Governance and public sector

We offer consulting support in the design and implementation of programs and projects in the area of public finance management (PFM). Our experts have strong expertise in the following areas: public debt management, policy-based budgeting (e.g., MTEFs and program budgeting) and performance budgeting, inter-governmental fiscal relations, budget classifications, financial control, external audit, state-owned enterprises, external scrutiny and oversight (e.g., Parliamentary control), as well as fiscal transparency and accountability of public sector institutions.

We provide needs-based training for civil servants and other stakeholders on a wide range of topics in PFM, and offer strategic advice on the formulation and implementation of fiscal policy. Our services also include the provision of tailored products to optimize the allocation and distribution of public resources (e.g., education and health care) or undertake ambitious reforms (e.g., pension system and social safety nets). Our team can also lead or support sectoral or thematic public expenditure reviews (PERs), public expenditure tracking surveys (PETS), and/or Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability (PEFA) assessments, and has significant experience and knowledge of these diagnostic assessment tools

Recognizing that public sector governance is critical to effective functioning of key economic institutions, our team offers consulting services to clients who are seeking to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of public sector institutions and business processes. We offer assessment of public sector systems (e.g., tax administration system or human resource management), and support the design and implementation of various elements of public administration reform (e.g., revenue administration, civil service and wage reform, public procurement systems, and others), including electronic governance.

We carry out functional reviews of public and quasi-public institutions (e.g., ministries and agencies, state-owned enterprises or sub-national governments). Our services also include leading or supporting political economy assessments of sectors and themes to inform policy or project interventions.

We encourage the executive and legislative branches of governments in host countries to become more open, transparent and accountable to their citizens (i.e. to taxpayers and constituents). We do this by providing advice and leading processes which contribute to the development of e-governance solutions and web-based access of the public to fiscal and financial information. We can also support or lead the implementation of projects targeting improvements in the Parliamentary oversight and control of the budget process. We can also provide technical and policy advice to supreme audit institutions (or chambers of accounts), aiming to improve the national external audit system.

Our products include citizens' budgets, fiscal performance reports, and inter-agency flow of information within the public sector. We can also facilitate processes which encourage greater transparency at industry level, such as the Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative (EITI) and Open Budget Initiative. We are open for partnership and joint delivery of work with academic and research institutions, and other stakeholders.