Terms of Reference

Professional Services Portfolio Sub-Committee

The Professional Services Portfolio Sub-Committee (PSPSC) is a formal sub-committee of the Strategic Portfolio and Resources Committee (SPaRC).

PSPSC provides governance, oversight and assurance for all Professional Services projects and all academic projects requiring significant Professional Services support and input.
Acting under delegated authority from SPaRC, PSPSC is responsible for reviewing, prioritising, approving, monitoring and closing projects within the University portfolio, ensuring that investment in projects aligns with institutional strategy, delivers measurable benefits and manages institutional risk. SPaRC retains overall accountability and oversight of the strategic portfolio and will receive regular reports from PSPSC.

The PSPSC shall:

Review and prioritise project requests and proposals for inclusion within the University project portfolio, ensuring alignment with institutional strategy, approved plans and available capacity.
Consider the strategic value, anticipated benefits, risks, dependencies and resource implications of proposed projects including assessment of impact of approval and/or prioritisation on whole portfolio. This will include consultation with impacted projects.
Maintain oversight of the overall balance, affordability and deliverability of the project portfolio, making recommendations to SPaRC where changes to priorities or resource allocations are required.
Assess internal and external factors that may impact the project portfolio and respond appropriately to emerging risks, opportunities or strategic changes.

Approve progression through the Institution Project Framework (IPF) stages:
- Stage A – Request (entry to the institutional portfolio following initial governance review by the Chief Operating Officer and, where the proposal has a significant academic element, the Provost, with input from relevant stakeholders as appropriate)
- Stage B – Propose
- Stage C – Initiate
- Stage D – Award
- Stage E – Deliver
- Stage F – Close
- Stage G – Evaluate
Ensure that projects are supported by appropriate business justification, governance arrangements, resource planning, risk assessments and delivery plans before progressing to the next stage.
Ensure that projects commence only when sufficient organisational readiness, funding approvals and delivery capacity exist.
Consider assurance reports and IPF stage approval recommendations provided by the Project Management Office (PMO) to support decision-making.

Monitor project performance, delivery confidence, risks, issues, dependencies, benefits and resource utilisation across the portfolio.
Provide oversight and challenge to Project Sponsors and Programme/Project Management Boards and hold them accountable for delivery against approved objectives, timelines, budgets and benefits.
Resolve cross-project risks, issues and dependencies where possible and escalate matters requiring strategic decision-making to SPaRC.
Direct corrective action, recovery plans, re-prioritisation or project closure where delivery is no longer viable or aligned with institutional objectives.

Oversee the tracking and realisation of benefits across the project portfolio.
Approve project closure following confirmation that:
- agreed deliverables have been completed;
- ownership has transitioned to business-as-usual arrangements;
- benefits realisation arrangements are in place; and
- lessons learned have been captured.

Receive and review:
- portfolio dashboards;
- project status reports;
- risk and issue logs;
- benefits realisation reports;
- resource and capacity reports; and
- gateway assurance recommendations.
Provide quarterly reports to SPaRC summarising portfolio performance, approvals, project closures, key risks, issues and strategic decisions.
Escalate to SPaRC any matters involving:
- significant changes to portfolio priorities;
- new capital expenditure requirements;
- additional resource requests;
- risks exceeding agreed tolerances; or
- matters with material impact on delivery of University strategy.

Following initial review of Stage A requests by the COO and, where the proposal has a significant academic element, the Provost, PSPSC is authorised by SPaRC to:
- approve, pause, redirect and close projects within the approved portfolio;
- approve progression through IPF stages and gateways;
- require project boards and sponsors to provide information, assurance and reports;
- establish project governance and reporting requirements; and
- make recommendations to SPaRC on portfolio priorities and resource implications.
PSPSC is not authorised to approve new capital expenditure or additional resource commitments or significant academic changes reserved to SPaRC or other University committees (Estates Management and Sustainability Committee, Education and Student Experience Committee, Research and Innovation Committee, Senate and Council).
PSPSC does not replace existing academic governance arrangements and is not responsible for academic strategy development, which remains the responsibility of the Provost, Pro Vice Chancellors and relevant University committees.