In the context of digital transformation, accelerated today by Artificial Intelligence, In-House companies play a crucial strategic role. Indeed, they are not limited to collecting the needs of public administrations, but have the task of interpreting, structuring and translating them into technical specifications and concrete requirements. It is not just a matter of redefining existing processes, but of accompanying a more radical change: that is, it is not just a matter of modifying procedures, but of rethinking the very way of working within the PA.
In-Houses thus become true ‘architects of public demand’, capable of transforming fragmented needs into coherent projects and bringing them to the attention of the market, stimulating the emergence of innovative and sustainable solutions.
The challenge today is not simply to update tools, but to initiate a profound reshaping that touches the roots of public-private collaboration processes and modes.
Innovation and collaboration with the market
To fulfil this role, In-Houses must adopt approaches that go beyond theory and abstract planning. Innovation, in fact, cannot be explained in words, but must be shown and made tangible: proof of concept, prototypes, small-scale experiments become indispensable tools to stimulate the will of the public administration to undertake paths of change.
In this sense, In-Houses need to build real ‘digital bridges’, bridges to a new digital ecosystem that does not just introduce tools, but allows new ways of working and service to be tested in the field. The market itself, however, is not always ready to respond to these challenges with adequate solutions. It is therefore the task of In-House not only to gather feedback from administrations, but also to stimulate and guide suppliers in a collaborative process of co-development, capable of giving rise to new forms of future-oriented partnerships. The objective, therefore, is not to impose a model, but to co-create it together. In a shared terrain where innovation and sustainability feed off each other.
Public-private partnerships for sustainable innovation
In this scenario, public-private partnerships become an indispensable element. However, their effectiveness depends on the quality of the offer and the mindset of the players involved. Too often, the market comes up with outdated solutions or promises that are not matched in practice: many system integrators and consultants still struggle to come up with truly innovative approaches capable of meeting the PA’s digital sustainability challenges.
In-Houses, strengthened by their domain expertise and proximity to public authorities, therefore have the task of selecting, stimulating and sometimes training private partners, orienting the market towards higher standards.
Digital sustainability, in fact, is not an accessory but a necessary condition for the resilience and competitiveness of the public administration of the future.
Only through a collaborative and responsibility-oriented ecosystem will it be possible to achieve a virtuous match between public demand and private supply, turning technological challenges into growth opportunities for the entire country.