No external consultants used in civil service - chief secretary

 

The civil service does not use external consultants unless there is a lack of specific expertise, said Chief Secretary to the Government Mohd Zuki Ali.

He said this is in line with the strong confidence of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in the ability of civil servants to carry out development projects and agendas instead of relying on external consultants.

“That’s why the prime minister, when we often propose to hire a consultant to carry out the task, he always said no, no, no.

“He said you, as civil servants, can perform (as consultants). So, we (civil servants) are given a role in developing the country,” he said in an interview to mark the first anniversary of the Madani government.

Zuki said the involvement of civil servants in implementing government development projects can lead to cost savings as external consultants are often paid hundreds of thousands of ringgit, especially when international consultants are engaged.

He pointed out that negotiation for development projects is handled entirely by civil servants, including drafting proposals, which is a testament to the competence of civil servants in carrying out the tasks assigned.

He said utilising internal consultants can also speed up the implementation of projects when officials from different ministries work together.

For example, upgrading SK Bandar Baru Bangi was completed in just 22 days, compared to the original estimate of almost a year.

“In the past, if you wanted to build new schools, you had to hire external consultants for the services of architects, engineers, surveyors, and so on, but now we do everything in-house, there are technical officers who are like a team of consultants from the Public Works Department itself.

“The reason for this is various procedures that are an obstacle. For example, the procurement process for upgrading dilapidated schools takes up to three months, while the school needs to be repaired quickly,” he said.

Zuki said civil servants should also be willing to undergo training to acquire knowledge and develop their skills and expertise in the areas needed for the development project.

He said the prime minister strongly encourages civil servants to pursue medium-term courses in large and successful conglomerate companies, such as through the Cross Fertilisation Programme.

“Some have already been sent to Petronas and he (Anwar) has asked that more be sent if possible. This way, future leaders will be better prepared to fulfil their responsibilities. We have to prove that by offering our services,” he said.

Save money, hasten implementation

At the same time, Zuki said utilising in-house expertise is also to avoid duplication of efforts between external consultants and employees on projects that ultimately lead to losses for the government.

He said through the Bitara Madani initiative, which utilises a government-wide approach by the Special Task Force on Agency Reform (Star), which he chairs, the implementation of smaller maintenance projects that are of interest to the people will also be expedited.

“To implement a project, for example, we have to consult 10 agencies, so why not create a one-stop centre? So here, Star is a facilitator, with all the agencies involved working together as a team, which will speed up implementation,” he said.

Zuki also said the inter-ministerial collaboration is a testament to the success of Star without utilising the services of consultants for national development.

Asked about the government’s plans for next year, he said the prime minister will focus on issues such as the maintenance of lifts, providing stalls to help locals with their businesses, providing quarters for civil servants, and clean toilets in schools.

- Bernama