We have summarized below the typical support functions found in a government agency and the activities carried out by each function.
Finance
- Financial planning, budgeting & reporting
- Financial transaction processing (e.g., accounts payable, accounts receivable)
- Travel administration
- Corporate accounting
- Financial systems support
- Financial management advisory services to managers
- Business case analysis and funding submissions
- Strategic financial advice to senior management
- Costing analysis
- Financial policy development
- Financial training
- Internal controls
Procurement
- Goods procurement
- Services procurement
- Advisory services to managers
- Supplier management
- Procurement oversight
- Warehousing and distribution
- Asset management
- Materiel/asset management systems support
- Fleet management.
Human resources management
- Staffing support
- Learning and development
- Compensation and benefit services
- Staff relations
- Organization design/ classification
- HR systems support
- Coordination of HR programs
- Health and safety
- Human resources planning, monitoring & reporting
- Succession planning
Accommodation management
- Accommodation planning
- Realty services
- Project delivery
- Engineering, design and technical services
- Property management and building operations
- Fit-ups
- Tenant services
- Physical and personal security
- Security clearances
- Business continuity planning
- Health and safety/wellness
- Ergonomics
- Telecommunications
Communications
- Strategic communications advice
- Corporate communications/ branding
- Internal communications
- Social media
- Advertising and promotion
- Writing and editing services
- Communications product coordination
- Outreach
- Ministerial/ senior management event support
- Issues and media monitoring
- Media and public relations
- Public opinion research
- Graphic design and publishing
Corporate planning and reporting
- Strategic and business planning support
- External reporting
- Performance measurement
- Promote management best practices
- Corporate risk management
- Maintain planning and reporting tools and systems
- Training in planning and reporting
Executive services
- Coordinate requests for quick turnaround information at senior levels
- Arrange meetings with senior officials and other stakeholders
- Coordinate horizontal and sensitive issues, briefings and responses
- Provide secretariat support to management committees
Access to information and privacy
- Intake and triage
- Process access to information and privacy requests
- Provide policy advice and expertise on access to information and privacy
- Training and awareness building
- Compliance reporting
Internal audit
- Audit planning and reporting
- Assurance services
- Audits of external recipients of grants and contributions
- Advisory services (e.g., controls, risk management, performance measurement)
- Secretariat to audit committee
- Liaison with central agencies/ external auditors
- Risk oversight
- Values and ethics
Information management (IM)
- IM planning
- Information and records management
- Document management technology support
- Data management
- Library services
- Information centre services
- Web site support
- Analytics
- Mail services
Information technology management
- Planning and enterprise architecture
- Client and portfolio management
- Project delivery
- Application development
- Database and data administration
- User desktop support
- Network and IT infrastructure management
- Telecommunications services (voice and data)
- IT security
- IT service management/ client support
International affairs
- International policy advice and planning
- Co-ordinate bilateral relations
- Coordinate multilateral relations in international organizations
- Develop and implement cooperation agreements
- Negotiate and sign Memorandum of Understandings (MOUs)
- Manage incoming/outgoing international ministerial or senior official visits
- Implement international projects/ initiatives
- Provide project management support
Legal services function
- Legal advisory services
- Legislative and regulatory drafting
- Litigation/ litigation support
- Legal policy development
- Legal training and awareness
- Legal program management and delivery
Ministerial and executive correspondence
- Receive and do triage of the correspondence
- Obtain input at the branch/program level
- Track the status of the response to the correspondence
- Do quality control
- Finalize the response and obtain the signature of the minister/ executive
- Respond to campaign correspondence
- Track and report on the volume of correspondence and trends
- Provide expertise and policy support with respect to emerging issues identified
Parliamentary and cabinet affairs
- Provide timely intelligence, expertise and information for legislative business, the ministers’ offices, and the deputy head’s office
- Manage the legislative process for new legislation
- Coordinate responses to questions from public office holders
- Prepare for committee appearances
- Prepare proposals for consideration by cabinet committees and cabinet
- Provide strategic and tactical advice to the organization in the development of memorandum to cabinet and other cabinet documents