Digital Government Review of Biscay, Spain

The Province of Biscay, Spain, is well positioned to achieve a mature digital government, given its innovative industrial ecosystem, robust institutional capacity, fiscal autonomy, and the high political priority given to digital transformation. This Review examines Biscay’s progress and opportunities in digital government across four areas: (i) governance, investments and skills; (ii) data and AI; (iii) the design and delivery of digitally enabled public services; and (iv) GovTech. Overall, Biscay shows strong fundamentals, including effective institutional co‑ordination, shared delivery capacity, and openness to technological experimentation. At the same time, it faces the challenge of translating these strengths into consistently scalable outcomes across the administration and territory.

Biscay has established a robust governance framework for digital government, featuring clear institutional roles and an in-house technology provider. This structure underpins strategic continuity, investment in shared infrastructure, and progress on cross-cutting priorities. However, without regular stress-testing and evidence‑based decision making, there is a risk of institutional inertia. Building on the framework, Biscay has developed investment and delivery tools that align digital initiatives with strategic objectives, supported by benefits monitoring and institutional learning. The Provincial Council is also building digital skills across public services, although an ageing workforce requires a more comprehensive, continuous talent and learning strategy to strengthen delivery capabilities.

Adopting a data-driven approach is crucial for enhancing public sector effectiveness and fostering innovation. Biscay has formalised data governance arrangements with a comprehensive statute, governance model, and multi-level co‑ordination, reinforced by capability-building initiatives such as the Data Academy. Mature assets such as Open Data Bizkaia and GeoBizkaia, along with a unified Provincial Data Catalogue, provide a robust foundation for achieving a data-driven Council. Engagement with data users and structured feedback loops on data value and re‑use can improve the data ecosystem. Developments at regional and national levels have improved data interoperability. For instance, a provincial data node aligned with national standards enables secure exchanges, with scope for more API‑oriented interoperability to increase flexibility for multi‑channel services and third‑party integration.

The use of AI in the Provincial Council of Biscay is already helping to improve internal processes and public services. Machine learning and generative AI pilots are emerging from multiple departments, including predictive modelling for social services, transport analytics that predict bus occupancy and fleet allocation, route optimisation for waste collection, and AI-assisted classification of citizen queries. The main challenge now is moving from isolated pilots to systematic adoption, supported by stronger governance, common guardrails for public organisations, and greater transparency to reinforce trust and accountability.

Biscay is also adopting a more human-centred approach to service design and delivery. Biscay’s goal is to deliver an omni-channel service model that combines a single digital gateway, complementary digital tools, and strengthened assisted channels through in-person and phone support. It is progressively shifting towards a more user-oriented service structure, reorganising its website around life events and improving the in-person experience. User involvement already features in several practical cases and is supported by targeted user research methods. The main opportunity lies in strengthening the strategic approach to human-centred public services in the digital age, for example through a dedicated channel strategy. More standardised practices, such as a shared service standard and strengthened capabilities for service design and user research, could help address unevenness in human-centred design across institutions and improve service quality and consistency.

Finally, Biscay has been a global pioneer in structuring and strengthening GovTech collaboration with start-ups and entrepreneurs for the implementation of their digital government strategy. The GovTech Lab provides a structured, challenge driven approach for collaboration with startups, SMEs and innovators. To maximise impact, GovTech could be more systematically connected to core decision processes, including data access and reuse for problem identification, shared environments for safe experimentation, explicit pathways from pilots to mainstream investment, and procurement models that lower barriers for smaller firms while enabling scaling. Biscay’s international GovTech engagement can further support diffusion and scaling if it is used to share reusable practices and expand markets for successful solutions.