Public sector
Your partner in the public sector
Across ministries, provinces, municipalities, water authorities and public-sector executive agencies, public challenges continue to accumulate. You support citizens, residents and businesses through difficult circumstances, drive sustainability and digitalisation, and keep public services affordable. Political decisions and societal expectations are changing faster than budgets can keep pace.
Baker Tilly is your partner at the moments that matter. Our specialists understand the public sector as well as the language of budgeting, compliance and governance, and help you bring policy, financial data and execution together.
Who we support
Baker Tilly supports a broad range of organisations in the public sector, including those listed here. Across all of these organisations, similar challenges arise around control over funding streams, compliance, information security, employment and major investment challenges.
As a municipal executive, director or controller, you are faced with a growing number of challenges: the social domain, housing development, the energy transition, quality of life and a tight labour market. At the same time, revenues and public funding are under pressure, and you increasingly need to substantiate your decisions to the council, residents and regional partners. You do not just want to respond to new regulations and agreements, but rather stay in control yourself.
In partnerships, joint arrangements and government-owned companies, different municipalities, regions or public partners come together around responsibilities such as waste, energy, the social domain, ICT or mobility. Governance pressure is high: participants want clarity on performance, costs, risks and governance, while legislation and regulations regarding compliance, state aid and procurement are becoming increasingly complex.
As a province, you work on spatial planning, mobility, nature, energy and the regional economy, often in close cooperation with central government, municipalities, water authorities and social partners. You operate at the intersection of national agreements and regional realities, and need to keep complex programmes and funds manageable and transparent. You want to maintain control over long-term challenges and financial risks without losing the flexibility to make adjustments.
Water authorities are responsible for flood protection and ensuring sufficient, clean water, while also facing a growing number of challenges related to energy, nature and climate adaptation. Investments in infrastructure and installations are substantial and often span decades, while the affordability of water authority charges is receiving increasing attention. You want to make confident decisions on replacement, renewal and sustainability, based on a solid story underpinned by both financial and technical insight.
Ministries, autonomous administrative bodies and executive agencies are constantly at the centre of politics, society and the media. You implement complex schemes, manage large financial flows and must demonstrably operate lawfully, efficiently and effectively. At the same time, your activities are under constant pressure from multiple directions. You want to organise accountability and control in a way that genuinely helps improve performance.
Your challenges, practical solutions
Many pressures come together in the public sector: keeping public services affordable, growing demand for care and support, major construction and area development programmes, stricter requirements for accountability and information security, and a tight labour market. Almost every decision has a financial, legal and societal dimension. That is why you need one integrated view, rather than separate reports on individual issues.
Baker Tilly helps you translate key themes such as financial control, continuity of care, sustainability, digitalisation, employment and construction into concrete choices, scenarios and practical tools.
Financial control under pressure
Additional spending and shifting priorities around housing, care, energy and construction are putting pressure on the affordability of multi-year programmes. Revenues and specific grants are changing due to adjustments in funding mechanisms such as the Municipal Fund. Many organisations struggle to create realistic budgets and project plans, which means ambitions and implementation capacity are not always aligned.
You want to avoid having to make ad hoc adjustments every year. This requires a robust financial management cycle, with clear scenarios, reliable figures and tools such as tax control frameworks, three-lines-of-defence models and effective BI reporting.
Data, digitalisation and information security
Residents and businesses expect a reliable and accessible digital government, while incidents involving privacy and information security are under increasing scrutiny. Frameworks such as BIO, ENSIA, DigiD and NIS2 require demonstrable control. You need a clear view of your digital risks and appropriate measures, as well as reliable data and management information to help prioritise improvements.
This calls for a clear information strategy, realistic improvement plans and support from specialists who understand public-sector standards, processes and the political and administrative context.
Employment in a tight labour market
The public sector is also facing difficulties in attracting and retaining people. Many roles require specialist knowledge, while the average age of employees is rising and workloads are increasing. Many organisations lack a strong HR function with both a clear vision and execution capability for strategic workforce planning.
Good employment practices are needed to attract new colleagues and retain experienced professionals. This requires a clear long-term vision, strategic workforce planning and continued attention to development.
Keeping construction and land development under control
Municipalities face major challenges in housing development and area development. A great deal needs to be built, often at speed, while financial risks are considerable and land development projects remain complex and highly dependent on assumptions. Municipal real estate often has maintenance backlogs and buildings that no longer match current use.
You want to understand how feasible plans really are, what risks you are taking and where you can make timely adjustments. This requires an integrated view of land, real estate, finance and sustainability, supported by well-founded land development plans, scenario analyses and clear reporting to councils, provinces, regulators and other stakeholders.
How can Baker Tilly help you?
We are Baker Tilly Public Sector. Our teams understand legislation and regulation, funding flows and accountability frameworks, and understand the political and societal context in which public organisations operate. Around elections and changes in administration, we help new boards and councils quickly gain insight into the most important financial and governance issues.
We bring audit, advisory, ESG, IT, HR and tax expertise together into a single practical approach.
Would you like to discuss your challenges in the public sector? Please leave your details via the contact form.
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