April 10, 2023 1

Organizational design for service orientationService Level Agreements (SLAs)

NOTE:

1. This tool/guidance has been developed by the Global Change Management Support Team under the guidance of the Inter-Agency Task Team for Change Management. It has not been tested at the country level and there are no examples of its application from any country office at this time.

2. Expert team to implement BPR with the help of UNCT guidance

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Rationale: Service Orientation

Defining Service Level Agreements (SLAs) is intended to help define agreed upon service quality criteria and “turnaround” times for select processes, which can range from complex to simple. As such, an SLA can formalize what services are provided to a particular “client.”

Benefits of using SLAs

Using SLAs could be a useful practice for UNCTs that are:• Implementing common services and want to define service

criteria for all Agencies benefiting from common services• Promoting joint activities where possible, which are

underpinned by clear business processes (e.g. joint operations support in processing payments, hiring consultants, etc.)

Aside from operational processes, there may be additional value to establish service quality criteria for programme support activities, such as joint M&E, which could prompt internal discussion and planning around how exactly joint M&E will work.

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SLA Template

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Function / Process Service Timeframe Service Level Agreement

1. Procurement

Simple Procurement (less than US$2,500, pre-approved vendors,…)

1 Week 90% of all requests for simple procurement will be handled within one week – 10% in two weeks

Complex Procurement (greater than US$2,500, bidding process,…)

4 weeks 90% of all requests for complex procurement will be handled within 4 weeks – 10% in six weeks

2. Human Resources Contracting

Hire Short-Term Consultant 2 Weeks 80% of all requests for hiring a ST Consultant will be honored in 2 weeks – 20% in 4 weeks

Create Terms of Reference (TOR) 4 Days

100% of all requests for TORs for new consultants will be honored within four days

3. …

4. …

Steps for defining SLAs

It is recommended to link the definition of SLAs to efforts to map and re-engineer business processes, as process analysis will help paint a realistic picture of time requirements for relevant activities. Therefore, the following steps are suggested:

1. Consolidate a list of functions / business process maps and brainstorm what services are relevant to review

2. Consider all “client” groups that request these services (e.g. a joint programme, Government Ministry, etc.)

3. Refer to the SLA template to outline all activities within the functions / processes and establish realistic timeframes. Consider any benchmarks to ensure that the SLA is realistic

4. Involve “clients” in the refinement of the SLA & communicate widely

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