Colombia's Government Portal

 
  
Abstract

The government of Colombia made a serious commitment to e-government in 2000-01, mandating that all federal government agencies develop an Internet presence, and creating a unit in the Office of the President to assist and monitor their progress. The Colombian government also developed an Internet legal framework, investment plans, and strong relationships with the private sector in ICT-related projects. The centerpiece of this initiative is the State of Colombia Portal (PEC)

Application Context

Colombia's e-government initiative began with a trip to México in 1999 by Bernard Gilcrist, the director of Colombia's Presidential Program to Fight Corruption (PPLCC). He went to Mexico to study the Compranet model for government purchasing, but was particularly interested in how that e-government application contributed to reducing government corruption. Upon returning to Colombia, Gilcrest lobbied his colleagues in government about the merits of a government portal that would make public information more readily available to citizens, and thereby make government more accountable.

A New Approach

In early 2000, the Office of the President crafted a "Connectivity Agenda" with six key objectives:

1. Expand access to information infrastructure
2. Promote use of ICT in education and trainging
3. Promote use of ICT in business
4. Promote development of national ICT industry
5. Generate national content
6. Government online

The Connectivity Agenda provided a useful strategic framework for subsequent actions. These 6 action goals later encompassed more than 50 projects.

The government portal was launched in August 2000, at an official ceremony presided over by Colombia's president, Mr. Andrés Pastrana. A few weeks later, the President issued Directiva 02 (a presidential decree), which required that all federal government agencies accomplish the following:

1. Create a website -- if the agency did not already have one -- and post particular information to that site by December 31, 2000. The required information consisted of directories, mission plans, budgets, etc.
2. Offer online by December 31, 2001 any public procedures managed by the agency.
3. Conduct purchases online by June 2002.

As a result of this Internet initiative, Colombia's citizens now have access to a huge volume of public information related to budgets, government plans, purchasing, etc. All government regulations since 1900 are available online. In addition, businesses (and citizens) can access government procurement information online.

Implementation Challenges

Financial support from the UNDP provided crucial seed capital for development of the government portal. The PEC was developed using the technology and experience of two private sector companies: govWorks Latin America/Tallion and Arthur Andersen.

The compulsory nature of Directiva 02 was critical for generating action by federal agencies to produce (or improve) their websites. Accompanying this mandate, however, was a new unit in the Office of the President that would provide advice, training, standards and technology. That unit, the Government Online (GEL) Network, was composed of eight people trained in the technology of the government portal. Apart from managing the PEC, this unit advised, supported, and monitored the efforts of the remainder of the federal government.

By March 2001, 80% of federal government agencies had defined and budgeted ICT investment plans in order to comply with the presidential decree. The GEL team coordinated and monitored the investment plans. Agency staff were trained and advised by the GEL team, but retained the autonomy to decide about every aspect of their technology investments. In this way, it was hoped that the GEL unit would be viewed as a supporter, not an intruder.

Benefits and Costs

When Directiva 02 was issued on August 28, 2000, 44% of federal government agencies (89) had no Internet presence whatsoever; and of the remaining agencies, only 5% were judged to offer information of genuine use to citizens. By May 2001, 94% of all Colombian government agencies had a presence on the Web (190 out of 203). The quality of that presence also improved dramatically. The organization and appearance of the sites has largely been standardized.

The PEC provides an entry point to every government agency website, and facilitates thorough searches for government-related information. Citizens are able to email government representatives from the PEC site, either to complain of problems with government services to offer suggestions. Over 400 emails were arriving daily in March 2001.

The spread of information contributes to making public officials more accountable and the citizens better informed and participative. E-government in Colombia is in its infancy -- as it is in the rest of the world. But both the government and citizens have begun to taste the convenience, savings, transparency, and participation that agency websites can generate.

Key Lessons

• Strong leadership is often noted as one of the essential elements of any successful e-government application. And that was certainly true in this instance, as well. The government's commitment e-government has been led by the President himself, as demonstrated at the launch of the PEC and with the presidential decree, Directiva 02. The head of the Connectivity Agenda reports directly to the president.
• It was helpful to begin with a strategy. The Connectivity Agenda established a action framework that guided any plan in Colombia related to ICT development and electronic applications, thus allowing a rational and coordinated investment effort.
• The ability to use both carrots and sticks was likely a key factor leading to the rapid spread and improvement of agency websites. Directiva 02 was a stick; but the goverment also provided support for individual agencies to help them to comply with the requirements in the decree. A Directiva 02 website was created with key information and standards, and the GEL team provided technical support. Inter-agency competition was used as another type of "carrot." The GEL team has conducted periodic surveys of the degree of agency compliance of Directiva 02, and the standings are published on the Directiva 02 website. A sense of pride at being at the top can be a powerful incentive.
• The Colombian government turned a low Internet penetration rate into a motivation rather than view it as an obstacle. When the Connectivity Agenda was launched, Internet penetration in Colombia was below 2%. However, government policy makers believe that producing a supply of useful material on the Internet can stimulate greater demand for Internet access, and thereby help to increase the penetration rate.
• Crafting short-term projects that yield early results can generate positive momentum. The government portal was designed as a first and readily achievable step which would help to extend interest in e-government.
• Public/private partnerships. The Colombian government engaged both govWorks/Tallion and Arthur Andersen in its government portal project without paying market rates for their services. When governments have serious and ambitious plans to apply ICT to their operations, multinational and local companies alike will court government to position themselves for future business opportunities. (Still, governments must be wary of squeezing their suppliers to a point where companies no longer wish to do business with them.)

Case study authors: Miguel Porrua, Business Manager, Tallion, and Jeffrey Rinne (World Bank), with important contributions from Alejando Serrano, Coordinator of Gobierno En Linea, Office of the President, Government of Colombia.
Date submitted: August 10, 2001