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WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE CHIEF MINISTER
BY THE DEPUTY OF ST. JOHN
ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON TUESDAY 8TH MARCH 2016
Question
What are the requirements set out by departments for engaging consultants and advisors to support decision making?
What limits are set within budgets for such engagement? Answer
Engaging consultants with specialist technical expertise, supported by clear terms of reference, can save money for the States of Jersey and deliver better outcomes for taxpayers.
Each department is responsible for using its own budget to deliver services in an efficient and cost effective way. There is no limit set for engaging consultants other than the overall cash limit for each department.
However there is a financial direction on Management of Consultants which all departments are required to follow. It sets out the rules for planning the engagement, specific procurement procedures, contract management, project closure and post-implementation review.
It is attached below.
Each departments also has a Scheme of Delegation which specifies the limits of an individual's authority to commit expenditure on all goods and services. This includes expenditure on consultants and advisors. It is a fundamental principle that budget holders may only commit resources within their delegated limits for individual transactions and that they may only commit expenditure to the limit of their delegated budgets. Approval routes are built into authorisation processes within the financial systems.
Financial directions are currently being reviewed in line with recommendations from the Comptroller and Auditor General and the Public Accounts Committee. Requirements for spending on consultants will be included within the new expenditure financial direction due to be issued later this year.