Action 3.12: Finalise a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to formalise ongoing support service requirements.
Action objective: CFA and FRV support service requirements are met through an MOU that is fit for purpose.
Lead agency: CFA and FRV
| Year Two to Five Plan (November 2021) completion date | Year Two to Five Plan (updated May 2023) completion date | Agency reported status as at 30 June 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| June 2025 | June 2025 | In progress – on track |
Context
This action requires CFA and FRV to develop an MOU to formalise ongoing support service arrangements.
As outlined in the FSIM's Annual Report 2021/22, the scope of this action has evolved over time.[38] The action was initially intended to document the transition of specified functions between CFA and FRV following reform. CFA and FRV agreed to revise the scope of this action to focus on closing out as many transitional arrangements as possible and creating a new contemporary MOU for discrete corporate services.
Progress summary
Following an audit of the transitional activities listed in the original draft MOU, CFA and FRV met in August 2022 to discuss the next steps.
CFA and FRV agreed to develop an Information Sharing MOU and three separate agreements relating to ICT services, property management and fleet maintenance services.
1. Information sharing Memorandum of Understanding
CFA and FRV collaborated to prepare a draft version of the MOU in May 2023 and are progressing the draft MOU through their respective formal consultation processes.
The MOU sets out the parties’ mutual understanding of roles and responsibilities regarding information sharing for the purposes of carrying out the corporate functions that support their statutory objectives. The MOU includes two schedules - an Information Protocol that sets out the details and processes to manage information requests and a template for responding to information requests. It is intended that CFA and FRV will review the MOU every five years.
2. Information Communication Technology services Service Level Agreement
CFA is leading work to define requirements for an ICT services service level agreement.
3. Fleet maintenance Service Level Agreement
CFA and FRV prepared a draft Fleet Maintenance Service Agreement to underpin Appendix 12 of the transitional arrangement MOU (which was not executed) for CFA to provide firefighting vehicle maintenance services for those appliances transferred to CFA from FRV as part of reform. The Service Level Agreement sets out the terms on which CFA will provide the services. As at the end of the reporting period, this agreement had not yet been finalised and CFA advised that the governance arrangements for FSR doctrine will need to be approved before finalising this agreement.
4. Property management Service Level Agreement
CFA is leading work to define requirements for a property management service level agreement.
Findings
FSIM finds action 3.12 is progressing.
Footnotes
[38] Fire Services Implementation Monitor, 2023, Fire Services Implementation Monitor Annual Report 2021/22, Victorian Government, viewed 8 August 2023, https://www.vic.gov.au/fire-services-implementation-monitor-annual-report-2021-22, pg. 54.
Updated