ICT in-house companies are characterised by a number of fundamental and indispensable elements, also based on operational flexibility, in order to meet the needs of their public member organisations.
The first element is domain expertise, i.e. the knowledge and skills required to perform activities in particular fields and sectors of public administration, characterised by a high degree of specialisation. These are concrete knowledge relating to regulations, processes and tools, as well as specific technical skills relating to technological systems, in addition to experience gained in areas also of a strategic nature. Domain expertise is an essential characteristic of in-house companies and, therefore, of their member organisations, as it enables them to carry out the activities of planning, implementation, management and delivery of services in favour of the same in an effective and efficient manner.
In addition, the wealth of knowledge possessed by the in-house companies regarding digital infrastructures, systems and applications and, consequently, digital processes and services, both back office operations, by which is meant those of the ‘administrative machine’, and the services rendered to citizens and businesses, make it possible to preserve the quality and guarantee the continuity of services.
The second element is the continuous and persistent activity of technological scouting for new solutions, technologies and sustainable models for the implementation of new digital services and the evolution of existing ones, in addition to a constant monitoring of regulatory developments, both transversal and sector-specific. In fact, this activity is fundamental to ensure, thanks to the above-mentioned domain expertise, an objective and neutral assessment of the opportunities and expedients necessary for the subsequent introduction and applicability with respect to the digital transformation needs of Member Bodies, in compliance with regulatory requirements.
The monitoring of continuous and constant technological developments, new systems and services, as well as their conditions of use, also in the light of the significant change in the business models of major global players in recent years, is a fundamental factor in enabling public bodies to define sustainable strategies and paths.
Suffice it to think of the choice made in recent times by many operators to supply software no longer with perpetual licensing, but with annual subscription, and again, the availability of cloud services based on service levels and contractual conditions that require continuous technical-economic as well as regulatory evaluations. The impact of these new models, new procurement and service management methods represents a major challenge for all public bodies in a regulatory context that is also constantly evolving. In this regard, one cannot underestimate the burdens arising from the continuous regulatory updates on privacy and information security that require careful evaluation and verification in the context of an increasingly complex and integrated scenario of digital systems and services.
The nature of in-house companies makes it possible to adopt and guarantee the adaptation of their , organisational and operational models, characterised by flexibility, albeit in compliance with the regulations and directives of the Shareholders, to accompany an increasingly rapid evolution, in the light of disruptive technological transformations, the growing needs of public Shareholders and the increasingly impactful actions linked to the digital transformation.
The innovation activities, both technological and organisational, of the public administration find in in-house companies an important ground for the experimentation and validation of technological solutions and services for the benefit of public members, with the aim of identifying sustainable models for their introduction. In fact, the evident speed with which new tools and solutions are made available requires an accurate assessment and measurement of the organisational impact on Public Bodies and on working methods, in order to define an adequate process of change management within organisations and of updating the skills of their staff, as well as the definition of sustainable paths for their introduction.
The growing expectations of citizens and businesses towards the public administration in terms of new services, adapting to a new digital society characterised by the proliferation of digital services, requires a dynamism that finds in in-house companies a unique interlocutor, in the light of the skills and knowledge it possesses, in order to test and verify the sustainability of projects, also from the point of view of reviewing and updating processes, which is often underestimated in innovation initiatives.
The non-commercial nature of the in-house companies, the regulatory constraints that require activities to be carried out mainly in favour of the Shareholders, and the need to ensure useful elements for the Shareholder Entities to arrange for the direct assignment of services in compliance with the regulations in force, represent a natural and, at the same time, imperative stimulus for a continuous optimisation of resources and a constant improvement and efficiency in the implementation and management of activities.
The companies do not compete with the market, they do not pursue profit, but constitute, with the skills and knowledge they possess, an added value for the member organisations, both in supporting the definition of strategic actions and in their implementation.
The digital transformation of the public administration, with its complexity and articulation, its effects on citizens and enterprises, and the responsibility of ensuring the availability of digital services to improve the quality of life and the competitiveness of the production system, assign a fundamental role to the in-house companies, i.e. the ‘engine’ of the activity of designing and implementing sustainable actions within the digital strategies of the member organisations. This increasingly challenging task is also relevant in terms of digital sustainability, given the impressive frequency of technological evolutions of new tools and solutions that can have a significant impact on the functioning of the ‘administrative machine’ and its services.
In conclusion, in-house companies have a task and, therefore, a responsibility, which is increasingly challenging in supporting their member public bodies in deciding on sustainable strategies and actions to be undertaken for digital transformation and its implementation in favour of citizens with due resilience given the dependence, by now, of daily and working life on digital services. Therefore, the in-house companies play a key role in the technical-organisational innovation of the public administration and, for this reason, are called upon to be the first to update their skills and operational processes both in technological and organisational terms by exploiting their operational flexibility.