Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Harper gov't hires $90,000-a-day consultant to trim federal spending
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BC Mary comment: Fearing you will not believe it until you see it with your own eyes, I have posted the complete article:
The Harper government is paying a high-powered management consultant firm almost $90,000 a day for advice on how to save money.
Deloitte Inc. was hired on Aug. 15 on a $19.8-million contract to advise the federal cabinet and senior officials on finding enough savings to balance the books by 2014.
The contract, which runs until March 31, is to advise "senior and elected officials on public and private sector best practices in improving productivity and achieving operational efficiencies." There is also an option for a one-year extension.
The federal government invited a select group of 20 "pre-qualified" firms to bid on the work on July 11, rather than use a fully open tendering process. Documents describing the work required were supplied directly to the invited bidders, rather than posted on a tendering website for anyone to see.
The Canadian Press obtained a copy of the so-called "statement of work" under the Access to Information Act.
Deloitte will advise the government on the Strategic and Operating Review, a year-long exercise announced in the March 22 budget that will eventually trim $4 billion from $80 billion in annual program spending.
Tony Clement, Treasury Board president, has asked 67 departments and agencies to submit two scenarios this fall, one with cuts of five per cent, another with cuts of 10 per cent.
A nine-person committee headed by Clement will vet the proposals, and the results will become part of Finance Minister Jim Flaherty's spring budget. Clement has said that transfer payments to individuals and the provinces will not be touched.
To date, the government has provided only minimal information about the timelines and process.
Deloitte's final reports are due to be delivered in February next year, suggesting the spring budget is to be released in March, the traditional time frame.
The firm provided training sessions for officials over the last month, as well as management tools to help the committee review the spending-cut proposals expected in October from more than five dozen departments and agencies.
The contract also calls for advice on consolidating the government's far-flung data centres, a centrepiece of the current belt-tightening exercise.
The government has already paid PriceWaterhouseCoopers a $2.5-million fee for advice on how to reduce 308 data centres to about 20.
Deloitte must also provide an information specialist to advise on "disposing of information," and "co-ordinating Access to Information and Privacy Act requirements." The expert will also be "responsible for the efficient and systematic control of the creation, receipt, maintenance, use and disposition of records."
A spokeswoman for Clement defended the contract, saying Ottawa needs the best advice available for reducing costs.
"Engaging private sector advisers who have been successful with cost-saving operational reviews will better enable ministers and deputy heads not only to compile their individual cost-savings proposals but also to provide practical advice on what to look for and how to execute their plans," press secretary Heather Hume said in an email.
"As always, our government is committed to maintaining an open, fair and transparent procurement process while obtaining the best possible value for Canadians."
Hume declined to respond to further questions about the review, saying they are "cabinet processes."
Other firms invited to bid on the $20-million contract included Ernst & Young, IBM Canada, Bell Canada and Accenture Inc.
Source: The Canadian Press - Sept. 20, 2011
http://thetyee.ca/Blogs/TheHook/Federal-Politics/2011/09/20/Harper-govt-hires-90000-consultant-trim-spending/
And this, from The Globe and Mail:
Flaherty defends $90,000. a day advice
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/ottawa-notebook/flaherty-defends-90000-a-day-advice-on-cutting-public-service/article2173556/
Shocking update below!
The Harper government is paying a high-powered management consultant firm almost $90,000 a day for advice on how to save money.
Deloitte Inc. was hired on Aug. 15 on a $19.8-million contract to advise the federal cabinet and senior officials on finding enough savings to balance the books by 2014.
The contract, which runs until March 31, is to advise "senior and elected officials on public and private sector best practices in improving productivity and achieving operational efficiencies." There is also an option for a one-year extension.
The federal government invited a select group of 20 "pre-qualified" firms to bid on the work on July 11, rather than use a fully open tendering process. Documents describing the work required were supplied directly to the invited bidders, rather than posted on a tendering website for anyone to see.
The Canadian Press obtained a copy of the so-called "statement of work" under the Access to Information Act.
Deloitte will advise the government on the Strategic and Operating Review, a year-long exercise announced in the March 22 budget that will eventually trim $4 billion from $80 billion in annual program spending.
Tony Clement, Treasury Board president, has asked 67 departments and agencies to submit two scenarios this fall, one with cuts of five per cent, another with cuts of 10 per cent.
A nine-person committee headed by Clement will vet the proposals, and the results will become part of Finance Minister Jim Flaherty's spring budget. Clement has said that transfer payments to individuals and the provinces will not be touched.
To date, the government has provided only minimal information about the timelines and process.
Deloitte's final reports are due to be delivered in February next year, suggesting the spring budget is to be released in March, the traditional time frame.
The firm provided training sessions for officials over the last month, as well as management tools to help the committee review the spending-cut proposals expected in October from more than five dozen departments and agencies.
The contract also calls for advice on consolidating the government's far-flung data centres, a centrepiece of the current belt-tightening exercise.
The government has already paid PriceWaterhouseCoopers a $2.5-million fee for advice on how to reduce 308 data centres to about 20.
Deloitte must also provide an information specialist to advise on "disposing of information," and "co-ordinating Access to Information and Privacy Act requirements." The expert will also be "responsible for the efficient and systematic control of the creation, receipt, maintenance, use and disposition of records."
A spokeswoman for Clement defended the contract, saying Ottawa needs the best advice available for reducing costs.
"Engaging private sector advisers who have been successful with cost-saving operational reviews will better enable ministers and deputy heads not only to compile their individual cost-savings proposals but also to provide practical advice on what to look for and how to execute their plans," press secretary Heather Hume said in an email.
"As always, our government is committed to maintaining an open, fair and transparent procurement process while obtaining the best possible value for Canadians."
Hume declined to respond to further questions about the review, saying they are "cabinet processes."
Other firms invited to bid on the $20-million contract included Ernst & Young, IBM Canada, Bell Canada and Accenture Inc.
Source: The Canadian Press - Sept. 20, 2011
http://thetyee.ca/Blogs/TheHook/Federal-Politics/2011/09/20/Harper-govt-hires-90000-consultant-trim-spending/
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And this, from The Globe and Mail:
Flaherty defends $90,000. a day advice
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/ottawa-notebook/flaherty-defends-90000-a-day-advice-on-cutting-public-service/article2173556/
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And good grief, why did the Harper Government choose Deloitte? See:
Auditing in China
Chinese stall
A dreadful choice: whether to annoy America or China
Sep 17th 2011 | New york | The Economist
THE Shanghai affiliate of Deloitte, one of the Big Four global accounting firms, used to be the auditor of Longtop, a Chinese financial-software company. After signing off Longtop’s financial statements for several years, the firm smelled trouble during its audit for the financial year that ended in March. Its subsequent questions did not go down well at Longtop, which seized some of Deloitte’s papers and threatened to keep Deloitte staff from leaving company premises. Deloitte quit as auditor, and Longtop’s shares ended up being delisted from the New York Stock Exchange in August ....
Continue reading HERE:
http://www.economist.com/node/21529084
Not to be missed, this comment from Canadian Canary:
"Deloitte must also provide an information specialist to advise on "disposing of information," and..."
Is the Harper regime planning to emulate the Campbell regime by making government communications vanish? (Like what happened to the 2,000 or so BC government emails that mysteriously evaporated from government servers shortly after they were being requested in the Basi-Virk case.)
Two points on this issue:
1. The government is mandated by law not to destroy (or lose) documents, emails included.
2. Everyone knows that you can't erase anything on a computer, especially emails. Police routinely seize, search and find lots of material that people thought they'd deleted. So how come the government gets away with this "dog ate my homework" excuse?
Is Little Stephie Wonder planning to hide his crimes from the citizens of Canada while getting "tough" on small potatoes crimes?
If Bev Yoda, the lying cabinet minister is any example of how Little Stephie is planning to run the show, you betcha!
"Deloitte must also provide an information specialist to advise on "disposing of information," and..."
Is the Harper regime planning to emulate the Campbell regime by making government communications vanish? (Like what happened to the 2,000 or so BC government emails that mysteriously evaporated from government servers shortly after they were being requested in the Basi-Virk case.)
Two points on this issue:
1. The government is mandated by law not to destroy (or lose) documents, emails included.
2. Everyone knows that you can't erase anything on a computer, especially emails. Police routinely seize, search and find lots of material that people thought they'd deleted. So how come the government gets away with this "dog ate my homework" excuse?
Is Little Stephie Wonder planning to hide his crimes from the citizens of Canada while getting "tough" on small potatoes crimes?
If Bev Yoda, the lying cabinet minister is any example of how Little Stephie is planning to run the show, you betcha!
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
And good grief, why did the Harper Government choose Deloitte? See:
Auditing in China
Chinese stall
A dreadful choice: whether to annoy America or China
Sep 17th 2011 | New york | The Economist
THE Shanghai affiliate of Deloitte, one of the Big Four global accounting firms, used to be the auditor of Longtop, a Chinese financial-software company. After signing off Longtop’s financial statements for several years, the firm smelled trouble during its audit for the financial year that ended in March. Its subsequent questions did not go down well at Longtop, which seized some of Deloitte’s papers and threatened to keep Deloitte staff from leaving company premises. Deloitte quit as auditor, and Longtop’s shares ended up being delisted from the New York Stock Exchange in August ....
Continue reading HERE:
http://www.economist.com/node/21529084
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Shocking update:
It gets worse: tipped by Allison at Creekside:
Ottawa spending billions on consultants
CBC News - Note the date: Dec. 6, 2010
Excerpt:
... "I've been in environments where there are 80 consultants and 10 staff or 20 staff and we outnumber them and that's a very different experience from when you're the two or three token consultants," said Gordon Martin, a senior analyst and technical architect who is one of the thousands of people who works as a contractor for the government.
The whole shocking story is HERE:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2010/12/04/consultants-union.html
It gets worse: tipped by Allison at Creekside:
Ottawa spending billions on consultants
CBC News - Note the date: Dec. 6, 2010
Excerpt:
... "I've been in environments where there are 80 consultants and 10 staff or 20 staff and we outnumber them and that's a very different experience from when you're the two or three token consultants," said Gordon Martin, a senior analyst and technical architect who is one of the thousands of people who works as a contractor for the government.
The whole shocking story is HERE:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2010/12/04/consultants-union.html
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Comments:
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How much has Deloitte Inc. or management donated to Harper's party? Anyone know?
Burgess
Burgess
# posted by 
: September 20, 2011 at 8:00 p.m.
: September 20, 2011 at 8:00 p.m.
"Deloitte must also provide an information specialist to advise on "disposing of information," and..."
Is the Harper regime planning to emulate the Campbell regime by making government communications vanish? (Like what happened to the 2,000 or so BC government emails that mysteriously evaporated from government servers shortly after they were being requested in the Basi-Virk case.)
Two points on this issue:
1. The government is mandated by law not to destroy (or lose) documents, emails included.
2. Everyone knows that you can't erase anything on a computer, especially emails. Police routinely seize, search and find lots of material that people thought they'd deleted. So how come the government gets away with this "dog ate my homework" excuse?
Is Little Stephie Wonder planning to hide his crimes from the citizens of Canada while getting "tough" on small potatoes crimes?
If Bev Yoda, the lying cabinet minister is any example of how Little Stephie is planning to run the show, you betcha!
Is the Harper regime planning to emulate the Campbell regime by making government communications vanish? (Like what happened to the 2,000 or so BC government emails that mysteriously evaporated from government servers shortly after they were being requested in the Basi-Virk case.)
Two points on this issue:
1. The government is mandated by law not to destroy (or lose) documents, emails included.
2. Everyone knows that you can't erase anything on a computer, especially emails. Police routinely seize, search and find lots of material that people thought they'd deleted. So how come the government gets away with this "dog ate my homework" excuse?
Is Little Stephie Wonder planning to hide his crimes from the citizens of Canada while getting "tough" on small potatoes crimes?
If Bev Yoda, the lying cabinet minister is any example of how Little Stephie is planning to run the show, you betcha!
# posted by : September 20, 2011 at 9:34 p.m.
: September 20, 2011 at 9:34 p.m.
The irony of the contract is not lost on anyone. $90,000 a day on how to save money? It would be hilarious if it wasn't so pitiful. There's 100's of thousands of families that could use a little of that money on a daily basis and it would go to the good of the country and not into a few bottom lines.
# posted by : September 21, 2011 at 6:45 a.m.
: September 21, 2011 at 6:45 a.m.
Any political party with integrity could denounce this Harper Gang simply using their words as a campaign slogan:
Harper thinks spending $90,000. a day saves money
As for the Deputy Ministers who sit idly by while Deloitte does their work, the Deputy Ministers will be paid a bonus for good performance.
Gangster Government.
.
Harper thinks spending $90,000. a day saves money
As for the Deputy Ministers who sit idly by while Deloitte does their work, the Deputy Ministers will be paid a bonus for good performance.
Gangster Government.
.
@Anonymous 8:00
I asked that same question on HuffPost and got shot back at by a resident Tory shill there:
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/social/Skookum1/harper-budget-cost-cuts-deloitte_n_971187_108815744.html
The necessary response is "so what?" How many senior members of Deloitte - and junior members trying to please the bosses - kick into the Tory kitty? How many are Conservative Party members? How many $500/plate "dinners" and such has Deloitte and its staff picked upa f ew tables at?
The right complain about union donations, but everyone knows that corporate donations are laundered in all kinds of ways.
I haven't bothered to reply yet, I may tonight; arguing with trolls is time-consuming and a waste of time, especially those who pull the "get over it" crap like below, where he also shot at me over Contempt of Parliament:
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/social/Skookum1/canada-parliament-resumes-conservative-agenda-harper-tories_n_968977_108639605.html
Post a Comment
I asked that same question on HuffPost and got shot back at by a resident Tory shill there:
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/social/Skookum1/harper-budget-cost-cuts-deloitte_n_971187_108815744.html
The necessary response is "so what?" How many senior members of Deloitte - and junior members trying to please the bosses - kick into the Tory kitty? How many are Conservative Party members? How many $500/plate "dinners" and such has Deloitte and its staff picked upa f ew tables at?
The right complain about union donations, but everyone knows that corporate donations are laundered in all kinds of ways.
I haven't bothered to reply yet, I may tonight; arguing with trolls is time-consuming and a waste of time, especially those who pull the "get over it" crap like below, where he also shot at me over Contempt of Parliament:
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/social/Skookum1/canada-parliament-resumes-conservative-agenda-harper-tories_n_968977_108639605.html
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