Business Support Services Agency

About the Program

Category: County Administration and Management (Best in Category)

Year: 2013

The Business Support Services Agency (BSSA) was created effective July 1, 2011. The BSSA combines all County departments that provide, primarily, an internal function: Human Resources, Public Information, Asset & Facility Management, Information Technology and Business & Financial Management. Implementation began at the start of FY12. The process was divided into 11 milestones, nine of which were fulfilled by the end of the first fiscal year. The shared service agency model has addressed inefficiencies inherent to siloed organizations by integrating functions and sharing staff and other resources across functions. This has also enabled BSSA to capitalize on opportunities to improve/expand internal support services that are necessary to run the business of County government. The intention of the shared services agency is a streamlined, flexible and proactive operation supporting and enabling the success of County departments in providing services direct to the community. The creation of BSSA did not require a reduction in force, though we have experienced some changes in job functions along with changes in multiple business processes. As we move forward, we anticipate this model will allow us to mitigate the need for additional positions as internal business support service needs increase because our processes are better designed.