Digital transformation is reshaping economies and societies, raising expectations for more effective, transparent, innovative and resilient governments. For governments, this means not only adopting new technologies, but improving the capabilities, ways of working and governance needed to translate policy agendas into tangible results. In this context, digital government has become a strategic lever for modernising the public sector, improving policy implementation and service delivery, and sustaining trust.
The OECD supports Member and partner countries in advancing digital government through analytical work, standards and peer exchange under the auspices of the OECD Public Governance Committee and the Working Party of Senior Digital Government Officials (E‑Leaders). OECD Digital Government Reviews, part of the OECD Digital Government Studies series, help governments assess their digital transformation efforts and identify opportunities to move from isolated initiatives to coherent, user-focused and sustainable approaches.
This Digital Government Review of Biscay, Spain, was developed at the request of the Provincial Council of Biscay. The Review aims to support Biscay as it consolidates digital transformation as a core component of government action, building on strong institutional capacity and an active innovation ecosystem, while preparing for future challenges and evolving service needs. As a subnational government, Biscay plays a critical role in delivering services that matter to people’s daily lives. Strengthening digital government at this level can help improve service quality and convenience, enable better use of data for decision making, and support more innovative and agile approaches. Biscay’s experience is therefore relevant not only for the province itself, but also for other subnational governments looking to translate ambition into consistent results at scale.
The Review examines Biscay’s digital government across four areas: governance, investments and skills for resilient digital government; unleashing data for trustworthy AI; delivering digitally enabled public services that meet user needs; and GovTech to drive an innovative public administration in Biscay. It draws on evidence gathered through a collaborative assessment process, including structured engagement with provincial stakeholders, international peers from New South Wales (Australia) and Flanders (Belgium), and analysis of relevant policies, practices and delivery experiences. The OECD Secretariat worked closely with the Provincial Council of Biscay and Lantik, the provincial technology public company, throughout the project to ensure the Review reflects Biscay’s context, priorities and institutional arrangements, and to support a constructive discussion on how to sustain progress in the years ahead.