Shared Services Canada Five-Year Departmental Evaluation Plan 2022-23 to 2026-27

Deputy Head Confirmation Note for All Departments

I approve the Departmental Evaluation Plan of Shared Services Canada for the fiscal years 2022-23 to 2026-27, which I submit to the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat as required by the Policy on Results.

I confirm that this five-year rolling Departmental Evaluation Plan:

• Plans for evaluation of all ongoing programs of grants and contributions with five-year average actual expenditures of $5 million or greater per year at least once every five years, in fulfillment of the requirements of subsection 42.1 of the Financial Administration Act,
• Meets the requirements of the Mandatory Procedures for Evaluation, and
• Supports the requirements of the expenditure management system including, as applicable, Memoranda to Cabinet, Treasury Board submissions, and resource alignment reviews.

I will ensure that this plan is updated annually, and I will provide information about its implementation to the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, as required.

Context and Background

Purpose and Governmental Priorities

Purpose

This document presents Shared Services Canada’s Departmental Evaluation Plan. The Plan is an information and management tool that reflects the results of the department’s annual evaluation planning exercise. The Plan identifies evaluations for the next five years and the resourcing of the evaluation function.

The scope and content of this plan are consistent with the requirements of the Treasury Board of Canada Policy on Results.

Government of Canada Context

Evaluation is a priority of the Government of Canada. Specifically, the President of the Treasury Board has been charged with instilling a culture of evaluation, measurement and evidence-based decisions across departments for program and policy design and delivery.

The December 2021 mandate letters directed all departments to draw on lessons learned from the pandemic to further adapt and develop more agile and effective ways to serve Canadians. The SSC evaluation of its COVID-19 response will help the department meet this commitment.

In the 2022 budget, the Minister of Finance stated the importance of maintaining a decreasing debt-to-Gross Domestic Product ratio and paying down the debt that was incurred to keep Canadians safe from COVID. Consequently, a review to reduce government spending will take place.

SSC evaluations will support the department in this Strategic Policy Review. The evaluations will provide information to verify SSC’s Program relevance and effectiveness. The analysis of efficiency will identify opportunities to improve processes and reallocate resources to adapt government programs and operations to the post-pandemic reality.

Evaluation Framework

Requirements of the Policy on Results

The Policy on Results requires that deputy heads annually approve a five-year evaluation plan and provide it to the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (Section 4.3.15). The Plan should include:

• A detailed schedule of planned evaluations.
• The extent of evaluation coverage of the Program Inventory, by amount of organizational spending and by program of the Program Inventory.
• The extent of organizational spending and programs that will not be evaluated in the planning period, and justification (i.e. What has been excluded from the five-year schedule and why).
• Advice to the deputy heads on the adequacy of resources for evaluation.

Gender-Based Analysis Plus (GBA+)

Evaluation offers an opportunity to examine considerations related to gender and other intersecting identity factors. Shared Services Canada is committed to improving the integration of GBA+ into its evaluation processes.

Governance

The Performance Measurement and Evaluation Committee

The Policy on Results calls for deputy heads to establish and chair a Performance Measurement and Evaluation Committee (PMEC) of senior officials. At SSC, the PMEC responsibilities are carried out by the Executive Oversight Board (EOB), which is chaired by the President.

PMEC aims to strengthen the planning, coordination and use of performance measurement and evaluation within SSC, as well as to ensure appropriate resourcing of these functions.

The Policy on Results requires PMEC to:

• Review and advise the deputy head on the establishment, maintenance and implementation of the Departmental Results Framework (DRF), Program Inventory (PI), and Performance Information Profiles (PIPs).
• Review and advise the deputy head on availability, quality, utility and use of performance information including evaluation.
• Review and advise the deputy head on departmental evaluation planning, resources and activities, including recommending approval of the departmental evaluation plan.
• Review evaluation reports and summaries, including management responses and action plans, and recommend their approval to the deputy head.
• Review and advise the deputy head on the neutral assessment of the evaluation function.
• Monitor follow-up on evaluation recommendations and action plans and advise the deputy head of any issues.

The Evaluation Function

Evaluation at Shared Services Canada

The Office of Audit and Evaluation (OAE) is a key provider of reasonable assurance and advice on departmental operations to the President SSC.

Reporting directly to the President, the Chief Audit and Evaluation Executive (CAEE) makes recommendations on the relevance and performance of departmental programs, policies, and initiatives through the OAE evaluation function. The CAEE is also the designated departmental Head of Evaluation and represents the departmental link to TBS for evaluation.

Resources

SSC will continue to grow a capability to meet evolving needs. The OAE evaluation function will be resourced for 16 full-time equivalent (FTE) positions and an overall annual budget of $1.91M by the end of 2022-23.

Resources for Fiscal Year 2022-23

Salary	Operations and Maintenance	Total
$ 1.62 M	$ 0.29 M	$ 1.91 M

Positions (as of April 2022)

	EX-01	AS-01	EC-07	EC-06	EC-05	EC-04	total
Establishment	1	1	2	4	4	4	16
Filled	1	0	1	4	2	3	11

Evaluations in Progress

OAE is presently working on two evaluations: SSC’S COVID Response, and Mobile Devices and Fixed Lines.

The evaluation of SSC’S COVID Response is scheduled for completion in the second quarter of 2022-23. As the department responsible for delivering digital services, SSC played a vital role in supporting federal departments and agencies in providing critical services to Canadians. The evaluation is assessing:

• SSC’s responsiveness in meeting the urgent demands of the COVID-19 pandemic
• The effectiveness and the sustainability of the actions taken by SSC in the COVID-19 response
• The opportunities to improve efficiency.

The Mobile Devices and Fixed Lines evaluation focuses on providing insights on relevance and responsiveness, effectiveness and efficiency of the components of the Telecommunications Program, which is primarily responsible for providing and modernizing voice services in the GC workplace.

Evaluation Name	Strategy to EOB (PMEC)	President Approval (Report)
SSC’s COVID Response	July 2021	September 2022
Mobile Devices and Fixed Lines	January 2022	November 2022

Evaluation Planning

Key Planning Considerations

The selection and sequencing of the evaluations was driven by:

• The need to address all policy requirements
• The need to review significant spending that has never been evaluated
• Programs with key initiatives supporting SSC 3.0 strategic priorities
• The maturity of Programs
• Customer Satisfaction Feedback Initiative (CSFI) scores
• Prioritization of evaluations to inform decisionmaking on funding renewals
• Prioritization of evaluations that focus on externallyfacing outcomes supporting partner departments and clients
• The allocation for evaluations of Internal Service programs

The Evaluation Planning Process

The Departmental Evaluation Plan is based on analysis and consultations conducted during the Winter of 2022. This included:

• Document review: The review of various sources of information to identify any mandatory evaluation requirements and assess coverage of the Program Inventory. Key documents included the last approved 5-Year Plan, Performance Information Profiles, Service Reviews, planned memoranda to Cabinet and Treasury Board submissions, etc.
• Consultations with Branches: All twelve SSC branches were consulted to review the timing and scope of proposed evaluations, and to confirm their usefulness and value.
• Coordination with Internal Audit. The plan is coordinated with the Risk-Based Audit Plan (RBAP) for Internal Audit engagements to reduce the burden placed on Branches due to oversight activities.
• Consultation with the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat. In accordance with the Policy on Results, the Head of Evaluation has consulted with TBS.

SSC Program Inventory and Components

Long Description

Cloud ($6.5M)

• Cloud services

Data Centre Information Technology Operations ($724.1M)

• Enterprise operations
• Linux/ Unix
• Windows and virtualization
• Integrated high performance computing
• Mainframe and bulk print management
• Platform services
• Storage, backup and file services
• Facilities management

Telecommunications ($393.6M)

• Conferencing services
• Contact centre infrastructure services
• Toll-free voice
• Mobile devices and fixed-line phones

Security ($290.8M)

• Security management and governance
• Secret infrastructure
• Infrastructure security

Enterprise Services Design and Delivery ($418.5M)

• Architecture
• Science program
• Service management
• Partner engagement

Networks ($406.6M)

• Local area network (LAN)
• Wide area network (WAN)
• Satellite
• Internet

Workplace Technologies ($131.5M)

• Email services
• Digital communications and collaboration
• Workplace technology software provisioning
• Workplace technology hardware provisioning
• Workplace technology services

Evaluation Coverage Over Next Five Years

Planned Coverage

The Policy on Results introduced the requirement for a Program Inventory, which contains the entire list of programs in the Department. The Program Inventory helps demonstrate how the Department delivers on its mandate, supports the authorization of expenditures through Cabinet, and supports performance reporting.

The Program Inventory represents the entire evaluation portfolio. The Policy on Results requires all programs and planned spending in the Program Inventory (except for internal services) to be evaluated periodically.

The Evaluation team plans to deliver 14 evaluations over the next five years, representing all seven programs in the SSC Program Inventory. This represents 100% of policy coverage requirements.

Internal services are essential to the department’s success as key enablers of SSC 3.0, thus one is included for evaluation.

Advisory Services

The evaluation team will also provide advice and assistance for the Police Infrastructure Operations (PIO) Review and the conduct of service reviews by the Operations Management Branch (OMB).

Programs Excluded from the Planned Coverage Calculation

At the program level, there are no excluded operational programs.

Some SSC programs are significant in size and will require more than one evaluation. As a result, the Plan reflects a calibrated approach based on value for decision-making. This means that some of the planned spending associated with specific components within programs may be evaluated in future years.

Appendix 1 – Five-Year Evaluation Schedule

Year1	Evaluation Name	Link to Program Inventory	Branch	Strategy2 to EOB (PMEC)	President Approval
2022-23	SSC’s COVID Response	All	All	July 21	Sep 22
	Mobile Devices and Fixed Lines	Telecommunications	DSB	Jan 22	Nov 22
2023-24	Data Centres	Data Centre IT Operations	DCSB	Nov 22	Sept 23
	Cloud Services	Cloud	CTOB	Nov 22	Oct 23
	Networks	Networks	NSSB	Feb 23	Dec 23
2024-25	Digital Communications and Collaboration	Workplace Technologies	DSB	May 23	Apr 24
	Service Management	Enterprise Services Design and Delivery	OMB	Dec 23	Oct 24
	Science Program	Enterprise Services Design and Delivery	CTOB	Apr 24	Jan 25
2025-26	Security	Security	NSSB / CTOB	May 24	Apr 25
	Enterprise Service Model	Enterprise Services Design and Delivery	OMB	Oct 24	Aug 25
	Workplace Technology Provisioning and Services	Workplace Technologies	DSB	Apr 25	Feb 26
2026-27	Conferencing Services and Toll-Free Voice	Telecommunications	DSB	Jun 25	Apr 26
	Hosting Platforms and Services	Data Centre Information Technology Operations	DCSB	Oct 25	Jul 26
	Evaluation of an Internal Service: TBD	Internal Services	TBD	Jan 26	Nov 26

Appendix 2 – Examples of Program Evaluation Questions

SSC evaluations will incorporate recent international trends in evaluation and best practices. They can also examine alignment with government priorities and Enterprise 3.0.

• Relevance is the extent to which a program addresses and is responsive to a demonstrable need. For SSC, the focus will be on the extent to which the objectives and design of a program respond to the needs of partner departments and continues to do so as circumstances change.
  1. To what extent has the program responded to changing client needs and priorities?
  2. Is the program aligned with emerging technology trends and best practices?
• Alignment is a component of relevance and it assesses the linkages between objectives and government priorities.
  3. To what extent has the program streamlined and moved towards an enterprise approach?
  4. Is there an effective process in place to guide SSC prioritization of work with clients?
• Effectiveness examines the impacts of a program and the extent to which it is achieving its expected outcomes. The focus is on immediate and intermediate outcomes, i.e. the “so what”?
  5. Has the program achieved the desired outcomes (e.g. reducing risk, achieving outcomes for clients, and other benefits from modernization)?
  6. Are there any unexpected outcomes (desired or not)?
• Efficiency is the assessment of resource utilization in relation to the production of outputs and outcomes.
  7. What are the opportunities to improve efficiency?
  8. What are the innovative practices that have been implemented by SSC to modernize programs?

Appendix 3 – List of Acronyms

CTOB	Chief Technology Officer Branch
DCSB	Data Centre Services Branch
DSB	Digital Services Branch
CAEE	Chief Audit and Evaluation Executive
EOB	Executive Oversight Board
FY	Fiscal Year
GBA+	Gender-Based Analysis plus
IT	Information Technology
NSSB	Networks and Security Services Branch
PIO	Policing Infrastructure Operations
PMEC	Performance Measurement and Evaluation Committee
OAE	Office of Audit and Evaluation
OMB	Operations Management Branch
SSC	Shared Services Canada
TBD	To be determined