As other PSEs ail, NTDC nails an efficiency landmark with digitisation

LAHORE: While many public sector enterprises (PSEs) continue to be a burden on the economy because of poor management, National Transmission and Despatch Company (NTDC) has made a huge headway in streamlining its systems as well as cutting overblown expenses by undergoing a much-resisted digital transformation.

In contrast to many messed-up state companies, the tech-savvy NTDC successfully introduced tools for cost cutting and transparency on top of improving processes at managerial levels as well as simplifying complicated tasks, saving millions of rupees annually.

In a typical public sector environment, it is really difficult to encourage employees to adopt new technology within an organisation. The resistance to change is always there as it disrupts the usual comfort zone of an employee working in a government department, said senior officials of the company in an interaction.

Lack of urge, vested interests, and other barriers hamper adoption and transition to tech-based innovation. In the face of dissatisfaction, frustration and other excuses raised by employees for not sparing time to look into the future, it is the duty of the management of a company to lead the change through a vision for innovation and technology, they observed.

Zafar Abbas, Managing Director NTDC, said the company had taken several initiatives for improving efficiency and productivity of various departments with the help of digitisation of different processes.

“Despite resistance at various levels, company management gave green signal to the use of technology for introducing transparency and simplification of process with a view to cut expenditures and time,” Abbas said.

The NTDC MD said teamwork with sustained support from senior to lower level employees created ownership for new initiatives, making implementation process a success.

“The NTDC team demonstrated commitment to new systems, reinforcing adoption at different levels and despite resistance at individual levels and from some groups of employees, the adoption process finally succeeded through motivation and commitment shown by the central team,” he added.

In spite of resistance, the NTDC introduced fleet card system for fuel purchase at all levels of company. The procedure for purchase of fuel for vehicles has been revamped and company switched over to electronic Fleet Card System, which is a rare thing in public sector environment.

As many as 957 cards have been dispersed to various NTDC formations with the objective to optimise the consumption of fuel and use it to a minimum level. This initiative

has helped save millions of rupees annually.

The average consumption of fuel for the fiscal year 2017-18 was Rs23.52 million per month. However, after switching over to PSO Fleet Card, the same has been decreased to Rs18.5 million per month despite about 25 percent increase in fuel price.

Hence, the company expects a saving of Rs70 million to Rs75 million during fiscal year 2019-20, keeping in view the current fuel price. Moreover, the NTDC has developed and implemented Vehicle Management System (VMS) for maintaining online record of all the NTDC vehicles in order to monitor use of public expenditures judiciously.

Due to scarcity of space in WAPDA House, seven NTDC offices along with allied sections have been shifted to Shaheen Complex, Lahore, to adopt corporate style working. As per WAPDA yard stick about 60,000 sq-feet space was needed for the employees of these offices; however, by switching over to corporate style, the requirement of space has been reduced and the employees have been adjusted in 46,000 sq-feet space. This is expected to save Rs22 million annually. On top of saving a neat and clean environment has also been provided to the workforce and supervision of senior/middle management has increased their efficiency remarkably.

Through corporate style working, the requirement of ministerial staff has also been curtailed and the surplus staff is being adjusted in the offices/ field where the need for new recruitment is arising due to expansion of the NTDC.

For BPS-17 and above employees, the company has also successfully implemented the automated Performance Evaluation system, which ensures the timely submission and updation of Annual Confidential Reports (ACRs) and Performance Evaluation Reports.

A backlog of years has been processed with the help of online record management, ensuring updated ACRs of employees. Besides, online Pay Roll Management System of all formations of

the NTDC is being done through which the reports can now be centrally generated.

As state-of-the-art Human Resource Information System has been launched to achieve the data’s accuracy and reliability for successful usage of Promotion Management System Software. It helps in conducting regularisation/ promotion/ upgradation boards.

A new portal for issuance of transfer/ posting orders with System Generated Bar Codes has been developed and made functional to deal with the transfer/posting of Officers (BPS-17 and above) at Head Office level.

The same portal will also be introduced for dealing the transfer/posting of all employees from BPS-01 to BPS-20 throughout the NTDC. An In-house Online Portal will also be introduced for the issuance of all types of notifications and office orders.