22.02.2021

Changes in the field of digitization in the public administration sector are taking place right in front of our eyes. More and more institutions decide to introduce the electronic document workflow system. One of them is ZUS (Social Insurance Institution) that plans to resign from some of their paper correspondence. The comment by Adam Kubat, Head of IT Systems, ArchiDoc S.A., OASIS Group

Just recently, consultations on an amendment to the act on the social insurance system have started. The draft predicts a resignation from the obligatory post delivery of valorisation decisions to beneficiaries, e.g. decisions on pensions, cash benefits and indexation allowances, and the so-called “13” pensions. The reason is to keep administrative costs low. Only in 2020 alone, the Social Insurance Institution processed 17 million of such shipments, which cost the state budget – and therefore each one of us – nearly 12 million PLN (ca. 3 million EUR).

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Justice has prepared regulations on electronic service in processing court proceedings. For now, just for bankruptcy and restructuring proceedings. However, this will be a major change in the solutions used by the judicial administration.

Digitization is knocking on the door.

These measures fit well with the accelerating digitization process in the public administration in Poland, where they are trying to abandon paper documentation. The most recognizable examples of this shift to online are a Trusted Profile, an electronic ID that allows you to settle the official matter in front of your computer, e-prescription or e-referral, so the whole process will be executed without any letters, receipts and stamps. There are changes taking place inside public institutions, too, that are less visible, but equally important. Institutions are slowly moving away from sending bloated volumes of documents, replacing them with their digital equivalents through advanced computer systems. Even offices subordinate to local governments and central administration are starting to use document management solutions provided by ArchiDoc.

EDFS is triumphant – and has the right to be so.

Giving up paper documents does not actually mean blocking or limiting the flow of information. The carrier is changing – instead of paper, we are dealing with the so-called Electronic Document Workflow System (EDWS). There are a few advantages of the system. What is very important from the administrative perspective, the EDWS makes it possible to clearly define who and when received or had access to a specific document. There is also no way that any document gets lost. Additionally, for officials responsible for geodesy, an important role is played by the fact that the EDFS systems take into account not only documents in “classic” form, but also maps or large-format prints. However, the main advantage of electronic systems is the significant optimization of the process – it improves and speeds up the circulation of documents, as well as improves its transparency and facilitates its management. Primarily, EDWS means measurable financial savings related to the reduction of the amount of paper and the number of postal items used in the process.

We had the opportunity to see the advantages of EDWS during the prevailing coronavirus pandemic. It is an ideal alternative to the traditional document exchange process: it does not require any interpersonal contact, does not get sick and can be used at home. It seems that the Ministry of Justice was also convinced, and the Social Insurance Institution may follow in its footsteps over time – the first moves towards it are already visible.

Adam Kubat, Head of IT Systems, ArchiDoc S.A., OASIS Group