Ric Sinclair Managing Director FWPA
Forest and Wood Products Australia (FWPA) has commissioned an Independent Performance Review. It will determine what the company is doing well and areas for improvement. As part of this process, direct feedback from stakeholders is now being sought. Source: Timberbiz
Following a competitive tender process, FWPA appointed Forest Hill Consulting to undertake the review, which will evaluate the company’s internal processes and seek feedback from a broad cross-section of stakeholders.
The Independent Performance Review is a requirement of FWPA’s statutory funding agreement (SFA) with the Commonwealth Government and must be completed six months prior to the expiry of the current SFA. It is also a precondition to the negotiation of a new SFA with the Government.
“The review will offer useful insights that will help guide our future direction,” said FWPA Managing Director, Ric Sinclair.
“It will help ensure we can continue to fulfil on our mission to grow the market for forest and wood products, increase productivity across the value chain, and ensure positive environmental and social outcomes.
“I encourage as many stakeholders as possible to use this opportunity to share their opinions and have their voices heard,” said Sinclair.
The last such review covered the period from 2012 to 2017 and was completed by GHD Pty Ltd in February 2017. That review found FWPA delivered numerous benefits to stakeholders and industry, met all its obligations, operated efficiently, and demonstrated a commitment to continuous improvement. There was also found to be a high adoption rate within the industry of outputs from FWPA research, and largely positive responses to engagement, consultation and communication processes.
“The aim of this process is to provide useful advice to FWPA, drawn from our experience from working within and outside rural R&D corporations,” said Forest Hill Consulting Director Scott Williams.
“Our experience has given us a privileged insight into how different organisations manage their businesses, and to identify examples of best practice that we can share.
“We are looking forward to speaking to any FWPA stakeholder who wishes to make their opinion known. It is very important to us that we canvass as full a range of views as possible,” Mr Williams said.
Stakeholder feedback is critical to the review process, and an open survey will be available online at fwpareview.org
The final report will be published on the FWPA website in February 2021.
