Crossroads Bank for Social Security

1. E-government in the Belgian social security sector: a successful combination of back-office integration and an e-portal solution Frank Robben General managerCrossroads Bank for Social Security Strategic advisor Federal Public Service for ICT Sint-Pieterssteenweg 375 B-1040 Brussels E-mail: Frank.Robben@ksz.fgov.be Website: http://www.law.kuleuven.ac.be/icri/frobben Crossroads Bank for Social Security

2. Services offered • network between 2,000 Belgian public and private social security offices with a secure connection to internet and Belgian interbanking network • single identification key for each citizen, electronically readable from an electronic social security card • electronic information exchange through structured messages among all social security offices • electronic transactions between social security offices on the one hand and companies and socially insured persons on the other • either through the exchange of structured messages • or via an integrated portal site • an integrated portal site containing • information about the entire social security system • harmonized instructions relating to all electronic transactions • a personal page for each company • an integrated multi-modal contact centre supported by a customer relations management tool

3. FTP R Portal R Isabel R R FW FW FW FW FW R R R R R R R The network Customers FW Vocal server Backbone CBSS

4. Some figures • information exchange between all 2,000 social security offices takes place through 170 types of electronic messages instead of hundreds of types of paper forms • in 2003 339,1 million electronic messages have been exchanged among social security offices, which saved as many paper exchanges • 50 types of declaration forms to social security have been abolished • in the remaining 30 declaration forms the number of headings has been reduced on average to a third of the previous number • 6 types of declarations have to be done electronically and 19 types of declarations can be done electronically; all other types will be available electronically by the end of 2005 • in 2003 13, 3 million electronic declarations have been made by 236,000 employers

5. Advantages • efficient, effective and customer-oriented service for socially insured persons and companies • efficient • in terms of cost: same services at lower total cost • in terms of quantity: more services at same total cost • in terms of speed: same services at same total cost in less time • effective: better social protection • in terms of quality: same services at same total cost in same time, but to a higher quality standard • in terms of type of services: new types of services, e.g. • push system: automated granting of or information about services • active search of non-take-up using datawarehousing techniques • controlled management of own personal information • personalized simulation environments • a minimal administrative burden • more efficient combating of fraud • better support of social policy

6. Strategy • review of all processes and relationships • within each social security office • between social security offices • between social security offices on the one hand and socially insured persons and companies on the other • based on clear principles relating to strategic information management • information modelling • single collection and re-use of information • information management • electronic information exchange • information protection

7. Strategy • elaboration of value chains in accordance with the life situation of the customers • maximal possibility of electronic declaration, correction and consultation of information, preferably from application to application • sufficient standardization of concepts and procedures across the branches of social security • harmonized administrative instructions • neutrality • level of benefits of the socially insured persons • labour costs for the companies

8. Reference directory • serves as a basis for organization of information exchange • structure • directory of persons: indicates for each socially insured person, at which social security offices he is known, in what capacity and for what period(s) • data availability table: indicates by type of social security office and the capacity in which a socially insured person might be known to that office, which types of data are available • access authorization table: indicates by type of social security office and the capacity in which a socially insured person might be known to that office, which types of data that office needs and is authorized to receive from other offices in order to fulfil its duties

9. Reference directory • functions • routing of information • preventive access control • automated communication of changes to information

10. Place in global e-government • agreements have been reached on using the same resources for identification, authentification and electronic signatures with the federal government, the regions, the communities and the municipalities • evolution towards a network of service integrators • possibility of integrating all information and transactions in other portals (federal, regions, communities, municipalities, sickness funds, trade unions, etc.) • Ministry of Finance has been offered the possibility of developing this system further to evolve towards a pre-completed tax declaration

11. Network of services integrators Service integrator R/CPS R/CPS Services repository Extranet region or community Service integrator (CBSS) Services repository SSI Extranet social security SSI Internet Municipality FPS SSI Publilink FPS FedMAN Services repository Service integrator (FEDICT) Province City FPS Services repository

12. Most important barriers • privacy and security • average public sector project is more complex than average private sector project, due to • interaction with a larger number of stakeholders (elected officials, public employees, members of interest groups, voters, tax payers, recipients of public services, other governmental institutions, other government levels, …) • execution in a less stable environment • race for quick wins (cf surveymania) doesn’t stimulate development of well conceived systems based on process re-engineering • in the public sector, there is typically no financial margin of value to be added by innovation

13. Most important barriers • intermediaries often perceive e-government as a threat • skills and knowledge • need for radical cultural change within government, e.g. • from hierarchy to participation and team work • meeting the needs of the customer, not the government • empowering rather than serving • rewarding entrepreneurship within government • ex post evaluation on output, not ex ante control of every input

14. Critical success factors • E-government as a structural reform process • process re-engineering and integration • back-office integration for automated granting of services • integrated and personalized front-office service delivery • support of and access to policymakers at the highest level • co-operation between all actors concerned based on repartition of tasks rather than centralization of tasks • quick wins combined with long term vision • focus on more efficient and effective service delivery rather than on the fight against fraud • respect for legal repartition of competences between actors • legal framework • creation of an institution that stimulates and co-ordinates

15. More info • Crossroads Bank for Social Security http://www.ksz.fgov.be • portal sites • social security portal: https://www.socialsecurity.be • federal portal: http://www.belgium.be • personal website Frank Robben • http://www.law.kuleuven.ac.be/icri/frobben

16. Th@nk you ! Crossroads Bank for Social Security