Federal Strategy Unit for IT

TASK

The 1990s saw the increasing use of IT, PC and Internet resources in the Public Administration sector. As a result, the Public Coordination Centers had to deal with the harmonization of isolated legacy applications. In Switzerland, the Federal Strategy Unit for IT (FSUIT) has been confronted with the problem of defining a functional approach for request and performance features for a unified software platform for the Public Administration sector since 1999.

SOLUTION

The FSUIT decided to purchase a commercial product rather than developing a solution in-house. In 1999 Fabasoft’s eGov-Suite was chosen via a WTO tender. The willingness to support the methodology chosen by the FSUIT and to provide the required software – particularly meeting the requirements of the Federal State of Switzerland – was decisive in the acceptance of the tender. The development of a standard solution which defines all product functionalities, user interfaces and specifications was consolidated and specified by the FSUIT in collaboration with governmental departments and the Federal Office. This solution was implemented as a web application utilizing the Fabasoft VAPP Technology.

IMPLEMENTATION

The Federal Administration of Switzerland signed a basic agreement with Fabasoft in October 2005. The central point was, and still is, an intensified and expanded collaboration. The strategic importance of a consistent “GEVER Standard” for the Federal State was also emphasized. With the basic agreement, Fabasoft’s eGov-Suite CH was licensed to more than 6,000 via the Federal State. The agreement also makes it possible to obtain Fabasoft’s eGov Suite CH in the cantons and municipalities under defined terms. The cantons Thurgau and Basel Landschaft obtained their licenses in this way. Fabasoft’s eGov-Suite CH is the only GEVER Standard Solution for document and administration management in the Federal State with such a basic agreement. Organizations of the Federal Administration are able to access licenses to this agreement without any further tender offers. Hanspeter Baumgartner, strategic buyer and team leader of the Services Department in the Federal Office for Buildings and Logistics, notes: “The arrangement of the basic agreement took six labor-intensive days. The supply of licenses works without any problems.” Operation of Fabasoft’s eGov-Suite CH is the responsibility of various governmental departments: Federal Office of Information Technology, Systems and Telecommunication (FOITT), Information Service Center EVD (ISCeco), Information Service Center (ISC) of the Federal Department of Justice and Police (FDJP) as well as the Directorate of Corporate Management, the Information Service Center (ISC) of the Federal Department for Foreign Affairs (FDFA). The FOITT for example offers its customers the Standard Environment BAGEFA (Base GEVER Fabasoft Architectaure). Backend services are run on clustered servers for several departments. For every department a dedicated web server is available, and all servers are mirrored. Currently version 6.1 of Fabasoft’s eGov-Suite CH is in use.

OBJECTIVES MET

The centralization of change and release management resulted in cost reductions as well as a simplified and harmonized software environment. Furthermore, Fabasoft’s eGov-Suite CH makes it possible to use the same training materials across all departments. Lower costs and shorter project durations have been the result of the implementation. Another advantage is the possibility to host the French and Italian language version of the software centrally. Employees benefit from a standardized user interface.

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