By setting up these agencies, the government is addressing a pressing issue - that its e-government initiative, which promotes the provision of public services via the Internet on a federal as well as on state and communal level, has led to a plethora of often redundant IT solutions.
The creation of central IT services providers for the Ministries of Finance and the Interior is an attempt to streamline (federal) adoption of IT, and thereby reduce costs.
BIT and ZIVIT work in different domains and offer mostly non-competing solutions. In general, they offer highly-specialised IT solutions geared at addressing the distinct needs of a particular ministry and its subordinated offices. Therefore, directly competing products are usually not available on the private market; however, they are often developed jointly with private companies. Public offices aren't required to use the IT solutions offered by BIT or ZIVIT, but they have to initiate a bidding process that invites bids from both private and public IT providers.
Since BIT and ZIVIT have to compete with established private companies, that have divisions dedicated to the specific needs of the public sector, it forces them to employ resources more efficiently. Therefore, ZIVIT stresses its commitment to operating as a "modern and competitive" IT services provider.
Considering the tight budget constraints, this move makes tremendous sense. Though both agencies have been newly created in their current form, parts of them have been around under different names and have gained valuable experience, which they will need to tackle the task at hand. Both BIT, with approximately 100 staff, and ZIVIT, with around 1,000, hope to expand further over the next few years.
This initiative is primarily about addressing IT usage on a federal level, but it ultimately needs to be broadened to incorporate more seamless co-operation with state and local authorities across the whole of Germany.
Autor: Cornelia Wels-Maug
Quelle: Ovum, 19.01.2006
