2015 Government Performance Contract Rankings: NRA Wins Gold

The NRA has been ranked the best Government Department for the 2015 Performance Contract review by the Office of the Chief of Staff. The Authority which has twice been ranked second-best tops the rankings for the first time. It was awarded Gold in recognition of its outstanding performance in meeting set targets.

Since 2013, Government has awarded Performance Contract Awards to ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) to encourage a more performance-oriented culture in the public sector. While establishing a basis for efficiency and effectiveness in public service delivery, Performance Contracting (PC) is also part of wider efforts to institutionalise a culture of accountability, transparency and responsiveness in delivering such services. The Performance Excellence Award focuses on measured outcomes against performance specifications looking at three areas. These are the Performance Tracking Table (PTT) which assesses key policies implemented annually, Project Tracker which evaluates project implementation and Managerial Matrix which looks at financial competencies and achievements.

In the case of the NRA, the annual performance appraisal looked at major policy outcomes and achievements. They included revenue collection: the NRA met and exceeded its revenue targets for 2015, it has implemented sound policies to improve tax administration and modernisation such as the Clearing and Forwarding Regulation and the Finance Act, 2015. Strategic Management has also improved with a reduction in tax arrears, better control over revenue leakages, strengthening of internal and budgetary controls and improvement in tax compliance rate. Furthermore, concerted efforts has been made by the Commissioner-General to ensure that the performance obligations agreed upon by the Authority through the signing of the Performance Contract with the President are cascaded to all departments for a complete integration of the process.