Moving to new enabling foundations will involve government continuing to make the shift from 'provider' to 'commissioner'. Government will continue to set outcomes; frame and set policy. It will focus on commissioning effective public servicesand will need to create the legal and regulatory framework in which other parties can start to provide services whichgovernment provides today. Enabling third parties to provide Government services electronically offers the prospect ofaccelerating the speed with which government can adapt to a changing world by putting in place the infrastructure toallow the private sector or the third sector to play a greater role in delivery of public services.

Our vision is built on a strong overarching principle: to make public services efficientand effective; to realise a real step-change in Malta's public services and to contributeto the achievement of the EU Digital Agenda.

This shift will require:

Changes to the policy and regulatory framework to allow the private sector to provide what are currently governmentrun functions, increasing competition, reducing costs and offering the possibility of smaller government, whichin turn will boost National competitiveness.

Clear governance and central programme management to identify the services and orchestrate the transformationand coherent delivery of this change.

Convergence of government functions to achieve a critical mass, enabled through unifying technology so thatcosts can be substantially reduced.

A unifying, enterprise wide, technology architecture to support the deployment of rich, secure, and user centriceGovernment services.

PersonalisationThrough the evolution of a secure identity management framework we shall be in a position to tailor theservices to each individual citizen's needs and service delivery profile around life events. The Government toBusiness context will similarly be enabled to enable the clustering of services relevant to key interactions withGovernment. With the growth in diversity of services and online experience, the context of each citizenexperience needs to be enabled to provide a personalized user experience over multiple service deliverychannels, both in terms of technology, including mobile and TV as well as location. As the Public Sector shiftsfrom “provider” to “commissioner”, opportunities increase for the delivery of public services to be modelledand packaged around their consumer.

Agent EnablingTrusted public and private sector organizations and/or individuals will be in a position to offer a number ofservices which traditionally would be only acquirable from a Government building or site. The seamlessenabling of agents will deliver the value of e-Government in the core of our villages, and other hubs ofcommunity activity in our country. This will contribute towards the sustainability of distributed over-the-counter facilities, ensuring an inclusive Government where citizens with no access to ICT will be ina position to have their service requirements fulfilled.

IMPLICATIONS FOR GOVERNMENT

Malta's first steps in electronic Government were madeback in 2000. Our initial steps were successful and maturedrapidly. We have measured up very well against the EUeGovernment Action Plan i2010. Our progress has alsobeen recognized internationally. Different eGovernmentServices have been included amongst the finalists in EUeGovernment Awards at every event since 2003. Successeshave included mGOV - a mobile phone interface toeGovernment notifications, eVERA - that enables on lineinteraction around the life events related to vehicleownership, MEPA eApplications - which provides an onlinepresence for interaction and participation in the regulationof development, and e-IRDMT - which allows for electronicsubmission of income tax declarations and payment, andwhich is now used for filing by over 95% of businesses inMalta.

In the 2007 “The User Challenge: Benchmarking the SupplyOf Online Public Services” by the European Commission,Malta was described as “one of the best performing countrieswith regards to benchmark indicators used in this survey”.

Our vision for a sustainable, borderless, interoperable eGovernment isreflected in Malta's programme for ICT in the public sector, one whichprovides a shift in the way public administrative services are delivered tobusiness and citizen. Our aspiration is to contribute towards theenhancement and quality improvement of a broad spectrum of theseservices - adding value and empowering eCitizens across Europe.

1999Allocation of ICT toministerial portfolio

2003Electronic PaymentGateway

Malta ranks 1st

2003m-Government

2004

2007e-ID rollout

Digital Certificates

2009-10

The 2009 benchmark saw Malta scoring 100% in both sophisticationand availability of public services, and the report recognises that

“Malta confirms the steep upward trend in its performance … andnow leads the benchmark, jointly with Portugal.”

We are not stopping at basic public services. Neither are we stoppingat availability and sophistication.

We are intent on assisting the transformation of the way GovernmentAdministrative Services are delivered. This transformation will facilitatethe development of a society with the best quality of life that can beoffered to the public in general together with an administration thatis lean and flexible. The next generation of our e-Government has tostand out as a beacon of transformation wherein the application ofICTs in public administration is used intelligently to deliver addedvalue to citizens, businesses and the administration itself.

ACHIEVEMENTS

Hon. Austin Gatt, LL.D., M.P.Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and CommunicationsMinisterial eGovernment Meeting

PILLAR 1

A Citizen Centric eGovernmentThe general approach to providing Government servicestoday is largely based on vertically structured departmentalservices which still require the public and businesses tosequentially approach largely independent service providers,whether through existing eGovernment services or throughactual physical visits to Government departments. Theopportunity to take a different look at providing services ina manner which brings Government to the citizen has becomea compelling choice enabled by a mature ICT infrastructurethat has already given valued eGovernment services.

Information and communications technology have providedthe opportunity for developing sophisticated social andbusiness networks which are now driving the change in oureveryday lives. We increasingly consume services, interactsocially, and work in any location that offers internetconnectivity. This offers the opportunity for Government toevolve the way it interacts with citizens and businesses,adapting and transforming the way it works to realise thevalue of this enabling societal shift.

The customer now expects to be able to access multipleservices online with sophisticated information and securetransactional services. To meet these expectationsGovernment needs to transform its services to change theway it uses technology to enable a radical shift in therelationships with its customers. The shift from anadministration-centric model of public service delivery to acustomer-centric model will enable 'one face of government'to be presented to the customer, offering more transparentinformation about public services, and personalized servicesdelivered over multiple channels.

This shift from the impersonal 'You-centric' model, to aninformed 'Me-centric' model, is a clear step-change in thinkingand in how we will design and operate Public Administrativeservices. It puts customer information and needs at the centreof Government's activities; it requires information to be heldin a smarter manner and used in an appropriate way -withchoice as to whether this is used directly by 'you' or throughan intermediary 'agent'.

Our vision is based on two key pillars and fourenablers which form the foundation of these pillars.

Both pillars of the vision deliver a fundamentallytransformed customer experience. An experiencethat is based on greater transparency; a slimmergovernment, and service design based on customerlife-events.

PILLAR 2

Services which are Better, Fasterand Less Costly

The evolution of eGovernment has always consideredtechnology as an enabler of efficiency and effectiveness,continuously seeking opportunities to provide faster, betterand cheaper services that are more convenient for citizensand businesses.

The second pillar is that of a model of public service deliverythrough which we can enable services to attain and go beyonda 'tipping point' - a point at which the 'cost to serve' thecustomer reduces, yet the service quality improves. Gettingto, and overcoming this 'tipping point' is fundamental tosustaining and increasing the range and quality ofeGovernment services in a context where there are enormouscompeting demands on Government financing.

As we apply this concept to multiple services we seethe benefit to Govt. of moving to over the tippingpoint, and the aggregate value that emerges fromour vision enabling us to meet the challenges of acompetitive future.

We will sense that we have reached a tipping point inindividual or collective eGovernment services when:

• Citizens and businesses are pro-actively engaged insupporting the design of public services; telling uswhat they think; and responsibly consuming thoseservices that are genuinely needed.

• We exhibit a constant passion for the customer andare suitably aware of each and every customer andtheir (current and future) needs.

• We operate in an increasingly boundary-less mannerwithin government through which services aredelivered seamlessly and efficiently, both withingovernment departments, as well as with, andbetween, external delivery partners.

• Government plays the role of excellent commissionerof quality services for the public; more than perhapsthat of a direct provider of services better delivered bythe private sector.

• Metrics tell us that the relative 'cost to serve', productivity,and user satisfaction come together to highlight thisimprovement.

Enabling the pillars of this vision requires a range of initiatives which can be categorised as four principle enablers.

One Face to GovernmentThe citizen centric pillar will need to be underpinned by evolving the current diversity of eGovernment websitestowards a coherent user interface to simplify use and avoid citizen disengagement as the quality and diversity ofthe experience increases. This will entail moving on from public service departmental portalisation towards asingle E-Government interface with one brand identity. It follows that all current services will need to be upgradedand retrofitted to this interface. Provisioning standard components is a key accelerator for this enabler.

Citizen ParticipationThe value of broad public consultation is now widely accepted as an integral part of the democratic process. Theincreasing participation in policy development and service delivery is now a valued component in the widergovernment and societal context. The take up of Web 2.0 technologies, and the propensity of the public toparticipate widely in the social networking opportunities this offers, is a clear indicator of the possibility of takingcitizen participation to a higher level of interaction with Government. The customer-centric “me” model will benefitfrom greater public participation in government policy and operations in order to set the priorities that the publicvalue and to ensure that public services meet the needs of the citizen. This involves a fundamental change inculture; open upfront consultation; and co-production of public services. Open participation will enable valueinteraction around policy-shaping and service delivery enhancement.

THE FOUR ENABLERS

COST /COMPLEXITY

NUMBER OF SERVICES

new

existing

value of benefit

GOV 2.0

For the citizen and business this change willdeliver greater transparency, morepersonalised services, more influence overservice design and delivery, and foster greaterlevels of trust. Government's business will bemore streamlined and interactions significantlymore efficient.

This can only be made possible if the customerbecomes an integral part of the design, andconsumption of public services. It can only bepossible if administration shifts from a 'vertical'silo-based model to a 'horizontal' model ofjoined up service delivery effectively changingthe ecosystem of Government.