Performance and Efficiency Improvements for a Highways Department
Abstract
Spirals were commissioned to look at a Highways Maintenance Service of a County Council. The service was not performing well against national indicators and the partnership with the contractor was also not working. Spirals were asked to find the reason for the performance levels and to make recommendations for improving the partnership.
Results Achieved
- Efficiency savings of over £1.35million identified
- A pragmatic road map for improving the partnership developed
- Recommendations to re-link operational activity to strategic objectives
On January 23rd 2009 Spirals was appointed to carry out a review of a County Council’s Highways Maintenance Service. The Project Plan was agreed with the Board on 11th February 2009. The Project Plan split the Review into four Work Streams:
- Work Stream 1 – Resources
- Work Stream 2 – Project Management of Current Initiatives
- Work Stream 3 - The Relationship with May Gurney
- Work Stream 4 - Service Delivery Options
The Review was given the following objectives:
- to ensure delivery of existing agreed action plans in a co-ordinated manner
- to develop a Service Improvement Plan
- to establish the most effective and responsive deployment of the resources available for highways maintenance, in accordance with national and local priorities
- provide a sound evidence base upon which to make decisions
- to explore options for service delivery embracing innovation and sustainability
- to ensure an effective relationship with the contractor
Activity
In undertaking this work, three key types of activity were undertaken, they were:
- Desk based research - identify good practice in other areas and fully analysing the validity of the arguments given for poor performance, namely high traffic flows, a predominant clay base and a lack of hard stone quarries.
- Performance analysis - understanding the costs and performance data for the service
- Workshops / one-to-one interviews - understanding the cluture of the service and the perceptions of the partnership arrangement
Results
The final service improvement plan provided the client with a pragmatic way of maximising the value of the partnership with the contractor as well a improving performance in several key areas.
It looked at the relationship between strategy and operational activity and how to priortise key functions. It examined the project management approach used to deliver key iniatives and made practical recommendations for improving this area. It looked at the partnership model and how developing a new appraoch to the partnership could result in improved performance for the council and the contractor.
Implementation
The authority are now implementing the recommendations made. Once done they will result in improved performance for the service with potential efficiency savings of over £1.35million.