John Peters

Red Tape to Red Carpet

Red Tape Reduction Conference 2014

John Peters

RTR in perspective …

• National Development Plan (NDP) Reducing the cost of regulatory compliance for small and medium- sized businesses.

• Medium Term Strategic Framework Increased engagement between business and government to better understand what is required to unlock private sector investment and build trust between government and business.

• Provincial Strategic Goal 1 (PSG1) Reduce red tape to make the province an easier, better place to do business.

WESTERN CAPE RED TAPE TO RED CARPET

Looking back.. What we’ve

achieved Looking forward..

What we are planning

• Established latter part of 2011

Looking back.. Achievements in 8 areas

Area 1: General

Red tape &

business support

enquiries Business support & red tape:

Call centre, 20 access points

& partnership network (e.g.

SEDA, The Business Place)

Before: No central access point to

raise red tape-related issues &

business support

After:

• Dedicated business support

helpline & network of support

SARS/DHA/DoL: Established

relationship with selected

national government depts.

Before: Limited recourse when dealing

with departments.

After: Individual cases actioned and

followed up.


Area 2: Business

registration

Hands-on support at 20

access points across

province

Before: Fragmented support to SMEs

regarding business registration

After: Easy access to business

registration support – both

geographically & hands-on

assistance

Commitment by CIPC to

certain processing times

and all WC enquiries to be

escalated and settled by

Call Centre

Before: Long and indefinite processing

times

After: Agreed processing timelines for

at least 90% of applications:

• WC queries escalated promptly


Area 3:

Provincial

Procurement

Commenced the process

of overhauling the

procurement process

Before: Multiple registrations - 13

departments; cost to subscribe; No

electronic submissions

After:

• Easier and more convenient

registration and applications -

once-off registration and electronic

submission of quotations

• Scrapping of costs to subscribe –

saving of >R5000 pa for an SME

• Implementation of Integrated

Procurement Solution which allows

electronic submission.

Hands on support through

20 access points and

campaign to encourage

registration and

dedicated procurement

portal

Before: Limited procurement

assistance and fragmented points of

assistance

After: Once-stop shop portal


Area 4:

Planning & Land

Use

Introduction of service

standards (score cards)

Before: Limited commitment to

sticking to declared standards

After:

• Municipalities are processing

(compliant) plans in shorter

timeframes

• City of Cape Town commitment:

To process 80% of plans <500m2

within 30 days and those >500m2

within 60 days

Overhauling of systems:

• Improving technology

• Repeal of obsolete

policies

• On-line viewing of

zoning regulations

• Withdrawal of provincial

guide plans

Before: Submission of applications

(plans) in person and hard copy

After:

• CoCT allows electronic submission

of plans (since 1 Apr 2014)

• Quicker processing time – Fewer

policies to consult


Area 5:

Environment &

Land

Management

Major initiatives and

projects by DEADP to

improve processing time

and increase

predictability including:

• Adoption of

environmental

management

frameworks

• Development of

standards, easing EIAs

Before: Focus on application of

regulations

After: Attention to easing

compliance with regulations and

improving predictability

• No EIAs required for aquaculture,

poultry & ostrich farming where

standards are complied with

• EIAs only required for very sensitive

areas or > 100ha and earmarked

for agriculture and afforestation

• Establishment of

Development

Facilitation Unit (DFU) in

DEADP

• Approval of CoCT SDF

• Replacement of various

zoning schemes

Before: No dedicated unit assisting

with development applications;

limited spatial predictability ; various

zoning schemes within a municipality

After:

• Hands-on support to development

projects and improved guidance

• Improved spatial predictability &

less uncertainty wrt development

planning


Area 6:

Provincial Red

Tape Challenge

Before

• Launched the inaugural Red

Tape Challenge during the

2013/2014 financial year -

limited to 5 provincial

departments.

• Increased awareness and

commitment within the WCG

to reduce red tape to business.

Before: No dedicated

initiative calling on WCG

officials to proactively take

steps to reduce red tape to

business.

After:

Red tape reduction

ideologies have been

embedded in the minds of

WCG officials in departments

rendering business-facing

services


Area 7:

Municipal

Support

• SOP gaps now being filled in

municipalities

• Process times being optimised (e.g.

reductions in approval period for

building works under 500m2)

• Extensive business surveys in Cape

Winelands, Eden and West Coast

Districts to identify priority issues for

business

• Increased awareness of the need

for red tape reduction among

municipalities

Hands on assistance to the

municipalities of Eden, West

Coast and Cape Winelands to

reduce red tape


Area 8:

Enterprise and

entrepreneurship support

• Improved and more convenient

access to opportunities – financial

and non-financial

• Being better prepared to access

procurement and finance

opportunities

Programmes and projects

addressing:

• Entrepreneurship promotion

• Procurement support

• Access to finance (e.g. cession

of payment, ED funding)

Looking forward.. Intervention areas (at national,

provincial and municipal level)

Red tape reduction

General support

Continuation of existing projects

RIA Municipal Support

Helpline

Looking forward…. Provincial & Municipal level: Red Tape Helpline intervention

Helpline intervention

Ongoing:

Close to 3 000 cases for assistance attended to since July 2011 (Almost 90% overall resolution rate. 74% resolved/closed at call centre (1st call resolution). Ongoing data analysis to determine priority areas for intervention)

OUTCOMES &

TARGETS:

1. Increased

utilisation of

Helpline by business

by 20% p.a.

Actual: 2012/13 to 2013/14

752 to 1 475

2. Resolution of at

least 80% of red

tape queries

received

Actual: 89%

Looking forward…. Provincial & Municipal level: Regulatory impact assessment

Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA)

Project 1: RIA Output/Milestones (1)Submission of RIA Guidelines and Framework at PTM (2) Institutionalisation of RIA in the WCG

OUTCOME: Reduction in new

regulations that

could negatively

impact on

business (pending

baseline

measurement).

What does RIA mean for business: New

legislation/ regulations will not be passed

unless impact on business (especially small

business) has been assessed

Looking forward…. Provincial & Municipal level: Environment and land management

Environment and Land Management

Project 1: Environment and Land Management Date of completion: March 2015

Outputs/Milestones: Implementation of 6 key interventions : adoption of environmental frameworks; identification of areas excluded from EIAs; development of standards resulting in no EIAs being required for selected farming activities; defining/adopting “urban areas” – certain EIAs not being required; defining “development setback lines” – no EIAs required behind setback lines

OUTCOME &

TARGET:

Reduction in time

and cost of EIA-

related

applications and

procedures

(pending

development of

baseline)

Looking forward…. Municipal level: Municipal Support Programme

Municipal Red Tape Reduction Project

Project : Municipal Red Tape Reduction Project Output/Milestones: All district municipal areas for improvement in business-facing services (e.g. planning, business licences, fleet

licences)

OUTCOME & TARGET:

Adoption of service

level standards across

all district municipalities

leading to 80% of

applications dealt

within standard stated

times

Looking forward…. Red Tape Reduction Portal

Red Tape Reduction Portal

Project Phase 2 of Red Tape Reduction Portal Outputs/milestones: to provide a platform for proactive

dialogue with business to address key areas of focus for red tape reduction initiatives in support of business

OUTCOME & TARGET:

A dedicated

communication

channel for business

and government.

FUTURE INITIATIVES

Cost of Red Tape Study Last study in SA

already 10 years

old (R79bn in 2004)

Provincial Support Programme

Information Portal

Regulatory Requirement Count

Direct service

delivery

improvement

Single platform for

accessing all

government

services

Modelled on

initiatives in

Canada and Austr.

FUTURE INITIATIVES

Sector Support Programme

Regulatory

improvement by

sector (e.g. film)

including

transversal issues

(e.g. immigration)

Red Tape Report Card

Enterprise & Entrepreneurship Promotion

Monitoring

government’s RTR

initiatives and

successes

Focus on youth

entrepreneurship

Some of our challenges …

• Later starters (European standards) with relentless pressure to “catch up”

• Limited influence over other spheres of government

• Limited awareness of role-players about the need to improve the business enabling environment AND the integrated effort required for economic growth

• (Selfish) Public and private sector interests and agendas

• Narrow view of red tape – legislation & regulations – and not about improving systems and communication

Looking forward…. A summary of the positive change

we hope to bring about

Have a visible response system that is

used by business where queries are

resolved

AND .. We ensure new regulation don’t

impact negatively on small SMEs

AND… support local authorities to improve turnaround times wrt

business-facing services

AND …continue to improve WCG business

processes

It will be easier, cheaper and quicker to do business in the

Western Cape

If we..

then..

Thank you

Tel: Fax:

www.westerncape.gov.za

Contact Us

John Peters Chief Director: Integrated Economic Development

Services

021 483 9417

[email protected]

021 483 4892

John Peters

Government & Nonprofit

Transcript of John Peters