Bhajan-sgcwiki

Surge at the School	How We Can Help	How We Work	Past Projects & Partners	FAQ	Contact Us

For best results please view this page on a desktop browser Pour la version française, cliquez ici Surge at the School The Surge team helps organizations achieve their priorities. Our position within the School provides us with a neutral, bird’s-eye view across government; enabling us to work with any organization, on any file, to get results Surge is the hands-on application of the School’s mandate to strengthen capacity and promote excellence in the public service We embed directly into your work to tackle your priority initiatives. Our approach has two key benefits: For your team: We deliver successful project outcomes while enhancing your team's capabilities For us: We gain firsthand insights into public servants' experiences to support relevant, practical, and effective training Delivering results for the GC since 2018 Since December 2018, we have worked with 15+ GC organizations and teams to deliver +60 projects with +150 deliverables and have received overwhelmingly positive feedback by: Modernizing legacy systems, legislation, and service delivery models Adding policy and strategic capacity Improving internal governance and simplifying processes Targeted learning to respond to GC priorities These projects have helped to advance learning, innovation, and policy priorities across the federal government An extension of your team We are a diverse team of policy analysts ready to help advance your priorities; we jump into your work alongside your team and leverage our deep experience within the GC Experience We bring an impartial, cross-governmental perspective; our mandate allows us to build connections and work across government We use our experience in strategic policy, central agencies, program policy, and data teams to rapidly get up to speed on your operating environment We have almost a decade of experience creating presentations for ministerial and deputy-level audiences
Skillsets
We are a self-managed, self-organizing team ready to deploy at any time We are agile: we develop, test, and continually iterate on our deliverables with our partners We are well-versed in how to use AI responsibly in the policy field We interpret and visualize data in a manner understandable to any audience

Collaboration
We support with open collaboration, a focus on relationship-building, and adaptability to fulfill your needs We are fully committed to your team; each project team on Surge is dedicated to one project at a time We will ensure a smooth handover process at the end of the project and will be available to answer any questions

Using a cost-sharing model, the Surge Team offers departments additional support to tackle their complex problems

How we can help

Our most commonly-used products and services are listed below, or tell us more about your specific needs; we specialize in developing custom-solutions for unique problems

Problem Definition Ensuring everyone has a common understanding of the issue supported by brainstorming, consultation, and research			Options Development Collaboratively identifying a range of workable solutions that are grounded in evidence, critical analysis, and creativity
Next Steps & Reflections Offering support to put ideas into effect, and capturing lessons learned to apply to future work			Engagement & Briefing Validating possible solutions by engaging with stakeholders, and generating products that tell a compelling story

Research, Analysis and Synthesis Problem diagnosis, framing and definition; Environmental scans; Data collection, analysis, and synthesis; Conducting interviews and focus groups

Challenge Function Soundboard for ideas; Providing strategic advice; Helping teams think through complex files and find clarity on how to manage the work (e.g., how to navigate through the system/process)

Building Capacity Team learning through projects; Lessons Learned facilitation; Skills-oriented workshops

Engagement & Facilitation Convening groups to tackle shared files and common problems; Designing engagement strategies; Planning and hosting engagement sessions; Strengthening horizontal collaboration; Driving groups towards agreement on next steps

Synthesis & Briefing Decks; Placemats; Dashboards; Policy reports; What We Heard reports; Supporting the drafting of key policy and decision documents (e.g., Memorandum to Cabinet, medium-term planning, performance measurement frameworks)

Our partnership model

Our mission is to help departments across the GC to achieve their priorities. Our model allows us to offer our services faster, at a lower cost, while providing high quality deliverables.

Lower costs	Fast to deploy	You are in control	Expanded network
We charge 85% of FTEs; providing access to dedicated team of analysts	Compared to hiring term/indeterminate staff or consultants, we can start working with you in as little as 1- 2 weeks	We’ll contribute new ideas and perspectives, while you retain the final say	You have access to our horizontal knowledge and connections

Testimonials

"...the most concise, comprehensive, and visually appealing summary of Crown-Indigenous relations I've come across." ~ Environment and Climate Change Canada

"Love the expertise you provided, with customized support to make this work easier." ~ Employment and Social Development Canada

"The team [has] provided us excellent support and have shown creativity and a high capacity to integrate concepts and show discernment. And the outcomes have benefited from our collaboration tremendously with our storytelling becoming clear, engaging, and compelling." ~ Public Services and Procurement Canada

"This is very good work, especially given how little you've been given to work with." ~ Department of National Defence

"There are a few [exercises] that have stood out over the course of my career, and this is one of the high flyers." ~ Employment and Social Development Canada

"Your support over the last few weeks has provided DND a meaningful uplift in our capacity. Huge thanks!" ~ Department of National Defence

"This is way better work than KPMG" ~ Natural Resources Canada

"We’ve truly benefited from your incredible talents, insights, and dedication throughout this engagement. Looking forward to when our paths cross again. " ~ Public Services and Procurement Canada

For more information, contact us

If you are interested in working with us or want to learn more about what we do, reach out to us at surgeteam-equipederenfort@csps-efpc.gc.ca or visit our GCXchange site. Our Director General (DG) is also available for exploratory and informal discussions: paul.pilieci@csps-efpc.gc.ca