Opportunities

• Increase accessibility for citizens, businesses and the public sector to government-wide information and services. Use a variety of channels (in person, telephone and online), increase broadband access and support the ease of use of tools; and lead Canada in providing services in multiple languages.
• Institute the necessary governance and standards to enable ministries to integrate government services. The goal is to allow citizens to access whatever they need from government, from wherever they live and by whatever avenue they choose.
• Continue to be leaders in innovative public sector service delivery by developing integrated cost-effective shared services. This requires successfully co-ordinating the provision of services offered by Shared Services BC (i.e. accommodation and real estate, information technology, payroll, procurement and supply, financial and business applications, and strategic acquisitions and intellectual property); continuously improving processes to drive efficiency in the delivery of these services; leveraging the benefits from public/private partnerships; and ensuring a modern, secure, efficient, and flexible provincial information and technology infrastructure.
• Continue to realize the benefits of Alternative Service Delivery by building and maintaining professional contract performance management capabilities in government to achieve the $550 million in benefits expected from the first nine Alternative Service Delivery initiatives. Citizens' Services will continue to identify and manage new Alternative Service Delivery initiatives with the potential of delivering better services, reducing costs, increasing revenues and/or transferring risk to private sector partners. The intention is also to expand service delivery from existing Alternative Service Delivery initiatives to the broader public sector which will result in lower cost per-unit-pricing across government.
• Support ministries in the strategic use of information and communication technologies to improve the timeliness, consistency, reliability, and cost-effectiveness in the delivery of their programs and services to citizens. This shifts the role of Citizens' Services from providing commodities to being a partner in supplying business solutions, and highlights the importance of joint planning.

Challenges

• Integrated service delivery depends on public confidence in government's ability to guarantee the security of private information. The ability to identify and authenticate clients who want to access services is important. Service delivery channels and infrastructure must be secure and privacy must be maintained.
• Integrated service delivery also depends on having broadband Internet infrastructure in place and accessible in all of B.C.'s communities.
• Achieving service integration and citizen-centred service delivery is complex and requires resources. It involves working with multiple stakeholders to understand and manage their expectations, priorities and interdependencies, while dealing with the intricacies and evolution of technology.
• Being a leader in innovative service delivery carries the inherent risks of being the first to do things in a new way. Maintaining leadership also requires investment and the ability to attract and retain a talented and appropriately skilled workforce in an increasingly competitive marketplace. An immediate need includes ensuring that the right skills and culture are in place across government and within Citizens' Services to meet the business requirements for the increased focus on citizens and integration strategies.