Public Consultation Submission Handling SOP
Government | SOP

Use this when: A consultation will bring in many submissions, and you need a fair, traceable process.

Owner: [consultation lead]

1. Before opening, publish how submissions will be used, and whether they may be made public.
2. Log each submission with a reference number and the date it was received.
3. Acknowledge receipt.
4. Remove personal details from working copies, where your policy requires.
5. Tag each one by theme, using an agreed list.
6. Have a second person check a sample for consistent tagging.
7. Note late submissions, and apply your stated rule to them.
8. Summarize the themes, noting both common views and important minority views.
9. Have the lead approve the summary.
10. Publish what you heard, and keep records under your retention schedule.

Before you use this: Your privacy, access-to-information and records rules apply, so check this with your privacy office.

Fill in the items in square brackets and adapt this to your business.
Free template from SAZ: https://playbooks.saz.ca/p/government-sop