5. Service design and delivery in the digital age
This chapter presents the state of the art on public service design and delivery in Romania, giving specific attention to the existing institutional settings, culture and initiatives undertaken to advance towards human-centric and integrated digitalisation of government services in the country.
Public services are the focal point of interaction between individuals and legal entities with the state. In recent years, the emphasis on leveraging digital technologies and data to enhance public services has steadily increased. The COVID-19 pandemic significantly accelerated these trends, compelling the delivery of public services through digital channels. Governments, faced with a surge in demand for digital public services, had to ensure service quality while harnessing the potential of digital technologies and data to transform service design and delivery. It was also crucial to mitigate the increase of digital divides and exclusion, stemming from various factors such as limited digital skills in the public sector and across the society and access to necessary digital tools.
Addressing the gap between those benefiting from the digital age and those excluded requires an understanding of different service delivery channels and user needs. Digital government plays a strategic role in integrating various services and channels to deliver a coherent and satisfactory user experience. The “end-to-end user journey” approach allows governments to better meet user needs by focusing on comprehensive problems and streamlining interactions and public sector processes. Service design and delivery for the digital age relies on a deep understanding of user needs without adding to burdens of public servants.
To ensure this intricate task of designing and delivering services that adapt to evolving societal needs, it is critical to reconsider the entire process of service design and delivery. This involves cultivating collaborative relationships with the public to comprehend their needs and rethinking the internal culture, processes and resources of governments. The OECD Framework for Public Service Design and Delivery identifies three foundational areas for analysing public service design and delivery (OECD, 2020[1]):
1. The context encompassing representative and organisational politics, historical channels, technology and infrastructure legacies, and societal and geographic influences.
2. The philosophy of service design and delivery, which includes leadership, interdisciplinary collaboration across organisational boundaries, holistic problem understanding, end-to-end service experience design, public involvement, and agile delivery.
3. The presence of an ecosystem of supportive resources and tools that enhance the quality of experience and outcomes for all users, as well as the agility of service teams in responding to user needs and transforming the service landscape.
Source: (OECD, 2020[1]), Digital Government in Chile – Improving Public Service Design and Delivery, https://doi.org/10.1787/b94582e8-en
Based on the framework, this chapter highlights the context and the philosophy and culture service design and delivery, and assesses the enablers to support design and delivery in Romania.
A government’s ability to design and deliver public services to generate value to its users is influenced by the specific contextual factors, especially those outlined in Figure 5.1. The formulation of a philosophy for service design and delivery, and the allocation of necessary enablers are affected by multiple variables. The context for service design and delivery encompasses representative and organisational politics, and the crucial role of leadership in securing a shared vision, long-term strategic planning, financial investments, and the authority to remove existing and possible obstacles. Furthermore, past interventions in public services exert significant influence. The processes, data flows and channels can create an unclear landscape of multiple user journeys. The legacy of physical infrastructure, technologies, data and service channels from the past all impact the agility and capacity of the public sector in pursing its goals of transforming public services. Last, factors such as societal and geographical considerations shape the backdrop for users assessing public services.
Chapter 2 discussed the first dimension, Contextual factors, of the OECD Framework on the Governance of Digital Government, including political and administrative culture and structure, socio-economic factors, technological and policy context. As presented fully in Chapter 2, Romania encounters challenges in its journey toward the successful digital transformation of the public sector. The political and administrative culture presents a significant hurdle, impeding a cohesive and sustainable digital evolution of government functions. Furthermore, frequent shifts in organisational structures have somewhat lessened digital leadership, impacting policy alignment and action coordination in the digital government sphere. Additionally, Romania faces socio-economic challenges, including regional disparities, gender gaps, a declining population, and a digital divide, which warrant careful consideration to ensure designing and delivering of inclusive and responsible government services to all users. Addressing these challenges is imperative for Romania to create an enabling environment for the public sector to design and deliver quality services in today's digital age.
The philosophy and culture of service design and delivery plays a vital role in establishing a sustainable environment where comprehensive digital transformation and high-quality services can thrive. The most effective interactions are those that are straightforward to complete and leverage data to anticipate and proactively address tasks that may have previously required additional interactions. An essential prerequisite is that these services are designed to cater to the needs of the entire spectrum of society, including vulnerable groups with accessibility requirements or a preference for in-person assistance. Achieving this would need cross-organisational collaboration involving diverse, multidisciplinary teams that can comprehend complex challenges and devise end-to-end internal and external user experiences under an adequate leadership and a shared vision. This entails continuous involvement of both internal and external user groups throughout the entire process. Ultimately, agile methodologies facilitate ongoing learning and iterative enhancements, ensuring that the evolving service continually adds value over time (see Figure 5.2).
Source: (OECD, 2020[1]), Digital Government in Chile – Improving Public Service Design and Delivery, https://doi.org/10.1787/b94582e8-en
Providing leadership and setting vision
The OECD Digital Government Index which measures digital government maturity based in the Digital Government Policy Framework found that the highest levels of maturity prioritise a culture of user-driven and open by default, and embody the principles of digital-by-design, government as a platform and a data-driven public sector (OECD, 2020[2]; OECD, 2020[3]) These key characteristics of a mature digital government enable governments to design and deliver services that are proactive, resilient and inclusive. The effective implementation of these principles hinges on stable leadership and consistent organisational commitment.
The OECD Framework for digital talent and skills in the public sector further highlights the pivotal role of securing leadership in shaping the public sector to embrace a transformative approach to service design and delivery (OECD, 2021[4]). Consequently, without the leadership, the drive for transformation is not primarily fuelled by advocating for users and their needs. Instead, it tends to be framed as an urgency to streamline bureaucracy, with technology seen as the key to accelerating processes and reducing costs. This often results in a narrow focus on meeting specific targets, rather than fostering a sustainable and naturally evolving change in how organizations perceive the role of digital technology and data in driving transformation.
As discussed fully in Chapter 2, the current governance for digital government in Romania reveals a notable absence of the central leadership that can articulate a cohesive vision and strategic direction to foster user-driven, proactive and inclusive services suitable for the digital age. The Authority for Digitisation of Romania (ADR) under the Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digitisation (MCID) is leading the digital transformation efforts of the Romanian public sector. The General Secretariat of the Government (GSG) co-ordinates at the whole-of-government level. Nevertheless, the objectives and functions of the ADR listed in Chapter 2 are largely focused on managing information systems that facilitate the provision of online services with no specific mandate to drive the service design and delivery agenda at the national level. This absence poses a challenge to the realisation of public services that are tailored to meet the diverse needs of users of the Romanian society.
Another obstacle to transforming the design and delivery of public services is the diverse array of institutions within the Romanian public sector at varying levels of digital maturity. In the absence of a shared vision and strategic oversight, when the public sector institutions have disparate levels of digital readiness, it can further lead to inconsistencies in service design, delivery channels and the overall user experience. Some organisations may be adept at leveraging digital technologies to offer seamless and user-friendly services, while others may struggle due to limited digital capabilities. This disparity results in a disjointed service landscape, making it challenging to establish a standardised, intuitive user journey. Moreover, it often implies a lack of data governance, further impeding efforts to create a seamless, integrated, and user-driven approach to service design and delivery across the country.
Governments have taken different approaches to support their service design and delivery agenda. One of the most common practices are to have a service design and delivery strategy as part of other national strategies or even as a stand-alone strategy (Box 5.1). The government of Romania can consider developing such strategy to ensure coherent and sustainable service design and delivery across the public sector with a shared vision and objectives. As the leading organisation for digital government, the ADR and the MCID can be entrusted to take on this role. Additionally, inter-ministerial co-ordination should be actively promoted, leveraging the role of the GSG to ensure seamless collaboration and alignment of efforts across the government.
Comprehensive Government Innovation Promotion Plan of Korea
The Korean government establishes and facilitates a "comprehensive government innovation promotion plan" that includes public service innovation strategies every year. In the 2021 comprehensive government innovation promotion plan, three strategies related to public services were proposed: 1) provision of customised/intelligent services for individuals, 2) A full-fledged transition to the era of digital proof, and 3) expansion of inclusive service to bridge the digital divide.
Client-oriented public administration strategy 2030 of the Czech Republic
The government addresses service design and delivery policies in the "Client-oriented public administration strategy 2030", sectoral digital transformation strategies, Government ICT Strategy (and eGovernment principles), National (eGovernment) architecture plan as well as in the relevant legislations. The national legislative framework of eGovernment defines roles, responsibilities, processes, shared services, rules for data sharing and re-use as well as other provisions that directly or indirectly impact service design and delivery.
The UK’s standards, guidelines, code of practice on services
The United Kingdom’s primary mechanisms for influencing service delivery across government is the Service Standard and Technology Code of Practice. Specifically, the Service Standard sets out 14 criteria for teams across government to work to create excellent digital services. The Service Manual is a separate tool that sits underneath the Standard, guiding how teams can implement the criteria within the Standard. The Technical Code of Practice is detailed guidance on what is expected of technology in government, such as that underpinning services. It agrees on common approaches (such as use of cloud and API standards) to ensure that government is building modern, scalable and secure technology infrastructure.
Source: OECD (2022[5]), Bench learning on Service Delivery from relevant examples in EU Member and non-member States
Furthermore, identifying and nurturing digital government champions within the public sector is paramount. These champions should be recognised for their expertise and success in digital transformation and should play a pivotal role in imparting their knowledge and best practices to institutions with limited digital capacities, enabling them to progress and bridge the digital divide. Scaling up these champions' efforts across the public sector will catalyse fostering an inclusive and collaborative environment to design and deliver quality and coherent services across the public sector in Romania. Considering that the ADR has a very open, collaborative culture involving other public institutions, it can facilitate identifying and scaling up successful practices of the digital champions.
Designing the end-to-end public service experience
The development of public services can result in fragmented user experiences across different government sectors over time. This fragmentation can occur due to the independent creation of digital or telephone channels specific to each institution as part of their "multi-channel" strategies or because certain institutions have closed physical locations while others have not. Consequently, users may need to visit multiple locations to address a particular issue, leading to a disconnect where interactions started online cannot seamlessly transition to in-person interactions, and vice versa. For effective transformation, public services need to be designed by encompassing the entire journey from the user's initial attempt to resolve an issue to its final resolution, covering both the user experience and the processes for internal users, and incorporating all channels involved, following an omnichannel approach (OECD, 2020[1]).
In Romania, like in all parts of the world, the COVID-19 pandemic expedited the shift from in-person service provision to remote basis. Nevertheless, the importance of delivering an experience aligned with the public's needs and choices through various channels remains undiminished.
Table 5.1 clearly shows that the delivery of public services occurs through various channels in Romania, with face-to-face interactions at government offices being the most prevalent. These physical visits to relevant institutions or authorities are frequent and often the primary choice for service seekers. Furthermore, institutional or sector-specific websites, alongside telephone communications, play significant roles in service delivery. Traditional written communication, such as letters or printed forms, remains a commonly used channel as well.
In this landscape, it is important for Romania to resist the exclusive adoption of "digital by default" approach that eliminate offline accessibility entirely. Such an approach overlooks the needs of specific segments of society, which clearly prefer non-digital channels, and could worsen digital disparities. Although the idea of transitioning to a paperless system may seem like a straightforward transformation, its true benefits will not be actualised if the online interface retains any shortcomings of the current procedures. Therefore, it is crucial to adopt a design thinking approach to craft seamless end-to-end experiences that streamline the entire process by eliminating redundant steps, re-using data, and innovatively leveraging digital technology to provide value to users.
Furthermore, embracing an omnichannel approach is crucial for ensuring seamless and efficient service delivery. While digital channels are gaining prominence, non-digital channels, especially face-to-face interactions, and traditional written communication, continue to hold substantial importance. To enhance accessibility and streamline the service experience, Romania should consider adopting the omnichannel approach, where all channels are integrated and optimized to cater to diverse preferences and needs of its citizens.
Guidelines, standards and capacities
Common guidelines and standards play a pivotal role in shaping public sector capabilities for digital government, providing a unified framework for service providers to secure a consistent and coherent approach to the digitalisation of government services. Transitioning to digital government entails the formulation of coherent guidelines and standards that assist public sector entities in designing and providing services with users at the centre of the transformation process, which in turns contributes to foster a cohesive and streamlined experience for users (OECD, 2020[1]). This encompasses practical advice and standards to guarantee uniform accessibility of digital services, interaction with users, sourcing of digital products and services, and validation both before and throughout the service development process.
In the case of Romania, support to service providers for the digitalisation of government services is under the remit of the Authority for Digitalisation of Romania. However, and in line with the findings and policy recommendations issued for the governance of digital government, Romania has the opportunity to further equip ADR as the national champion for the digital transformation of the public sector with capabilities that go beyond development and management of common technology platforms and solutions. Fact-finding mission and survey evidence revealed the very limited availability of common guidelines and standards that equip service providers to design and delivery government services in the country, and the limited role that the ADR plays in advancing the curation and development of service design and delivery standards and guidelines across the government. Securing the availability of such common and shared instruments is pivotal to close capacity gaps across the public sector and promotes a consistent and coherent design and delivery of government services across sectors.
Within the remit and the attributes of the ADR, functions on the administration and management of the national digital government strategy (NDGS) are clearly stronger and more explicitly articulated than capabilities to support and assist public sector institutions in the digitalisation of their internal processes and services (Government of Romania, 2019[7]). Compared to OECD countries, the NDGS in Romania is one of the few that do not have clear provisions to support the accessibility and proactiveness of digitally-enabled government services (see Figure 5.3).
As such, ADR is defined and perceived as a technical entity that manages and develops information systems and digital technologies for the digital transformation of the Romanian central government. However, compared to OECD countries this function could also include dedicated provisions to secure the quality, convenience, and user-centricity of government services. This comprises the development of practical guidance and standard setting on user research, service design, agile management, multidisciplinary teams and other functions that represents a more forward-looking approach to secure that government services will ultimately meet and solve the needs of intended users.
In Korea, the Ministry of Interior and Safety (MOIS) is responsible for the digital government policy. Within its remit, MOIS is responsible for securing the quality and availability of digital public services in the country.
MOIS’ mission includes a dedicated provision to provide more integrated and customised services to citizens. This includes key responsibilities such as design and deliver digital services for the benefit of citizens; ensure security, robustness, and reliability of digital services; and prevent potential duplication in government investment on digital technologies.
Source: Ministry of Interior and Safety of Korea (n.d.[8]), https://www.mois.go.kr/eng/sub/a03/EGovernment/screen.do (accessed on 10 August 2023)
In the context of Romania, it is important to distinguish the extent to which regulatory frameworks can effectively equip public sector institutions in the design and delivery of services. Laws and similar regulatory frameworks often define what should be done, as opposed to guidelines and standards that frame how a certain action should be completed. In Romania, this role of setting regulatory frameworks for the digital transformation of Romania is played by the ADR. Concrete examples are the issuance and discussion in Parliament of the government cloud and national interoperability framework laws.
In Romania, public sector institutions have an unclear understanding of the scope, extend and purpose of standards and guidelines for digital government, and in the absence of central instruments existing regulatory frameworks are taken as guiding tools (see Figure 5.4). This is the case with public procurement, in which the transposition of the EU Directive 2014/24 resulted in a set of dedicated regulatory instruments that are considered as supporting tools for the sourcing of digital technologies (Government of Romania, 2016[9])1. However, public sector institutions require also softer and more actionable instruments. In this regard, evidence from the fact-finding meetings indicate that more efforts are needed to translate regulatory frameworks into actionable guidance that effectively support service design and delivery.
Similarly, in the absence of central guidelines and tools to support the design and delivery of government services, more mature public sector institutions have established internal protocols and supporting material for this purpose. This is the case of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which over the years has built strong capabilities to design and deliver government services and enabling tools. Romania could consider systematising and learning from the experience of more mature public sector institutions to leverage tools that can be replicated across the Romanian public sector, acknowledging the national administrative culture.
The context for digitalisation of government services happens in the context of increasing expectations for the Romanian government to increase the availability of government services through the national single service delivery platform e-guvernare.ro. Similarly, the request from the European Commission to transpose digital government policies such as the Digital Compass (European Commission, 2023[10]), and the implementation of dedicated resources for digital transformation through the EU Recovery and Resilience Fund2 poses challenges regarding public sector capacities to digitalise government services under standards that secure a consistent and homogeneous experience for users.
Within this context, one of the paramount tools to be provided for the digital transformation of the Romanian public services relates to the availability of a dedicated and national service standard. A service standard refers to a set of principles that provide a shared definition for the quality and behaviours associated with public service design and delivery. Such principles will usually provide the basis for setting expectations with delivery partners (whether those are public servants or non-governmental suppliers), and in some cases may also be the criteria against which formal assessments of performance are carried out (OECD, 2020[3]; OECD, 2020[1]; Welby and Tan, 2022[11])
Evidence from OECD countries show that the availability of a service standard is a pillar within digital government policies, with 87% of member and accession countries having such policy lever to guide the digitalisation of convenient and seamless public services (see Figure 5.5). Countries that have a service standard have given predominance to understanding and interacting with users in service design and delivery (see Figure 5.6). In contrast, cross-border service delivery and the development of an ecosystem of scalable tools and common enablers are less prioritised within these standards.
The availability of such an instrument is foundational for public sector institutions to secure a coherent and consistent digitalisation of government services. For this purpose, Romania and the ADR could consider developing a dedicated and comprehensive service standard that support the ambitions set at national and European level regarding more user-centric and seamless digital government services. The service standard could give a prominent focus to user research and service design practices given the limited extent to which public sector institutions are engaging users throughout service design in meaningful and result-oriented ways. Similarly, the service standard could help close the gap among public sector institutions in key areas for digital government such as ICT procurement and the Government as a Platform approach (OECD, 2020[3]) to develop and curate scalable digital public infrastructure that supports breaking down policy and organisational siloes. Similarly, such a standard would help Romanian public sector institutions to effectively use key planned or under development digital public infrastructure such as government cloud and interoperability frameworks to focus on effective use to meet user needs and beyond the technicalities of their operation.
The elaboration of such standard would benefit from a collective effort across the public sector in Romania, bringing together different public sector institutions that are key for the effective design and implementation of the standard. This includes main service providers and entities responsible for key enablers such as the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry for Agriculture and Rural Development, the National Agency for Cadastre and Land Registration, the Ministry of Finance and the Special Telecommunications Service in order to leverage existing digital maturity. Furthermore, Romania could find inspiration in OECD countries that have fully embrace a user-centric approach in service design and delivery to formulate a service standard. This includes building on the best practices across OECD members (see Box 5.4) as well as standard-setting instruments such as the OECD Good Practice Principles on Public Service Design and Delivery in the Digital Age (Box 5.3).
The digital age provides great opportunities to transform how public services are designed and delivered. The Good Practice Principles for Service Design and Delivery in the Digital Age provide a clear, actionable and comprehensive set of objectives for the digital transformation of public services.
The principles are advisory rather than prescriptive, allowing for local interpretation and implementation. They should also be considered in conjunction with wider OECD work to equip governments in harnessing the potential of digital technology and data to improve outcomes for all. Reflecting insights gathered from across OECD member countries, these nine principles are arranged under three pillars:
1. Build accessible, ethical and equitable public services that prioritise user needs, rather than government needs
3. Be accountable and transparent in the design and delivery of public services to reinforce and strengthen public trust
Source: OECD (2022[6]) Good Practice Principles on Public Service Design and Delivery in the Digital Age, https://doi.org/10.1787/2ade500b-en
France established a design system in order to provide a similar look and feel to the creation and delivery of services, alongside with accessibility and security standards. It also has quality guidelines for online administrative procedures and a programme to improve website accessibility for disabled people, both provided by the DINUM (Digital Directorate). These two initiatives are completed by self-assessment tools and through check-lists. The DINUM analyses over 200 procedures each quarter and helps administrations on user experience, accessibility audits, user research, prototyping and design topics. For instance, the “Place de l’Emploi Public” website that centralises all job offers from the state administration and local authorities has been re-designed to comply with the accessibility requirements.
Launched in October 2022, Mosaico is a Digital Service Standard introduced by the Portuguese Government to streamline the user experience across its various online services. Designed with citizens and businesses at its core, Mosaico promotes coherence in digital public services, aiming to enhance the public's interaction with the government through a unified identity. This ensures a transparent, straightforward, and inclusive access to services. Intended for use by public administration staff, external bodies, citizens, businesses, and civil society entities, Mosaico prioritises user needs. It incorporates four key aspects: Stages, Principles, Profiles, and Technical areas. Supported by best practices, guidelines, legislation, and other resources, Mosaico offers adaptable content tailored to individual roles and contexts.
The Digital Service Standard is a collection of best practice principles aimed at assisting agencies in creating digital services for Australians that are straightforward, clear, and quick. It ensures these services deliver value to the public and address user needs, promoting regular enhancements based on evidence and past experiences. This standard also guarantees a uniform appearance and user experience across government services. The DTA (Digital Transformation Agency) uses the Digital Service Standard, among other digital policies, to evaluate the quality and robustness of digital or ICT-enabled investment suggestions before they are presented for Government review. Details on the criteria for these proposals can be found in the Whole-of-Government Digital and ICT Oversight Framework. This policy, effective from 6 May 2016, is mandatory for all Non-corporate Commonwealth entities and pertains to all new public-facing information and transactions, plus any redesigned services post this date. The DTA also recommends its adoption by other governmental bodies.
Source: DINUM (2023[12]), System de Design Gouvernement Numérique, https://www.systeme-de-design.gouv.fr/ (accessed on 10 August 2023), AMA (2022[13]), Mosaico Service Design Toolkit, https://mosaico.gov.pt/ (accessed on 10 August 2023) and DTA (n.d.[14]) Service Standard, https://www.dta.gov.au/help-and-advice/about-digital-service-standard (accessed on 10 August 2023)
Regarding capacities and practices to design, develop and maintain services, in Romania public sector institutions tend to develop internal capacities to manage and implement digital transformation initiatives (see Figure 5.7). The role that ADR plays as IT service provider in some specific sectors within the Romanian public sector is noticeable. For instance, the ADR has the remit to support the development of IT systems for public procurement as well as to assist with financial resources and technical support in the digitalisation of specific sectors upon request (Government of Romania, 2019[7]).
However, the extent to which ADR can support the digitalisation of government services is limited and public sector institutions rely significantly in third parties for the development and maintenance of IT systems to enable digital services. This includes private sector providers, or central government entities that provide IT services such as the Special Telecommunication Service (see next section). Given the structural challenges to attract and retain digital talent in the Romanian public sector (see Chapter 3), the country could consider developing further practical guidance in critical areas that support an agile and cost-effective implementation of digital transformation initiatives, including digitalisation of government services. This includes the development of dedicated guidelines for ICT procurement as well as agile management. Romania can leverage the extensive support provided by the European Union to their members to acquire competencies in agile management through PM2 Methodology (see Box 5.5) as well as learn from specific efforts done at national level to develop agile standards and ICT procurement guidelines (see Chapter 3). However, efforts are needed to extend as much as possible the access to such instruments in ways that all public sector institutions can benefit from peer learning and regional support.
PM² is a project management methodology implemented by the European Commission in 2007, with its first version internally published in 2008. As of 2018, PM² is accessible to the public via the Publications Office of the European Union. Specifically tailored to address to the needs of European Union institutions and projects, PM² is designed to empower project managers to adeptly oversee the complete lifecycle of their initiatives, ensuring successful delivery of solutions and benefits to their respective organisations. Nevertheless, its flexible nature means it is suitable for projects across any institution. Characterised by its simplicity and adaptability, PM² offers teams the liberty to customise the methodology based on specific project requirements.
Furthermore, a dedicated PM²-Agile Guide was developed into the PM² methodology for institutions and organisations. PM²-Agile incorporates Agile and Lean best practices from global standards and the European Institutions' experiences.
Source: European Commission (n.d.[15]), PM² Project Management Methodology, https://pm2.europa.eu/index_en (accessed on 10 August 2023)
Common digital tools and enablers
Government cloud
To facilitate service design and delivery in the digital age, it is pivotal to establish robust digital foundations to support service transformation across the public sector. This is particularly crucial amidst extensive digital transformation projects which encompass numerous individual services and in particular when public sector entities lack the adequate capacities or resources to implement such policies. Additionally, the imperative to secure convenient and seamless services implies public sector institutions imperative need to promote a coherent and interoperable approach in public digital transformation, assuring that every institution has the ability to exploit digital tools and data in a consistent and enduring manner.
OECD member countries are progressing in this direction by building up a Government as a Platform ecosystem (OECD, 2020[3]). This consists of mutual digital tools, infrastructure, norms, and protocols aimed at equipping ministries and administrative bodies with the necessary resources to enable change. A Government as a Platform perspective can allow public servants and service teams to prioritise user requirements over technology development and maintenance. This also facilitates the incorporation of the private sector and Govtech actors in digital transformation.
In Romania, the role of securing common tools and enablers for government digital transformation is under the remit of the ADR. Currently, the ADR is responsible for the implementation of a number of initiatives that are core to enable a whole-of-government transformation of public services, including government cloud, interoperability framework, the national central service delivery platform and digital identity (Authority for the Digitalisation of Romania, 2023[16]). Similarly, the Special Telecommunications Service is responsible to manage critical digital public infrastructure under strict security control and protocols. This is the case of national data centres and specific and sectoral IT systems (Special Telecommunications Service, 2023[17]). However, deployment and uptake of existing common digital tools and enablers differ significantly in Romania.
As observed in Figure 5.8, public sector institutions acknowledge the existence of core enablers such as shared data centres, notably provided by the STS. The figure also demonstrates the need for Romania and the ADR to accelerate the development of several key projects to enable the digitalisation of government services in a sustainable and cost-effective way, including public cloud, interoperability, citizens folder/wallet and the promotion of open source. Existing EU programmes and the request to adhere and advance in the implementation of the Digital Decade can serve as policy levers to achieve this goal.
One of the flagship digital infrastructures to be implemented in Romania is the Government Cloud Initiative (ADR, STS and RIS, 2022[18]; Authority for the Digitalisation of Romania, 2023[19]). The project, to be funded under Romania’s Recovery and Resilience Fund, is a collective effort between the ADR, STS and the Romanian Intelligence Service, with the co-ordinating role of the Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digitalisation, to advance in the availability of IaaS, PaaS and SaaS solutions for public sector institutions that do not have access to or resources to maintain their own data centres. Similarly, the role of the Government Cloud project is critical for achieving other policy goals for the digital transformation of Romania, including creating the conditions to enable government interoperability in service delivery.
The fact-finding mission and evidence collection indicates that there are high expectations from less resourced public sector institutions to count with reliable and scalable digital infrastructure such as the government cloud. At the same time, there are concerns within more digitally mature public sector institutions about the quality, reliability and security that the cloud infrastructure will offer compared to their existing infrastructure. Additionally, the initiative has faced criticism from public sector institutions and civil society regarding the extent to which data will be managed and protected within the existing governance framework (OECD, 2023[20]; OECD, 2023[21]). With this regard, Romania could consider establishing a comprehensive and inclusive development framework for the Government Cloud initiative support a collaborative governance approach for the deployment and operation of cloud infrastructure in the country. Looking ahead, it would be important that key players, especially those that manage key base registries and services, endorse cloud plans and are confident of the reliability and quality of future developments. A collaborative governance approach could also support increased accountability in response to the abovementioned privacy and security concerns. In order to further co-ordinate efforts within the public sector, such governance mechanism could also include the General Secretariat of the Government (GSG) as well as the National Supervisory Authority for Personal Data Processing3.
Similarly, it would be important that Romania clearly articulates the development of digital infrastructure with core goals, purposes and actions that will lead to better digital services in the country. Other OECD countries have articulated such policy goals into dedicated cloud strategies in order to align public sector institutions and establish a common vision in the context of improved digital processes and services (see Box 5.6), putting services and users first over technology infrastructure. Furthermore, the Government Cloud Initiative co-exists with another key priority for MCID and ADR, the National Interoperability Framework (NIF) (see details in Chapter 4). In this regard, the policy frameworks governing both initiatives should be aligned and fully integrated under the expectative that public sector interoperability will be enabled by an ecosystem that includes cloud services.
In the United States, the 2019 Federal Cloud Computing Strategy (Cloud Smart) was prepared as a comprehensive, long-term approach to encourage cloud adoption within US Federal departments. The strategy builds on the "Report to the President on Federal IT Modernization" issued by the Office of Budget and Management (OMB) in 2017, which committed to updating the original Federal Cloud Computing Strategy (Cloud First). The Cloud Smart strategy provides guidance to help government missions leverage cloud technologies effectively. The strategy is built on three core principles: security, procurement, and workforce, aiming to develop a holistic IT modernisation approach. As part of the governance framework for digital government, the Chief Information Officers Council has outlined actions for the strategy's implementation, focusing on application portfolio rationalisation. This involves evaluating and eliminating unnecessary applications to streamline service delivery and rationalise resources.
The Secure Cloud Strategy has been developed to help Australian public sector institutions to navigate the challenges of transitioning to cloud technology, aiming to capitalise on its potential benefits for the Australian Public Service. The strategy promotes public sector institutions to adopt a sustainable-oriented approach, minimising repetition, fostering co-operation, and boosting responsiveness and innovation when using cloud services. Under the strategy, public sector institutions are mandated to develop individual cloud strategies building on dedicated governance frameworks for sharing of knowledge and resources to increase collaboration and avoid siloed expertise. Using the Secure Cloud Strategy as a foundation, agencies have to define their unique value propositions, workforce plans, optimal cloud models, and readiness assessments.
Source: https://cloud.cio.gov/strategy/ and https://www.dta.gov.au/sites/default/files/2022-09/DTA%20Secure%20Cloud%20Strategy%20-%20October%202021%20v3.pdf
The implementation of the Government Cloud initiative requires also an ecosystem of supporting tools that effectively equip government institutions to use it. Existing plans include the development of a dedicated marketplace for public sector institutions to access cloud services, and the implementation and operation face will require of collective efforts to secure equal access and use of the infrastructure. Looking ahead, Romania could see the implementation of the Government Cloud and NIF as a policy window to introduce other reforms to enable the digitalisation of government services. For example, a marketplace will be implemented for public sector institutions to access cloud services. However, Romania could consider leveraging this effort and scale it up for other digital goods and services as well, ensuring contracts that allow flexibility, scalability and protect public service providers from external shocks.
Digital notifications and payments
Two core enablers that contribute to a consistent and coherent experience of users with public services are digital notifications and payments. In line with the development of digital public infrastructure and digital public goods as a subset of non-rivalry and open-source solutions, digital notifications and payments enable users to complete end-to-end and transactional services online (OECD, 2021[22]).
In Romania, the government does not count with a common tool to enable notifications. More digitally mature public sector institutions such as the Ministry of Interior Affairs or the Ministry of Justice count with their own digital tools to communicate with users regarding services, information, and benefits. This also includes the Ministry of Finance and the notification system SPV4, which enables the Ministry to communicate with users regarding tax declarations and related issues.
However, in line with the findings across this study, there is still a significant gap between digitally mature public sector institutions and those less resources and skilled to drive the digitisation of their services. Acknowledging the existing of notification mechanisms, most public sector institutions do not have such a tool to effectively enable payments for fully transactional services online. Looking ahead and informed by the experience and lessons in the development of core digital government infrastructure such as cloud and interoperability, Romania could consider establishing a common digital tool for notification to enable public sector service teams that do not have a digital notification mechanism to send emails, text messages and other communications.
In this endeavour, Romania could consider leveraging international expertise in the form of digital public goods for user notification. Several OECD countries have experimented with the adoption of digital public goods, in particular for notification. This is the case of GOV.UK Notify, the digital notification system from the United Kingdom (see Box 5.7) which has been leveraged by several countries to rapidly implement notifications with users as part of their digital government strategy, including Canada, Brazil and the United States.
As part of the UK’s Government as a Platform approach, GOV.UK Notify is a platform designed for public sector teams to easily send emails, text messages, and letters without requiring technical expertise. Users can create, send, edit, and format messages, add personalisation, send in bulk, track delivery, and collaborate with their team. It offers free accounts, unlimited email sending, file attachments, email branding, and both sending and receiving text message capabilities, including to international numbers. Additionally, GOV.UK Notify can handle the printing and postage of letters, offering choices in postage, international postings, and branding, along with an option to upload letters directly as PDFs. For automatic message sending, integration with the GOV.UK Notify API is required. The platform prioritises data security and commits to high performance standards, such as delivering 95% of messages within 10 seconds and ensuring letters are printed and posted by next working day.
GDS is currently exploring alternatives to enhance the flexibility of the GOV.UK Notify platform for public sector messaging. The strategy includes allowing public sector institutions to add their individual branding, adding new features, and transitioning to a new hosting provider since GOV.UK Platform as a Service is to be decommissioned. The plan also prioritises user retention by improving features, including better Welsh language support and enhanced email capabilities outside the GOV.UK domain.
Source: Government Digital Service (n.d.[23]), GOV.UK Notify, https://www.notifications.service.gov.uk/features (accessed on 10 August 2023), UK Authority (2023[24]), GDS plans more flexibility for GOV.UK Notify, https://www.ukauthority.com/articles/gds-plans-more-flexibility-for-govuk-notify/ (accessed on 10 August 2023).
As with the experience of notifications, taking payments in the Romania public sector is not clearly articulated. With the presence of several private sector providers and a positive attitude of Romanian citizens towards digital payment mechanisms5, government services that require either taking or transferring payments are still limited – as observed in the evidence collection for this project. There is a widespread availability of digital payment and wallet mechanisms, including local providers such as PayU Romania and Romcard. This also includes the digital payment gateway Ghiseul6 developed by the ADR which enables the payment of taxes and fees with public sector institutions. With a large enrolment and uptake among local governments in the country, Guiseul is not yet the authoritative digital payment mechanism in Romania. In this sense, the country could further stress efforts to secure uptake of Guiseul among central government institutions, in particular by securing the adherence through investment approval and inclusion in a possible service standard.
Digital identity and wallet/folder
Identity verification is foundational for accessing vital public and private services including voting, financial transactions, government assistance, and health care. With the increasing number of digital services, the need for reliable and interoperable digital identification solutions becomes crucial to facilitate more secure and readily available services, as well as a smoother public sector experience. The context for cross-border service delivery and the need of interoperable and mutually recognised solution requires a strategic approach to govern digital identity, as highlighted by the OECD Recommendation on the Governance of Digital Identity (OECD, 2023[25]) (see Box 5.8).
Recognising the social, economic and public value of digital identity systems to enhance privacy, facilitate inclusion, simplify access to government and private services, as well as transform the way public service providers interact with their users, the OECD issued a recommendation to assist develop and govern human-centric and portable digital identity systems. The OECD Recommendation of the Council on the Governance of Digital Identity promotes members and mind-alike countries to implement digital identity systems adhering to the following principles:
Source: OECD (2023[25]) Recommendation of the Council on the Governance of Digital Identity, https://legalinstruments.oecd.org/en/instruments/OECD-LEGAL-0491.
In Romania, functions around digital identity are divided between identity management and the development of its related digital solution. The Ministry of Internal Affairs7 manages issuance of identity documents (cards and passports) as well as related base registries that comprise attributes for identity verification – such as the natural person registry. Additionally, company registration and identification are managed by the National Office for Commercial Registration8. Finally, the development of the digital identity system in Romania, including the management of the eIDAS node, is under the responsibility of the ADR (Authority for the Digitalisation of Romania, 2023[16]).
Romania’s digital identity policy builds on the implementation of EU eIDAS regulation and its ongoing update process9. As part of this process, Romania’s Ministry of Internal Affairs is planning the introduction of electronic ID cards10. At the same time, ADR is implementing the Centralised Software Platform for Digital Identification (PSCID), which aims to allow Romanian citizens to set digital identity credentials to access digital government services in the country and abroad. As highlighted in the Recommendation on the Governance of Digital Identity, establishing sound governance mechanisms is critical for user-centric, trusted and interoperable digital identity. However, evidence from the fact-finding mission showed that digital identity requires further co-ordination and collaborative governance models between the entities responsible for issuance, management and digitalisation of identity, in particular in the context of initiatives under parallel implementation to solve similar needs. This is of particular importance as securing the user-centricity of digital identity systems is critical for a convenient and seamless experience for users when identifying themselves online (OECD, 2023[25]). Improving the governance for digital identity, acknowledging the roles of each institution in the identity management lifecycle would be of particular relevance since Romania is the most delayed country in the roadmap for implementation of the eIDAS node11.
The implementation of different solutions for digital identity is a common issue within the EU context as countries advance their efforts to adjust existing digital identity mechanisms (including ID cards with electronic signature) with more user-centric and agile solutions. Romania would benefit from digital co-operation with other EU countries to leverage the extensive knowledge and experience of these countries in aligning existing efforts for a comprehensive and federated digital identity ecosystem e.g. Portugal or Ireland (see Box 5.9 and Box 5.10).
Portugal initiated its digital identity roadmap in 2007 with the 'Citizen Card', which combined five identification numbers into a singular card and integrated digital certificates. This card replaced multiple individual documents, such as the tax ID and health service card. Though effective, the need for a physical card reader posed a challenge, leading to the introduction of the 'Digital Mobile Key' in 2014.
In 2018, SCAP was introduced, enabling users to authenticate and sign digitally based on their professional or business attributes. Another step forward was taken in 2019 with the ID.gov.pt mobile application, a digital wallet allowing users to store and access personal ID documents. This app integrated with the Digital Mobile Key and regularly updated data for security.
Supporting these tools is Autenticacao.gov, a central platform integrating the national electronic authentication and signature solutions. It offers a common API for service providers to access all authentication mechanisms, prioritising user control and data privacy.
Over the years, the Portuguese eID ecosystem has expanded. Despite the mandatory use of the Citizen Card, the Digital Mobile Key's adoption has risen, especially among private entities. The use of these digital identity tools surged during the COVID-19 pandemic. By 2020, almost 13 million authentications were registered through national eID providers.
Source: European Commission (2021[26]), The Portuguese Digital Identity Ecosystem, https://joinup.ec.europa.eu/collection/portuguese-egovernment-solutions/news/portugals-pioneering-eid-solutions (accessed on 10 August 2023)
In Ireland, MyGovID is the one-login solution allowing users safe, online access to government services and with stepwise increase in identity proofing requirements. To instantly access simple government services, users do not need to go through an identification proofing process but can sign up for a basic MyGovID account online using their name and email address. To gain access to more value government services that utilise my MyGovID for access and authentication, users need to verify their account and identity by providing their Personal Public Service (PPS) number, Public Services Card, and a phone number verified by the relevant government department. After entering their details, a 6-digit code will be sent to the verified phone number for the users to fully verify and activate the MyGovID account. In terms of future digital services, MyGovID is the sole means of authenticating identity for the purpose of accessing online government services, provided that an alternative service channel is available.
Source: Government of Ireland (n.d.[27]), MyGovID, https://www.mygovid.ie/ (accessed on 10 August 2023)
References
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[13] AMA (2022), Mosaico Service Design Toolkit, https://mosaico.gov.pt/ (accessed on 10 August 2023).
[16] Authority for the Digitalisation of Romania (2023), Centralized Software Platform for Digital Identification - PSCID, https://www.adr.gov.ro/proiecte-in-implementare/platforma-software-centralizata-pentru-identificare-digitala-pscid/.
[19] Authority for the Digitalisation of Romania (2023), Government Cloud, https://www.adr.gov.ro/cloud/.
[14] Digital Transformation Agency (n.d.), Service Standard, https://www.dta.gov.au/help-and-advice/about-digital-service-standard (accessed on 10 August 2023).
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[26] European Commission (2021), The Portuguese Digital Identity Ecosystem, https://joinup.ec.europa.eu/collection/portuguese-egovernment-solutions/news/portugals-pioneering-eid-solutions (accessed on 10 August 2023).
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[6] OECD (2022), OECD Good Practice Principles for Public Service Design and Delivery in the Digital Age, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/2ade500b-en.
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Notes
← 1. See details in https://anap.gov.ro/web/legislatie-primara/
← 2. See details in https://commission.europa.eu/business-economy-euro/economic-recovery/recovery-and-resilience-facility/country-pages/romanias-recovery-and-resilience-plan_en
← 3. See details in https://www.dataprotection.ro/index.jsp?page=home&lang=en
← 4. See details in https://www.anaf.ro/anaf/internet/ANAF/servicii_online/inregistrare_utilizatori
← 5. See details in https://www.romaniajournal.ro/business/financial/more-than-half-of-romanians-prefer-digital-payments/
← 6. See details in https://www.ghiseul.ro/ghiseul/public/
← 7. See details in https://igi.mai.gov.ro/en/identity-and-travel-documents/
← 8. See more details in https://www.onrc.ro
← 9. See more details in https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/eidas-regulation
← 10. See more details in https://www.romania-insider.com/romania-plans-introduce-electronic-id-cards
← 11. See more details in https://ec.europa.eu/digital-building-blocks/wikis/display/DIGITAL/Country+overview