DevPar has been involved in four pillars of Public Sector Reform:

DevPar has conducted projects in several dimensions of public sector reform. A large concentration has been in the establishment of improved financial management, including planning, budgeting, accounting, and reporting systems. This work has been complemented by strengthening internal controls and internal and external audit functions. Capacity building has been carried out for the conduct of financial/ compliance audits, performance audits and investigations.

One role of DevPar in public sector reform has been to carry out re-engineering and restructuring aimed at enhancing effectiveness, accountability, governance and monitoring results. Reform of the public sector has been undertaken to meet a number of objectives. Dominant amongst these has been the desire to provide more effective service to the public, which can mean distinguishing between what the public sector does best and what is better performed by the private sector in the delivery of services.

The approach to reform has been different across countries in terms of how management is to be performed and held accountable for results. In some cases, management contracts are entered into in a manner that provides more latitude for planning and action, but under conditions that support the achievement of satisfactory results. In other cases, more traditional forms of adjustment have been made to historical approaches to management with a view to gradually extending more leeway for the management of resources with attendant changes in civil service regulations.

Features of reform have included: rewriting governing legislation and changing regulations; revising the terms of human resource management; decentralising government functions to be closer to the people served; strengthening governance and accountability; and introducing new computer and management information systems. At the heart of public sector reform is the introduction of change management processes and extensive capacity building.