and control structures in place in SDAs provide an effective framework for managing IT assets.

Public Works and Government Services Canada was involved in this audit in its role as Common Service Provider.

Recommendations No recommendation was directed at Public Works and Government Services Canada. For further information, visit: http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/report/orp/2010/it-titb-eng.asp
April 2010

Horizontal Internal Audit of Information Technology Asset Management in Large Departments and Agencies (LDAs)

The objective of the audit was to determine whether the management and control structures in place in central agencies and in LDAs provide an effective framework for making IT-related decisions at the government-wide and departmental levels, respectively.

Public Works and Government Services Canada was involved in this audit in its role as Common Service Provider.

Recommendations No recommendation was directed at Public Works and Government Services Canada. For further information, visit: http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/report/orp/2010/itl-itgtb-eng.asp