Internal Digitalization In Local Authorities.
We believe that we can’t implement an external management application to enhance service provision and improve democracy through citizen-centricity without successful internal processes and a complete set of digitalization within the local authorities.
Today through innovative solutions, the municipal management system we are introducing will ensure that the right mechanisms are installed for every municipal process to ensure maximum transparency and accountability. We believe that we can create ground-breaking technologies to make services citizen-centric, decrease corruption and enhance efficiency through computerized solutions.
SmartGov has developed a partnership with G8T Solutions to install robust internal systems in local
authorities and our first municipality to pilot this project is the Municipality of Ras Maska. With over 4,000,000 lines of code the Municipal Management System is designed using industry leading
architecture. Currently the complicated, traditional and extremely centralized processes adopted in
administrative work exhausts citizens and results in delayed and dissatisfying services. The system
aims to increase the efficiency of the municipality by providing the right tools to modernize work
instruments raising the level of control and facilitating the delivery and completion of citizen
procedures by automating most processes.
By reducing the information and supporting documents
required of a citizen to fill out, the system will assist the municipality in providing citizens with the required services without any delays and with the desired quality. This reinforces the role of the
municipality in receiving and completing procedures while assuring accountability and transparency.
Key Performance Indicators provide accurate statistics on the completed procedures and those that
have not yet been completed along with the reasons for non-completion. Not only will the system play
a big role in minimizing the distance between the citizens and the municipality, it will provide the
municipality with all the modules required to keep track of the budget and financial status along with
performance reports.
Challenges:
Local authorities lack digital systems to completely digitize the internal mechanisms and processes. Municipalities use an outdated system that is developed more than a decade ago which also lacks modern technologies that can raise the efficiency and effectiveness in addition to facilitating citizens requests.
Solutions:
A complete set of digitalization within the local authorities to increase the efficiency of the municipality by providing the right tools to modernize work instruments raising the control level, facilitating the delivery and completion of citizen procedures and automating most of its processes.
Results
This transformative system is implemented with respect to all of the project’s milestones and delivered all modules fully functional and with compliance to all Lebanese municipal bylaws from Standard Operating Procedures to Administrative and Financial reporting, where it almost digitized every municipal process. The outcomes of this system were very significant, automating the municipal work has increased its efficiency, transparency, and accountability, the work that took municipal agent hours, can now be accomplished within a few clicks with no errors. Also, the team performed on-site training sessions for all required municipal staff enabling them to fully operate all features of the implemented system. The municipality has already formulated its 2022 budget using the system and closed its 2021 fiscal year generating the corresponding end-of-year reports. Some of the modules implemented and now fully functioning were the following:
Accessibility: Cross-platform and cross devices implementation, an interactive map view that is linked to all of the system financial and administrative modules
Workflow management: Ensures that all procedures follow a predefined workflow and allows tracking the procedures by status and indicates which have been completed and which have not, in addition to that, citizens will immediately receive an SMS message when they submit a form, the SMS message will provide them with a tracking number and status of their submission.
Budget: Includes all the transactions and reports stated by the budgeting bylaws of the Municipalities and public funds management. The visualized charts and reports provide the administration with the follow-up and statistics tools in real-time, this feature also includes APIs which give the ability for citizens to access the detailed municipal budget and transparency in real-time graphs and charts.
Document Management System (Filing and archiving): Acting as built-in storage and archiving system with a paperless environment each paper printed has a QR code that will automatically upload and categorize documents when scanned. Every paper generated by the Municipality has a QR code which already eliminated the avenues of forgery.
Public procurement: The module is linked with budgeting and inventory modules for automatic transaction posting with a decision support system highlighting the most affordable prices, or the nearest delivery date
Project planning and implementation: Project Progress reports to follow up the on the current status of the project while keeping an eye on the time and materials consumed
