Questions from citizens and companies cannot usually be solved by a single service provider. An example is the international worker who wants to come and work in the Netherlands for a while. He or she will have to deal with government agencies and their complex bureaucratic rules and procedures, but also with private service providers such as healthcare insurers, estate agents and schools. In the coming months, Novay’s Burger- en Bedrijvendossier project (Citizens’ and Companies’ Dossier) will be building a portal for international workers. The portal represents the conclusion of two years of research into integrated demand-led service provision, in the course of which techniques and technologies have been developed to support the customer in solving the services puzzle. The products of the research are characterised by a sophisticated balance between responsibilities, trust and convenience, which has been achieved by giving plenty of attention to user acceptance and organisational bedding-in, alongside possible technological solutions.

Thiemo Burger