Government and public sector

The roles and expectations of governments are evolving as their challenges increase in complexity, ‎cutting across multiple economic sectors and international borders. Now more than ever, government authorities, public institutions, and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in the Middle East have a need for sound governance and innovative public sector solutions.

At Strategy&, we apply ‎proven methodologies and cutting-edge thought leadership in the public sector to enable our clients to keep ‎pace with changing social priorities and economic realities. Our partners advise public sector clients on how to achieve transformations by developing capabilities-driven strategies, defining and implementing public policy, and establishing strong public sector governance. The topics we consult on include social services, education, public health, finance and tax administration, climate change, national security, information and communications technology, and e-government.

Key trends

The roles and expectations of governments are evolving as their challenges increase in complexity, ‎cutting across multiple economic sectors as well as international borders. At Strategy&, we apply ‎proven methodologies and cutting-edge thought leadership to enable our public- sector clients to keep ‎pace with changing social priorities and economic realities. Since our first project in Saudi Arabia in ‎‎1975, in which we planned the development of the infrastructure, regulatory framework, and government ‎institutions necessary to operate two new industrial complexes, we have successfully implemented ‎hundreds of projects in the Middle East and Northern Africa regions. These projects have tackled such ‎issues as:

Economic and social planning
Trade strategy and facilitation
Government efficiency and fiscal reform
Public sector ICT (information and communications technology) and e-government.

How we help our clients

Strategy& combines international expertise and local knowledge to help public- sector clients ‎achieve important transformations. We apply our know-how, leadership, and expert functional ‎capabilities to offer clients customized, high-impact solutions. The firm’s consulting activities in the ‎public sector cover a broad range of topics:

Strategy and policy setting
Public governance and efficiency
Program management

Strategy and policy setting

Articulation of national socioeconomic development plans‎
Policy planning and social reforms in education, labor, health, and social welfare
Sector-level planning to improve the competitiveness of economic sectors‎
Development of action plans for World Trade Organization accession or negotiations
Development of special economic zones‎
Design of fiscal reforms, such as tax, customs, and subsidies reforms

Public governance and efficiency

Design of central and multitiered governance models‎
Design of public administration reform programs‎
Design of service delivery improvement programs and e-government‎
Streamlining of public administration processes and procedures‎
Design of performance monitoring and accountability enhancement programs

Program management

Deployment of public governance models and organizations‎
Implementation of policy-specific strategies‎
Management of e-government services rollout‎
Optimization of public procurement and other public shared- services operations

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Case studies

Economic planning

A government agency in a Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) country wished to establish a social and ‎economic development plan for one of the most underdeveloped regions of the country.
Strategy& developed a plan to attract investment in economic sectors that leverage the ‎region’s comparative advantages, as well as a model to improve public- service delivery to the region’s ‎local population. A governance model to manage implementation of the plan was also ‎recommended. The plan and governance model were later approved by the head of state and ‎positioned as a pilot framework to be replicated by other regions.‎

Trade strategy and facilitation

The ministry of finance of a large Middle East country retained Strategy& to design a more ‎efficient and streamlined data collection and statistical production process for its trade statistics
Strategy&’s assessment focused on five critical areas: (1) legal framework, (2) international ‎standards, (3) organizational oversight, (4) statistical processes, and (5) data models. The assessment ‎resulted in a new process that improved the timeliness and reliability of trade statistics and thus ‎increased users’ confidence.

Public-sector ICT and e-government

A government in the Middle East needed assistance with the ministry of finance’s efforts to migrate ‎from its legacy customs IT system and develop an enterprise architecture and IT blueprint. The ‎client requested the technical assistance and management expertise of Strategy&.
Strategy&’s work allowed the migration from an outdated legacy system to a new, sustainable IT ‎infrastructure that supports the organizational and operational needs of the customs service.

Social policy

The government of a Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) country retained Strategy& to assess the ‎feasibility of privatizing social services, in a drive to improve service levels and reduce the burden on ‎public finances.
Strategy& developed a market segmentation and demand projection for the various categories ‎of social services, assessed private- sector and NGO capabilities to deliver such services, and ‎examined the desired regulatory framework to ensure effective public–-private partnerships for gradual ‎privatization of the social- services sector. The plan was adopted by the minister and is ‎currently being reviewed by the highest authority for privatization in the country.

Government efficiency and fiscal reform

The ministry of finance of a large Middle East country requested an effective income tax appeal service ‎available to all taxpayers.
Strategy&’s work led to the creation of a Tax Appeals and Higher Grievances department. This ‎service operates within a clear legal, regulatory, organizational, and operational framework.