An office set up to help trim the public service looks like it will keep swelling this year.

Reports say there is concern among staff at several federal departments, as the Government’s “contestability” push sees more work outsourced.

A lot of back office roles from across the public service have been squeezed into the fledgling Shared Services Centre (SSC).

Despite only coming into action in early 2014, the SSC has already taken over “backroom functions” from 11 departments and agencies, with 600 public servants now working within.

But this number is set to grow, with the Finance Department confirming that “portfolio stocktakes” will continue to find ways of farming-out departmental jobs to either the private sector or the Shared Services Centre.

The SSC does work for at least 13 federal departments and agencies, on a fee-for-service basis.

Outgoing Public Service Commissioner Stephen Sedgwick says there may be resistance within the sector.

He said back office teams across the bureaucracy may “silently harbour the hope that they can convince their management that their circumstances are sufficiently singular that standardisation is not for them”.

Mr Sedgwick's old agency, the Public Service Commission (APSC) has been used as a case study for the usefulness of the SSC.

APSC’s finance and human resources systems have been shunted over to the SSC.

“The APSC's leave approval, credit card and travel approval processes are now integrated in a single software solution with enhanced controls that make better management possible,” according to the “case study”.

But the commission concedes that it has not been entirely smooth.

“However, further benefits from the shared services arrangements will be realised by the APSC when access is made to the wider range of systems and processes available through Connect and the SSC information network,” the report states.