Administration

The Administrative arm of the Department of Public Service is responsible for the processing of all matters which are submitted to the Department from the wider Public Service. It formulates policies and ensures that the various policies, regulations and proper procedures are adhered to in preparation for final decisions.

Accounts

The Accounts Section is responsible for the maintenance and monitoring of budgetary provisions. These include processing payment transactions of pensions and gratuities, travel and baggage allowances for contract officers; rental for Government accommodations and insurance coverage for Government employees such as the uniformed branches and top civil servants, adjusting and maintaining payrolls; and the purchasing and managing of supplies and materials.

Human Resource Unit

All matters pertaining to the staff of the Department of Public Service are processed in the Human Resources Unit, e.g. leave calculation, promotions, reclassification and other related subjects. This unit is also responsible for career counseling and general guidance on Public Service matters.

Pensions

The Pensions Unit is responsible for the processing of pensions, gratuities and other benefits as they relate to retirement, death and resignation.

Registry

The Registry Unit is the “hub” of the Department of Public Service, where all incoming and outgoing correspondence are recorded. This most critical and essential unit is also responsible for collecting, distributing, retrieving and disseminating all correspondence. These documents are then placed on the relevant files and tracked throughout the processing of the respective recommendations.

Special Projects and Research Unit

The Special Projects and Research Unit is responsible for networking and connectivity to the Wide Area Network (WAN), software / application management, the procurement and maintenance of hardware and peripherals, data manipulation, the generation of various reports and the overall integration of ministry / department staff with computer resources. Reports such as:

1. Salary Books
2. Seniority Listings
3. Job Type Tables
4. Minutes / Results of the Public Service Commission meetings as well as a Transfer Data Base and information on Public Officers relating to dismissals, interdiction, resignations, etc...

This unit is also responsible for the administration and coordination of the J.D. Edwards Human Resource System for all agencies and also, the training of all users. This system is one of the fundamental information technology tools used by The Research and Data Unit for Human Resources Record Management for the more than 20,000 personnel files, which represent Public Officers.

This unit is also concerned with matters pertaining to Public Sector Reform; collecting and compiling data for answers to questions originating from Cabinet Conclusions, Amendments to Acts such as the Employment Act and the Public Service Commission Regulations and all matters pertaining to Public Service Week. The Department of Public Service has recently embraced the DocuWare Business, which is an electronic document management, document imaging, record management, workflow, and archiving software. Some of the key features of the system are:

• The ability to produce electronic documents (MS Word, PowerPoint, Excel etc...) quickly.
• mail can be scanned, routed and managed more efficiently.
• Facilities to manage incoming mail and place them within the central document repository.
• Powerful search functions that enable documents to be retrieved based on any word or phrase contained in the document.
• Powerful security features enabling each document to have different read and editor access rights.
• The ability to share documents with other staff members instantly over the department's network.

Since the Department of Public Service is responsible for thousands of files, it is hoped that this system would indeed propel us forward to a more speedy, efficient and effective management of these essential records for a quicker response.

The Public Service Centre for Human Resource Development

The Public Service Training Centre was established in 1970 by The Bahamas Government. Due to the expansion of its role in 1996, the name was changed to The Public Service Centre for Human Resource Development (PSCHRD), which operates as the training arm of The Public Service to:

1. administer the Government’s In-Service Training Award Policy, in conjunction with the Advisory Committee and the Human Resource Development departments in various ministries;
2. develop training programmes for Public Officers and to promote and advise on departmental training programmes;
3. encourage heads of ministries / departments, agencies and Human Resource Development personnel in the Public Service to be committed to staff development as the guiding principle in Human Resource Management and Development, at all stages in an employee’s career, from recruitment to retirement;
4. establish adequate and appropriate training and development programmes to meet the training needs of the Service to support every employee’s effort to rise to the heights of his / her potential.

The Public Service Commission

The Public Service Commission acts as the official “watchdog” of the Public Service. It is an advisory body and endeavours to champion merit, equity and excellence in the Public Service. The Department of Public Service on the other hand, is the policy making body. It further provides the general secretariat services with respect to the actions to be taken by the Public Service Commission, under the existing regulations and in accordance with the Public Service Act.

The Team Concept

The Department of Public Service, under the supervision of the Permanent Secretary, has been divided into seven (7) teams, with each team having the oversight of a group of ministries / departments. Although the Permanent Secretary remains the Head of the Department of Public Service, the Under Secretary along with other senior officers have been given some measure of autonomy in responding to such matters that already have set statutes, policies and guidelines, thus reducing the bottleneck of the Permanent Secretary having to make all decisions; therefore quickening the response time. (e.g. special leave, extended sick and maternity leave, subsistence, rental and hardship allowances).  Additional advantages of the Team Concept are:

1. Empowering of staff members.
2. Providing direct and easy contact for Human Resource Managers when following up on recommendations.
3. Enhancing communication between the Department of Public Service and ministries / departments.
4. Providing a systemic approach to Public Service Management.