CITIZENS’ONE-STOP-SHOP

1. INTRODUCTION

The Resolution of the Council of Ministers nº 176/97 of 21st October set up a mission team
responsible for creating services to deal with the public with a view to installing in one place,
those public services usually attended by a large number of customers.

The mission team is made up of five persons and is integrated into the Presidency of the Council
of Ministers reporting directly to the Secretary of State for Public Administration and
Administrative Modernisation. After a two year lapse, the mission team formed as a project
structure has given rise to an Institute for the Management of Citizens’ One-Stop-Shops (IGLG)
empowered with legal status and administrative, financial and patrimonial autonomy. The
IGLG carries on work developed so far and complies with commitments undertaken since
October 1997.

2. GOALS

The project is not mainly targeted on the internal organisation of services but particularly favours
simplification of procedures, the use of new technologies, further qualification of staff, and above all
transparency and quality in the citizen/customer relationship. Therefore, it clearly evolved into a
project of administrative modernisation, and one might even state that it is a solid expression of
principles and values encompassed by the policy of modernisation of the Public Administration.

The project is based on two fundamental ideas:

• this is not another public service; it embodies a new way of ensuring customer satisfaction in a
decentralisation and rationalisation of services perspective;

• participating institutions fit into a common model and follow common procedures, yet retaining
their identity and autonomy. This applies namely to the technical and administrative management
of each desk dealing with the public.

The Project is aimed at:

• improving the activities of the services dealing with the public by inter-linking services
in a single location;

• promoting friendly, easy access by citizens to services giving priority to personal

dealing with the public as well as encouraging critical assessment;

• developing co-operation and partnership of services;

• introducing new technologies and work practices;

• developing training programmes and vocational upgrading that will strengthen the
motivation and performance of public servants.

1. METHODOLOGY

The implementation of such a project implies both the previous definition of the type of services to be
made available on the site and their co-ordination either at institutional, or at operational level.
The project started up simultaneously in the two major cities of the country covering two components:
traditional public services and providers of services of a public interest with wide ranging and
diversified legal status. Find enclosed a list of 33 public services and companies operating in Lisbon
and Oporto and of services provided. Each of these Citizens’ One-stop-Shop run 27 and 24 desks
respectively. In the first stage, the 33 institutions have been invited to participate on the basis of a
proposed set of models relating to institutional, financial, IT and telecommunications and human
resources structure. Once provisional agreement has been reached, bilateral contacts are established so
as to enable the 33 institutions to join in the project.

2. ORGANIC AND INSTITITONAL FRAMEWORK

This national project is co-ordinated by a public institute with legal status and administrative,
financial and patrimonial autonomy known as the Institute for the Management of Citizen’s One-stop
Shops responsible for ensuring development and management of the service model thoughout the
country.

Each of those shops (2 are currently in operation, and 6 others are to be started up soon)is an external
branch of the Institute ( called «local services») run by a small management unit made up of a
manager and 3 assistant managers in charge of means and resources commonly used and of co-
ordination and support the activities of the desks dealing with the public. The staff assigned to the
desks are responsible to their services and companies both at hierarchical and functional levels and
report to a co-ordinator (in charge of the post dealing with the public).

Consultative bodies operate within the Board of the Institute and with the management units known
respectively as the institutional body and the body of partners: the former tackles major issues (design,
development and expansion of the project; the latter (one for each post) supports the management
units.
The overall principles of the organisational model were agreed upon with the 33 participating
institutions. A protocol signed by the intervening parties regulates the organisation and the operation
of the shops.

3. INFRASTRUCTURES

Areas in which citizens’ one-stop shops are installed meet a number of requirements such as: the
available site (no less than 2,000 m2), easy urban access, adaptability and accessibility by easy urban
public transport, and parking facilities. The interior favours good taste and an informal design with
easy access to services ( namely escalators); shops are equipped with internal audio and image.
Customer reception is also taken into consideration, particularly in terms of information and reception
desks for the disabled and adults accompanying children. The lay-out of each shop is devised
according to the features of the buildings and the local culture. Yet, image identity is preserved so as
to convey the concept of the unity and continuity of the project.

4. IT AND INFORMATION SYSTEM

The shop is equipped with an integrated information system: a private telecom network with data and
voice serving as a link-support to all entities in the shop permitting remote access to application
systems. Connection is established via a co-ordinating centre and transmitted to the various shops.
Access to shops can also be made by a phone call (0 808 24 11 07) and via the Internet
(www.lojadocidadao.pt). In addition to specific information on shops, the user can also have access to
varying information on services provided as well as link up with the corresponding home page.

All desks are linked by intranet permitting support to the internal e-mail system and routing and
distribution of documents; there is also a centralised register of attendance and unified management of
queuing system coupled with a statistical module enabling a daily count of customers attended, of
customers who give up waiting, and the average waiting and handling time.

5. HUMAN RESOURCES

The staff working for the shops are assigned to their respective institutions – an option chiefly justified
by the specific expertise of each working area, thus making it possible to simultaneously rationalise
and distribute the staff by dealing with the public-activities. In addition to the personnel assigned to
dealing with the public-desks, young trainees (students) are hired in each shop under vocational
programmes. They perform tasks of general interest such as general information and reception, dealing
with the disabled, and looking after children.
Bearing in mind the extended, non-stop working hours, the number of working places in each shop is,
therefore considerably lower as regards the number of workers assigned to the project and who
participated in the training programme.
Consequently, the shops in Lisbon and Oporto permanently employ 110 and 95 workers respectively a
total of 226 for Lisbon and 238 for Oporto. All workers, including members of management units took
part in an extensive training programme devised and developed in co-ordination with the National
Institute of Administration and covering the following subjects:

• The Project Citizens’ One-stop-Shop/citizenship

• Interpersonal relationship and dealing with the public

• Leadership and team work

• Introduction to the information system

The module «Project Citizen’s One-stop-Shop/citizenship» was developed by the project team. The
aim was to present and explain the project, its framework as regards administrative modernisation
policy and the link to the development and enhancement of a citizenship culture; the second module
was designed to train staff to use communication techniques to deal in a personal and effective manner
with the public, actively listening and asking questions and clarifying objectives. The third module
aimed at teaching trainees to set up and encourage work teams by pinpointing structural and
procedural motivation factors to encourage a team dynamics. Finally, the last subject aimed at
familiarising users with the working environment and the set of tools used in the citizens’ one-stop
shops.

1. WORKING CONDITIONS

Legal working conditions are those provided for by the various institutions, each of them being
responsible for labour costs. However, as a financial incentive, the project allotted a pay supplement
calculated by each effective working day. Moreover, the working hours of the shops take into
consideration three aspects: the operation of services – always providing the most suitable response to
customers; compliance with weekly working time limits and providing for 2 week days off, even
though one does not necessarily fall on a Saturday.

Working hours are from 8h30 to 20h00 on working days, and from 9h30 to 15h00 on Saturdays.
Two shifts have been set up on working days: one from 8h15 to 14h15 and the other from 14h00 to
20h00;

Shifts on Saturdays are as follows: 9h15 to 15h15.

SERVICES AVAILABLE
AT THE CITIZENS’ ONE-STOP-SHOP

• ADSE (Directorate General for Social Protection to Established and non Established Public
Servants)
• Social Security Regional Service (Lisbon and Tagus Valley)
• Inland Revenue Services
• Directorate General for Registries and Notary Offices
• Directorate General for Judicial Services
• Directorate General for Circulating Vehicles
• Lisbon Civil Government
• Oporto Civil Government
• Consumer Institute
• National Sports Institute (Sports Medical Centre)
• Institute for the Development and Monitoring of Working Conditions
• Institute for Employment and Vocational Training
• General Inspectorate for Economic Activities
• Portuguese Institute for Youth
• Ministry of Health
• Municipal Services of Water Supply and Sewage
• Caixa Geral de Depósitos (National Savings Bank)
• Portuguese Post Office
• Portuguese Electricity Board
• ENATUR – National Tourism Company, Plc
• EPAL – Portuguese Water Board, Plc
• GDL – Natural Gas Distribution Company, Plc
• National Stationery Office – Mint
• PORTGÁS – Gas Production and Distribution Company, Plc
• Portugal Telecom, Plc
• STCP – Oporto Urban Public Transport, Plc
• Bus and Tramway Company / Portuguese Rail Company / Underground / Passenger Ferry
Company
• State Pension Fund