Operating Principles

The CCG operating principles and performance tracking criteria were approved by the Council at its January 2008 meeting.

CCG Mission

The Council on Competitive Government was created by State Leadership as a venue for consideration of competitive alternatives to existing government processes. The Council is empowered to initiate competitive reviews, study opportunities through feasibility reviews, and determine the need to apply accelerated procurement processes and establish contracts to transform delivery of government services.

Guiding Principles

Initiatives undertaken by the Council leverage innovative practices in both the private and the public sector to bring about savings, improved capacity, speed and efficiency and increased transparency which advance a citizen-centered government.

These five principles establish a basis for evaluation, planning and performance measurement which will be utilized as the framework and template for CCG reports and deliverables.

Guiding Principle	Examples of Performance Expectations
Savings	Actual refundable savings Reduced expenditure needs Cost avoidance Redirectable funds Federal fund drawdown Reduced FTE's
Capacity	Increased service delivery capacity Decreased exposure to service interruptions Elimination of redundant efforts or resource allocation Improved application of human resources to complex problems Improved ability to do future workforce planning
Speed & Efficiency	Accelerated government transactions Reduced delay in cross governmental interactions Faster, more informed decision-making Process reengineering to eliminate ineffective approaches
Transparency	Reveal true costs of activities Drive predictable costs Increase the capacity of policy to direct expenditures Improved auditability, accountability
Citizen Centered	Simplified, understandable government New opportunities for self service New opportunities to stay aware of changes that affect a citizen on an individual basis Services that keep effectively leverage current private sector advances in customer service

Roles and Responsibilities

The proposed roles and responsibilities outlined below define expectations and boundaries for council members, staff, and participating agencies. Well-defined roles will bring clarity, improve communication, and accelerate success.

Roles	Responsibilities
Council Members	Provide guidance and direction to Council staff and primary sponsoring agencies Mandate agency action / participation Make decisions on priorities, strategic direction, and leadership collaboration Assign program ownership Allocate needed resources
Council Staff	Identify competitive review opportunities Conduct feasibility study (alternatives) Facilitate cross-governmental evaluation and development efforts - reporting to leadership via ccg Present findings and recommendations Manage, maintain, audit, and/or review Establish inter-agency contracts Mitigate risk associated with agencies Release RFP's Enter into contracts
Primary Sponsoring Agencies	Participate in cross-governmental evaluation and development efforts Release RFP's Enter into contracts Execute programs and contracts Report performance to CCG staff and council members Manage contracts Manage performance metrics

Reviewing Services for Competitive Alternatives

The Council is empowered to identify, study and finally determine if a service performed by one or more state agencies may be better provided through alternate service methods, including competition with state agencies that provide the service or commercially available sources. The Council is first authorized (GC 2162.102a) to "identify... and study to determine if [services] may be better provided ... through competition." CCG administrative rules set a minimum threshold that an identified state service be commercially available through at least two private service providers within the state.

Once the Council identifies the service, CCG staff will initiate an in-depth feasibility review of the state service in consultation with affected agencies and private sector providers. In fulfilling its study responsibilities, the Council is authorized (GC 2162.102c) to require agencies that provide the service to "conduct a hearing, study, review, or cost estimate, including an agency in-house cost estimate or a management study, concerning any aspect of the service."

CCG staff will develop a recommendation regarding whether an alternate method of delivering the identified service should be pursued, and if so details on alternatives, and make these recommendations available to complete the study responsibility.

The Council may take up and consider recommendations and make a determination to move forward with initiatives. If the Council determines that an identified service may by better provided through an alternate service provider based on competition, the Council is authorized (2162.102b) to require state agencies to "engage in any process, including competitive bidding, developed by the council to select a service provider through competition with other state agency providers of the service or private commercial sources."

Performance Tracking

The CCG mission focuses on transformation and innovation in the delivery of government services. This results in awarded contracts, overseen by agencies of primary responsibility, with trackable performance measures for each.

CCG staff will develop metrics and standards in each of the guiding principle categories. Further, CCG staff will review existing contracts against existing measures that map to the appropriate categories, and will establish new measures as necessary to align to the CCG guiding principles.

Once the analysis of existing awarded contracts is complete, staff will develop an executive dashboard that gives a summary of performance of all awarded contracts, and establish appropriate update and review cycles. If Council members have questions about the performance on an individual contract, CCG staff will coordinate with the agency of primary responsibility to respond to questions.

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