Microsoft Partnerships for Technology Access

Transcription

1 Microsoft Partnerships for Technology Access

2 Catalyzing Technology Solutions Through Public-Private Partnerships Improving the way public services are conceived and delivered is the perennial challenge of politics. More and more, governments are turning to technology to make public services accessible and citizencentric in order to improve public policy outcomes. Yet technology is only one of the means to advance policy goals and its adoption does not guarantee success. However, when technology is embedded in the right reform package, with complementary efforts by all stakeholders, its transformative potential is unlimited. The Microsoft Partnerships for Technology Access (PTA) initiative takes this ecosystem approach, forming public-private partnerships (PPP) to help governments optimize IT investments to achieve public policy priorities and empower citizens. The guiding principle is that technology can be a powerful enabler of development goals when designed with a well-thought-out set of high-quality services and delivered through a partnership that leverages the strengths of the public and private sectors. With a complementary partnership mix premised on win-wins, Microsoft PTA offers technology solutions that provide innovative financing, training, and infrastructure options to achieve public policy priorities, transform the lives of citizens, and create conditions for longterm economic growth. PTA supports public policies that: Enable e-government. Empower entrepreneurs. Expand job opportunities. Support public health goals. Enhance education. Improve the quality of life for senior citizens.

3 ChileCompra saw an opportunity to work with PTA to bring thousands of small businesses into the age of e-government. The Chilean government announced a PPP with special financing, hardware, software and training to recruit businesses. About PTA Microsoft Partnerships for Technology Access is an innovative global initiative to help governments achieve policy objectives through publicprivate partnerships that deliver technology solutions to underserved communities. By design, each successful PTA solution shares two common characteristics: The solution is relevant and affordable to the targeted constituency. The solution advances a key public policy objective. The New World of Government beacon was designed to raise the formal readiness of civil servants through targeted training and home placement of PCs. Civil servants with home access are more apt to become comfortable with technology and bring a positive disposition toward a digitally retooled workplace. PTA Solutions have: Increased fair and transparent competitive procurement in Chile by empowering thousands of small businesses to bid for government contracts online and to digitize their business operations. Modernized teacher training in Guatemala by providing computers and educational software to two-thirds of its teachers. Facilitated pension delivery for senior citizens in Argentina and enlivened social connections through technology solutions that included training. Empowering e-citizens, enabling e-governments.

4 Relevance Delivering a bundle of products and services that fulfill the critical criterion of relevance by meeting the client s specific needs. Relevance for a technology solution requires that the needs of the client drive the nature of the solution, including the products and services that are offered. All PTA solutions are based on a thorough understanding of client needs. In Chile, Microsoft and the government undertook a thorough analysis of issues confronting small businesses before developing a solution that could meet their needs. Partners from the public and private sectors were then carefully selected according to the value they could contribute to a solution that would help small businesses grow their markets. The end result was the PTA program My Small Business Grows, through which thousands of small businesses in Chile were able to purchase their first computers outfitted with stateof-the-art electronic business systems that help manage and grow their customer base. With training provided as a part of the PTA solution package, small businesses are now key participants in the electronic marketplace for government contracts, formerly dominated by large companies. The solution has proved successful because it was crafted only upon understanding the specific needs, challenges, and opportunities of small businesses in Chile. Affordability Tailoring a package of value-added products and services that are appropriate to the specific client s income capacity. In markets like those where PTA is active and where key segments of the population lack access to technology, the barriers to access extend beyond the cost of the computer. Affordable solutions also require access to credit, convenient payment methods, and consideration of the ongoing cost of implementation. The success of Guatemala s Opening Futures teacher training initiative, for example, is partly attributable to the manner in which this PTA solution took into account the financial constraints that teachers in Guatemala face. The PPP developed a financing package that included a considerable government subsidy, credit, and a payment arrangement suitable and convenient for teachers. Banks approved teachers for a line of credit and issued a computer voucher, which was redeemed at a computer store for a personal desktop or laptop computer. The government subsidy of U.S.$400 covered between percent of the cost, depending on the model selected, and teachers pay the balance through monthly installments of $10 $15 deducted directly from their salaries. Less than two years after the program was launched, seven out of every ten teachers in Guatemala had purchased computers through Opening Futures. Guatemala now has more computers per teacher than any other country in Latin America.

5 Advancing Public Policy Objectives PTA solutions in Chile, Argentina, Guatemala, and other countries have all been set in motion by a government ministry with a mandate to improve the delivery of a public good or to improve the working conditions of key segments of the population, such as small businesses and teachers. Providing access to underserved communities who would not otherwise be able to afford computers also helps the government achieve national goals, such as improved education, healthcare, and economic growth. The PPP mechanism enables the public sector to harness the know-how, innovation, and resources of Microsoft, other companies, and civil society in order to improve both the quantity and quality of the products and services that are delivered. Six PTA beacon scenarios define the PTA focus. Each solution combines software, hardware, and services to improve technology skills and access for the population segment in the beacon area. PTA beacons include: Public Health Enabling digital skills and access for public health professionals and improving citizen access to health information and services. Workforce Competitiveness Building on government unemployment policies to make affordable, PC-based technology available to citizens and improve life-long employment opportunities. Seniors Helping aging populations overcome the obstacles to technology skills and access to facilitate electronic pension and health benefits, open learning opportunities, maintain independent living, and connect with extended family and friends. Education Providing teachers with access to PC-based technologies at home to facilitate learning, increase digital teaching and learning skills, and meet education goals. New World of Government Ensuring digital efficacy in the civil service ranks to complement digital connectivity efforts. Entrepreneurship Enabling entrepreneurs to access affordable technology and training to increase their productivity and contribution to local economies. Empowering e-citizens, enabling e-governments.

6 Creating the Public Private Partnership A PTA solution begins with an engaged government sponsor working to achieve a policy imperative. The PTA team contributes expertise in the creative work of crafting each PPP in context. Creating the consortium for a PTA deal is an intensive and illuminating process. PTA experts apply well-honed skills to identify appropriate partners for a PPP uniquely convened for each solution. Each party brings a skill, a resource, a talent, or a perspective to bear on the solution. For many, the PPP becomes a way to achieve a goal that has been otherwise out of reach due to challenging market conditions. Microsoft PTA plays the role of catalyst, bringing disparate parties together around shared commitment and investment in outcomes. The collaboration involves balancing goals, risks, and rewards for the collective benefit of each stakeholder: government, private partners, and citizens. According to Bennett and Howard, The critical ingredient for sustainability and success is the realization of direct benefits for each of the stakeholders. This is often challenging to do, but when done properly, the benefits of the PPP should be widely recognized as win-wins. W. Lance Bennett and Phillip N. Howard, Evolving Public-Private Partnerships: A New Model for e-government and e-citizens, In a typical consortium, Microsoft brings together: Government agencies (Health, Education, ICT, Economy, etc.) for policy targeting, audience segmenting, and roles such as sponsorship and support. Banks or other institutions for affordable financing that may be non-traditional in form. Local retailers and software and service providers for relevant and accessible offers that increase their customer reach. National and multinational technology providers for relevant and affordable solutions that reach new customers. Civil society groups engaged with missions on behalf of the target audience. Each partner in the PPP plays an active role in making the whole solution affordable and relevant to the specific constituency. The partners also shoulder joint responsibility for the ongoing effectiveness of the program. This requires a working group to establish trust, accountability, and partnership commitment with rules, incentives, and room to evolve as the program develops.

7 The Virtuous Cycle of E-Government and E-Citizens PTA solutions can have far-reaching benefits for government partners. The potential goes beyond improved information and service delivery to the promise of truly innovative service transformation. Governments often begin e-government investment initiatives still wondering if we build it, will they come? PTA offers a way to engage specific sets of citizens by making services relevant and affordable to them. When this engagement in turn stimulates demand for e-government services, it creates a virtuous cycle of e-government and e-citizen relationships that supports long-term service transformation. Investing in e-government coupled with a PTA solution is a powerful way to stimulate support for e-government broadly. Through public-private partnerships, Microsoft and government can support major technology improvements for governments while ensuring that the benefits reach the people who matter most the constituents and citizens. Microsoft is partnering with ANSES, Argentina s social security administration, to provide PCs preloaded with software that are then installed in homes, with training included. In Argentina, the Administracion Nacional de la Seguridad Social (ANSES) is the nation s social security provider. In 2006, Microsoft and ANSES saw an opportunity to work together to make a difference in the lives of Argentina s senior citizens. Through an innovative new public-private partnership, ANSES, Microsoft, and other partners are offering low-income seniors access to an affordable personal computing solution with everything they need to utilize online government and health services, find news and other information online, and communicate with family. Empowering e-citizens, enabling e-governments.

8 Empowering e-citizens, enabling e-governments. For more information on building a PPP with Microsoft Partnerships for Technology Access, please visit: