A number of successful candidates from the private and wider public sectors were paid more than the advertised remuneration;
Salaries for the Senior Civil Service have moved forward and in the interests of fairness and openness, Commissioners are keen to ensure that the remuneration package paid to a successful candidate reflects that advertised by departments and agencies. Not to do so could mean that the best candidate available at the actual amount a department or agency was prepared to pay was not attracted to the post. Departments and agencies need to have clarified the range available within the Pay Band before the recruitment process begins, particularly if external recruitment agents are to be briefed properly. Departments and agencies normally negotiate the remuneration package with the successful candidate after the Commissioner’s involvement with the competition has ended.
SCS Pay Ranges from 1 April 2007
Salaries are normally offered at an agreed range within the Pay Band
| Pay Band | Minimum | Ceiling |
| 1 | £56,100 | £116,000 |
| 1A | £65,280 | £127,000 |
| 2 | £81,600 | £160,000 |
| 3 | £99,960 | £205,000 |
| Permanent Secretary | £139,740 | £273,250 |
The information we have collected on the 90 external/open competitions which the Commissioners chaired in 2006/07 shows that a number of successful candidates from the private and wider public sectors were paid more than the advertised remuneration. In looking for extra skills and the need to pay a market rate to attract those with the different experience that the Service now needs, some departments did not advertise the range they were eventually prepared to offer. Some successful candidates were paid well in excess of the advertised remuneration. Six were paid more than 15 per cent above the advertised rate and a further five more than 20 per cent In one case, the successful candidate was paid 30 per cent more; in another, 62 per cent; and in a third, the successful candidate was paid an increase on the base line of over 100 per cent.
At the other end of the spectrum, eight civil servants who were successful after open competition were paid less than the advertised remuneration. For example, in one case the successful candidate who was an existing civil servant was paid 14 percent less than the advertised rate. We are concerned that the current guidance on starting pay for successful internal candidates may be unclear, but are pleased to learn that the Cabinet Office is due to send out fresh guidance to departments in July 2007.
There is an increasing tendency for departments and agencies to advertise posts as offering an ‘attractive/competitive six-figure package’. This can cover the very wide pay range within a Pay Band and, in cases where the remuneration package is not specifically set out in the information pack, this could lead to successful candidates refusing the appointment because the remuneration offered was not as generous as they might have expected. At best it can lead to difficult and lengthy negotiation after an offer is made. In six cases, because negotiations were so protracted and no agreement was reached, the preferred candidate withdrew
Departments are, however, starting to look for parity across the Senior Civil Service, especially for functional specialisms (HR, communications, science etc) when setting the remuneration package for their vacant posts. The Cabinet Office did so when running an open competition for nine HR Director posts in departments and agencies. Six posts were filled from outside the Civil Service – the private sector and wider public sector; one was filled by an existing senior civil servant; and two offers were not taken up.
When setting remuneration for a functional specialism, departments and agencies need to do more to ensure that proper account is taken of what is being paid across the Civil Service.
