Outstanding Honors & Awards – Review and Selection Process

The Customer Service Quality Assurance Unit (CSQAU) of the Ministry of the Public Service administers the Outstanding Honors & Awards as part of its Public Service Day and Awards Program, however selection of winners is assigned to an independent Selection Committee, approved by the CEO of the Ministry of the Public Service and includes members of Public Sector, Private Sector and Civil Society, including a chairperson.  The Chairperson of the Public Services Commission serves as a non-voting member and votes only in the event of breaking a tie.

The committee chair may serve a one- to three-year term. Recommendations for a new chair may be made by the Awards Selection Committee via the outgoing chair.

The Supervisor of Quality Assurance is responsible for recruiting a slate of new members each year, which is approved by the Chief Executive Officer of the Ministry of the Public Service.

Membership terms are typically two years, staggered so that a portion of the membership rotates off the committee periodically. The membership will typically be 5 to 7 individuals who volunteer their time and expertise to support the Awards Program.  The membership may be increased as new awards are added.

The review and selection process takes place in two stages. 

Stage 1

The CSQAU reviews all nominations to make sure that eligibility requirements are met.

The process typically include individual review of each nomination based on the pre-set criteria.  A shortlist of all nominations meeting the base criteria is then generated, and the information within the nomination submissions are validated.

Stage 2

For the second stage, the SQA forwards the names of the eligible nomination to all members of the Awards Selection Committee, along with the original nomination submissions and all supporting documentations.

Each member then reviews the nominations and forward their vote to the chair. A vote of “no acceptable candidate” is also allowed. An award recipient will be recommended only if a majority of the voting members (including those voting “no acceptable candidate”) select one of the nominees.

• The committee will score each nomination based on but not limited to the outlined criteria
• Each member including the Chair of the Committee, will score nominations individually
• The Chairman of the Public Service Commission is a non-voting member (who votes only in the event of breaking a tie). Where the Chairperson of the Commission needs to break a tie and is also serving as chair of the committee, he/she shall make two scores or ranking
• The Chairperson of the Selection Committee may decide for votes to be forwarded to him or for a meeting to be convened for discussion and selection. Where a physical meeting is not held, a video or teleconference is encouraged and may be facilitated by the SQA.

• The selection committee may decide to incorporate further verification visits or calls
• There can only be one winner in each category
• The determination of who should receive an award for any award category rests with the selection committee.
• The selection committee may also decide that there would be no winner in a particular category.

The evaluation instrument aims to eliminate possible subjectivity from one member having a notable impact on the final scoring.

Announcement of Results

Once the results have been tabulated, the CSQAU will advise each nominator whether their proposal was successful. The CSQAU will also contact the selected award winners, and provide them with information on the awards ceremony and related arrangements.

The CSQAU  and the Outstanding Honors & Awards Committee members will not share details of the nominations, or why a particular nomination was unsuccessful.