Ensure Quality of Service Delivery (MD0068)

Ensuring the delivery of quality public services through process reengineering and optimizing the process of delivering public services
6.1 Reengineering / modernization of the public services in the field of social protection, namely the implementation of the e-Demand service for the allowances granted to families with children
6.2. Developing the online submission system for subsidy files in agriculture
6.3. Farmers' training on the use of the online submission system for grant dossiers, registries and other relevant information systems in the sector according to the annual internal training plans
6.4. Implementing the Cabinet of the economic agent as a mechanism for interaction with the economic agent, with the following functions: - possibility of generating reports for the economic agent; - electronic mail; - the mechanism for submitting documents in electronic format and digitally signed
Responsible institution: National Social Insurance Agency; Agriculture Intervention Agency and Payments Agency (AIPA); Ministry of Finance (Customs Service)
Supporting institution(s): E-Government Center
Start date: 4th quarter 2016 End date: 2nd quarter 2018

6. Ensure quality of service delivery

Commitment Text:

Title: Ensuring the delivery of quality public services through process reengineering and optimizing the process of delivering public services

6.1 Reengineering / modernization of the public services in the field of social protection, namely the implementation of the e-Demand service for the allowances granted to families with children

6.2. Developing the online submission system for subsidy files in agriculture

6.3. Farmers' training on the use of the online submission system for grant dossiers, registries and other relevant information systems in the sector according to the annual internal training plans

6.4. Implementing the Cabinet of the economic agent as a mechanism for interaction with the economic agent, with the following functions:

- possibility of generating reports for the economic agent;

- electronic mail;

- the mechanism for submitting documents in electronic format and digitally signed

Responsible institution: National Social Insurance Agency; Agriculture Intervention Agency and Payments Agency (AIPA); Ministry of Finance (Customs Service)

Supporting institution(s): E-Government Center

Start date: 4th quarter 2016 End date: 2nd quarter 2018

Context and Objectives

In September 2016, the government approved the Modernization of Public Services Reform to improve the access, efficiency, and quality of government services.[Note184: The law, http://lex.justice.md/md/366273/] This project will be implemented by the State Chancellery and funded by the World Bank.[Note185: World Bank, Modernization of Government Services in the Republic of Moldova, http://projects.worldbank.org/P148537/?lang=en&tab=financial] This commitment aims to support the implementation of this four-year reform strategy.

Specifically, the goal of this commitment is to 1) modernize social protection public services by implementing the new e-Demand service, 2) develop an online submission system for subsidy files in agriculture and train farmers on how to use it, and 3) implement a mechanism for interacting with economic agents. The online system will make the submission of subsidy files in agriculture more efficient, avoiding travelling to the capital city for this purpose. However, the National Farmers’ Federation considers that a more important step in this process should be to streamline the paperwork needed for submission, and eventually to reduce it, as well as to more clearly communicate to farmers what exactly they need to submit.[Note186: V.Pojoga, National Farmers Association AgroInform, personal communication, 21 December 2017.]

The e-cabinet of the economic agent is a digital application to be included in the general inter-operability platform,[Note187: The platform was developed by the Government as a technical solution which will ensure the exchange of data between the Governmental Agencies, and Ministries, http://lex.justice.md/md/353238/] although a separate server for it also exists. The request to introduce such a system (e-cabinet) came from the business sector. The e-cabinet will make the customs-related processes more efficient for business entities, as there will be no need to submit the same paperwork for each activity, but rather it will allow the customs officers to access the paperwork electronically. This will also help avoid errors and potential corruption.

The specificity of this commitment is medium: the first three commitment activities identify deliverables but the function of the cabinet of the economic agent is ambiguous, as is its relevance to the overall objective. Ultimately, while this commitment optimizes the service delivery processes in various fields, it does not contain a public-facing element which would increase access to information, create opportunities for citizens to influence government decision making, or hold government officials accountable. As such, this commitment is not relevant to OGP values.

If fully implemented, this commitment will have a minor potential impact. Despite the general title of this commitment and its relationship to the expansive public services reform, the actual scope of this commitment is limited to specific services in the fields of social protection, agriculture, and economics.

Completion

The overall completion of this commitment is limited. Although the National Social Services Agency (NSSA) fully implemented the e-Demand service, the implementation for the remaining commitment activities is either limited or not started.

In October 2016, the NSSA launched the e-Demand service, which provides three types of allowances granted to families with children (6.1).[Note188: Bani, e-Demand service, http://bani.md/serviciul-ecerere-indemnizatii-familiilor-cu-copii-a-fost-lansat-cine-sunt-beneficiarii-si-care-sunt-conditiile---81359.html] Although the action plan was developed in 2016, the development of this e-Demand service began in 2015. The NSSA, with support from the E-Government Center and MiLab, conducted an assessment of the child allowances application process, which included visits to the territorial offices of NSSA, and conducted a survey among beneficiaries (e.g., parents).

The development of the online submission system of agricultural subsidy applications was initiated in 2017 (6.2). No consultations have taken place with the agricultural associations or with the end beneficiaries, but the launch of the new system was discussed during regular meetings[Note189: V.Pojoga, National Farmers Association AgroInform, personal communication, 21 December 2017.] held by agricultural associations. Although a final concept of the system is not yet available at the time of research, the Ministry of Agriculture and AIPA have announced that the system will be launched in 2018.

The government has not begun implementing the farmers’ training on the use of the online submission system (6.3) and the interviewed agricultural association[Note190: V.Pojoga, National Farmers Association AgroInform, personal communication, 21 December 2017.] is not aware of any government plans. The association stated that if there are government-led training programs, the farmers will attend the sessions only if participation is a requirement for subsidy applications.

The E-Cabinet of the economic agent is currently being tested on the developer’s (BASS Systems, a local IT company) and the Customs Office training server,[Note191: V. Girbu, Customs Office, personal communication, 4 January 2018.] but the launch date of the system is not yet known (6.4). However, the formulation of the commitment in the action plan does not fully reflect the activities planned by the Customs Office, the implementing agency, in 2018 to train staff and disseminate information about the new system via government websites and email. The business association representative interviewed[Note192: E. Chirilenco, European Business Association, personal communication, 22 December 2018.] by the IRM researcher was not aware of plans to develop and launch the new system. The electronic mail component (as listed in the action plan) is not de facto a component of this system, as it exists as a separate activity of the institution.[Note193: V. Girbu, Customs Office, personal communication, 4 January 2018.] The report generation function is planned for the future but has not been developed. The IRM researcher organized an online survey to inquire about the outcomes of the e-Demand service implementation between November 2016–December 2017. The results show that many parents are not aware of this e-service, despite the information the NSSA has disseminated via websites, social media, TV and radio channels when the e-system was launched. Parents who have used the service have expressed their gratitude and have also recommended further technical improvements to the platform, e.g. adding an application monitoring instrument, and a child allowance calculator. Using this e-service has reduced waiting time, quickened access to services, and reduced costs for beneficiaries who would otherwise have to travel from rural areas to the NSSA.

Early Results (if any)

The IRM researcher organized an online survey to inquire about the outcomes of the e-Demand service implementation between November 2016–December 2017. The results show that many parents are not aware of this e-service, despite the information the NSSA has disseminated via websites, social media, TV and radio channels when the e-system was launched. Parents who have used the service have expressed their gratitude and have also recommended further technical improvements to the platform, e.g., adding an application monitoring instrument, and a child allowance calculator. The application allows monitoring through an already available verify status function. Using this e-service has reduced waiting time, quickened access to services, and reduced costs for beneficiaries who would otherwise have to travel from rural areas to the NSSA. Additionally, according to the E-Government Center, offline users have also benefited from the service implementation with a shorter and simplified experience. According to the government, the e-demand service continues to be improved through a citizen-centric and citizen-driven redesign.

There are no early results for commitment activities 6.2, 6.3, and 6.4.

Next Steps

The IRM researcher recommends for this commitment to be completed in the remaining time of the action plan implementation, and taken forward into the next action plan if more time is needed. Specifically, the government should consider the following suggestions to improve the commitment activities:

· Raise awareness and knowledge of the e-Demand service among the public and relevant stakeholders (6.1).

· Organize TV-based training for farmers on the use of the online submission system, as opposed to internet training, seeing as 74 percent of the population[Note194: According to the 2017 Public Opinion Barometer] use TV, compared to only 46 percent who use the internet. Besides, for 65 percent of the population, TV represents the main source of information, while the internet is the primary source for only 24 percent (6.3).

· Develop tools, such as surveys, to measure user satisfaction and the coverage of the e-Cabinet system (6.4).

6. Ensure quality of service delivery

Commitment Text:

Title: Ensuring the delivery of quality public services through process reengineering and optimizing the process of delivering public services

6.1 Reengineering / modernization of the public services in the field of social protection, namely the implementation of the e-Demand service for the allowances granted to families with children

6.2. Developing the online submission system for subsidy files in agriculture

6.3. Farmers' training on the use of the online submission system for grant dossiers, registries and other relevant information systems in the sector according to the annual internal training plans

6.4. Implementing the Cabinet of the economic agent as a mechanism for interaction with the economic agent, with the following functions:

• possibility of generating reports for the economic agent;
• electronic mail;
• the mechanism for submitting documents in electronic format and digitally signed

Responsible Institutions: National Social Insurance Agency; Agriculture Intervention Agency and Payments Agency (AIPA); Ministry of Finance (Customs Service)

Supporting Institution: E-Government Agency

Start Date: 4th quarter 2016

End Date: 4th quarter 2016

Commitment Aim:

In 2016, the government approved a four-year strategy for the modernization of public services supported by the World Bank. [163] This commitment aimed to contribute to this broader governmental initiative through the modernization of social protection public services by implementing the new e-Demand service, by developing an online submission system for subsidy files in agriculture and training farmers on how to use it, and implementing a mechanism for interacting with economic agents (businesses, companies), called the e-cabinet.

Status

Midterm: Limited

The National Social Services Agency (NSSA) fully implemented the e-Demand service (6.1) in November 2016. The e-Demand service grants allowances to families with children and is available through the NSSA website as well as through the portal for governmental services (www.servicii.gov.md). [164] The development of this e-service represented a component of a separate government initiative and was added to the OGP action plan due to its relevance to open government. Among the benefits of the e-Demand service implementation, as stated by the government and some participants (users of the system) in a small survey conducted by the IRM researcher for the midterm report, are: reduced waiting times due to quicker access to this service, as well as reduced costs for beneficiaries who previously had to travel to regional NSSA centers to submit paper-based forms.

Development of the online submission system for agricultural subsidy applications (6.2) began in 2017 with designing the system concept and specifications. The Agricultural Intervention and Payments Agency (AIPA), in consultation with the E-Government Agency, coordinated the concept development. The Ministry of Agriculture planned to launch the system in 2018 and there was no training program on the new system in place for farmers (6.3) at the end of year one of implementation since the system concept was not yet finalized.

The E-Cabinet (6.4) was developed and tested in 2017 by a subcontracted IT company (BASS Systems). Both the developer and the beneficiary (the Customs Service) have tested the new system on their servers, however, it was not clear when the system will be launched.

End of term: Limited

According to the head of the IT Department of AIPA, [165] responsible for the coordination of the development and implementation of the online submission, the system development and launch was not achieved in 2018 due to financial difficulties. Though ENPARD [166] committed initially to contract a developer, this initiative did not materialize, and the agency decided to continue implementation of this activity using its own resources, with a revised timeline to launch the system in February 2019. Currently, the agency is scanning the market for a developer which could potentially develop the system in a short time. The concept developed in 2017 was never submitted for comments by the public or civil society as it represents an intermediate draft and its development will continue. When finalized, the concept draft will be submitted to the ministry and undergo the official approval procedure.

The agency did, however, implement other e-instruments towards the achievement of the current commitment in 2018. On 2 April, an online appointment to schedule the submission of agricultural subsidy applications was launched. [167] This instrument allows farmers to plan ahead and avoid long waiting times on-site. Moreover, according to the AIPA representative interviewed, [168] this functionality helps to familiarize the agency with online tools, which had not been employed so far in communications between the public authorities from the agricultural sector and farmers/agricultural producers. The IRM researcher verified the functionality of the system; it allows choosing the AIPA office the application will be submitted at, and the time the person wants to schedule the submission; there are 30 minutes allotted for each person. [169] The new instrument was promoted via Facebook, [170] the official website of the agency, [171] and through the media. [172]^{, [173]} However, considering that internet usage in the target population (farmers) is low, it is not clear to what extent farmers are aware of the service and there are no statistics on the number of farmers that have used it.

The training program for farmers on the use of the submission system (6.3) has not started. The agency considers that this can be implemented only after the testing of the system is completed.

There is no publicly available information on the final activity of this commitment—the implementation of the e-cabinet of the economic agent (6.4). The IRM researcher unsuccessfully tried to contact the responsible person from the Customs Office for additional details. Other governmental stakeholders relevant to the activity were not able to provide additional information (Ministry of Finance, Customs Office). The Self-Assessment report found that the module was being tested at that moment. [174] Completion for this activity, therefore, had no significant developments in 2018. The Information System was developed and tested during 2017, but by the end of 2018 due to difficulties in securing the system for economic agents, the development process was suspended. Also, in 2018, the European Twinning project entitled “Support to Modernisation of the Customs Service of Moldova in accordance with the requirements of the Association Agreement requirements” was initiated. One of the components of the project is the development of a Customs Single Window. [175]

Did It Open Government?

Access to Information: Did Not Change

Civic Participation: Did Not Change

Public Accountability: Did Not Change

The commitment focused on the modernization of some services from a limited number of areas. However, it has contributed partially to this goal as only one-fourth was implemented — the e-Demand system was developed, implemented, and is functioning. The other activities have stalled since they were components of other programs or action plans, or their implementation was impacted by specific contextual factors (financing, technical aspects). The commitment had unclear relevance to OGP values both as written and as implemented. It did not create a mechanism to enforce greater public accountability; all e-instruments proposed in this commitment helped or could help make the submission of paperwork more efficient but did not create sufficient opportunities for civic participation. It did not contribute to improving access to information.

Carried Forward?

Though the activities of this commitment are not carried forward to the new plan, the modernization of services continues to represent an important area in the 2019–2020 action plan. The activities linked to this focus include the modernization of several public services and the development of a new information system. Most of the activities under the commitment on modernization of services in the action plan will be conducted within the “Modernization of Governmental Services” World Bank program 2018–2023. [176]

According to the responsible institutions, the remaining activities of the commitment will continue to be implemented, as they represent engagements taken by the government and/or activities from other action plans or programs.