This section presents the main findings and recommendations proceeding from the assessment of the VUI described in previous sections. For each finding, a series of high-impact recommendations are proposed. If implemented, they could position the VUI to achieve the key objectives of attracting investment, reducing the administrative burden and improving public service provision.
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4. Assessment and recommendations
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1. Although the VUI has developed a robust methodology for the simplification and improvement of procedures and processes, it must co-ordinate efforts and strengthen its institutional relationship with the MEIC, given that this ministry acts as the governing body for regulatory improvement in Costa Rica.
The PROCOMER team in charge of the VUI has succeeded in establishing a strong relationship with relevant stakeholders and has developed a robust methodology for simplifying and improving the platform's processes and procedures. However, it is essential for the VUI to further strengthen institutional links with the Directorate for Regulatory Improvement in the MEIC, which is the government body in charge of regulatory improvement in Costa Rica. This relationship is crucial to enhancing the framework for regulatory improvement, since this directorate plays a central role in simplification and co-ordination processes. Although there is interaction between the VUI and the Directorate for Regulatory Improvement, this relationship must be enhanced and strengthened if drives for simplification and the use of tools to benefit citizens are to be more effectively co-ordinated. Although the VUI has devised its own methodology to streamline and improve procedures and processes, these efforts must be co-ordinated with initiatives led by the Directorate for Regulatory Improvement to ensure more efficient synergy and greater impact with regard to simplifying administrative processes and enhancing user experience.
While MEIC is a member of the VUI Steering Committee, any initiatives, proposals and lines of action are already at an advanced stage by the time they are brought before the committee, and there are large gaps between them. As such, MEIC's participation and contribution may be limited and its impact reduced. In this regard, institutional co-ordination should be the responsibility not just of the heads of the different agencies but also of operational staff who administer and manage procedures and simplification tools at the national level.
Recommendations
PROCOMER should strengthen co-ordination with the MEIC, bringing together simplification strategies under one programme. Currently, the MEIC and PROCOMER are both implementing simplification actions, but entirely independently of one another. Although simplification falls under PROCOMER's remit, its activities must be aligned with a national programme.
The VUI and the MEIC should also co-ordinate efforts to design specific training programmes for public officials involved in simplification processes.
Co-ordination actions should include agreeing on the definition of a "procedure" in accordance with the one used by MEIC, and using this in the VUI.
The VUI Steering Committee is the ideal forum to drive such co-ordination between the MEIC and PROCOMER. However, formal mechanisms for co-ordination should be established at the technical and operational levels.
2. A large part of the VUI's efforts were successfully focused on helping government institutions simplify and improve their processes. This success has generated over-demand for collaborating with the VUI. This over-demand may hinder the achievement of the VUI's primary objectives; as such, its strategic planning needs to be strengthened.
As part of its efforts to develop the VUI, PROCOMER created and used a series of methodologies to simplify procedures. These methodologies have been successful in improving procedures. For example, in the case of some of the procedures of the National Environmental Technical Secretariat, response times were reduced from more than two years to only 60 days. In light of this achievement, these methodologies began to be implemented to improve a wide variety of procedures and/or internal processes. One example relates to the registration of agrochemicals, which is a very specialised procedure.
The positive results achieved through using the VUI's methodologies for improving and simplifying procedures have led various ministries and government institutions at the national and subnational levels to seek the same type of support with their processes. This has led to a situation of over-demand, creating consistently high workloads for the VUIʼs staff. The VUI currently has 46 procedures, steps or processes in operation on the portal that have been improved with digital technology; however, there are a total of 125 procedures, steps or processes on the waiting list. Seven years into the VUI project, which began in 2016, it may appear less dynamic in scope due to its increased workload. The successful application of the VUIʼs simplification methodologies is in contrast to the seemingly low use of the procedures integrated into the VUI's digital platform.
Recommendation
PROCOMER should set out a critical path with realistic short, medium and long-term plans and goals for improving procedures, steps and processes. The paralysis resulting from demand for the VUI has caused PROCOMER to implement a series of actions that are not necessarily based on strategic planning with tangible short, medium and long-term results. This shortcoming and the failure to progressively release modules may affect the perception and use of the VUI.
In this regard, strategic objectives should be defined that take into account the perspective of different stakeholders, the resources available and the assessment and reduction of key administrative burdens, as well as the effective adoption of the tool in the short and medium term.
3. The strategy informing the design of the VUI uses different methodologies to simplify procedures. As part of its work, the VUI maintains contact with stakeholders (mainly chambers of commerce) to understand their position on the project. However, there is ample opportunity to improve the VUI based on user-centred and life-events approaches, and with strategies for monitoring and improving performance indicators.
The VUI uses internationally recognised process re-engineering methodologies to simplify procedures. These include the Kaizen method for continuous improvement or Lean Six Sigma for re-engineering. However, the VUI does not have a formal, systematic method for understanding the needs of users in order to inform platform development and usability design.
PROCOMER maintains formal and informal communication channels with the main actors responsible for the VUI. PROCOMER and COMEX have indicated that consultations and workshops have been and continue to be held that include "the client's voice" to analyse user needs and integrate them into the VUI. In fact, PROCOMER highlights that it holds sessions with the country's most important chambers of commerce to define the VUI's direction and growth. In spite of this, very few representatives of chambers of commerce were found to have had direct experience with the procedures, or to have businesspeople among their affiliates who have recently managed procedures in the VUI. Likewise, it is not clear whether businesspeople or citizens who have used VUI procedures before are systematically involved.
In addition, the current online version of the VUI is not organised according to life events. Currently, on the portal https://vui.cr/ there are 11 different procedures classified as "Pre-Business Start-up" or "Business Start-up", with no information on the sequence users should follow in their application.
The VUI is working on simplifying a series of procedures, steps and processes (125) at the national and subnational levels, as well as on internal processes for their management. PROCOMER has already categorised these procedures, steps and processes, but they are not classified according to a life event approach in which potential investors are guided on the different processes they can follow, depending on their aims and needs. On the other hand, the VUI uses a definition of “procedure” that is not the same as the MEIC definition, and which includes both formal procedures and internal processes. This difference in the definition of a “procedure” has implications for developing a portal organised by life events.
There is currently no evidence that the VUI is working on developing a comprehensive monitoring and evaluation system to identify areas of opportunity with regard to the VUI itself and to each of the procedures it administers from a citizen perspective. Although the VUI rolled out a system to identify satisfaction levels among internal and external users and collect qualitative information, this is not an wide-reaching tool that enables different aspects of the platform and their functionality to be evaluated. In terms of end-user experience, the VUI does not have any online communication channels for real-time provision of feedback, complaints or recommendations about the platform experience. Likewise, PROCOMER does not have performance indicators based on a monitoring and evaluation plan designed for making adaptations to the VUI.
Recommendations
The VUI should be built around a life event model, based on the needs of end users. A system organised by life events and based on user needs is needed in order to enhance user experience, as well as to reduce the inconsistencies in the information that users encounter in relation to procedures and information requests. This kind of system would also reduce exposure to corruption by reducing ambiguity and discretion in the way procedures linked to a given event are administered.
PROCOMER should be able to establish a systematic public consultation mechanism to gather user feedback. PROCOMER currently holds consultation forums, but they are only in relation to specific needs and are not part of a strategy for strengthening relations with stakeholders. In addition to this, it could consider establishing mechanisms for VUI users to provide immediate feedback. These could include focus groups, in-depth interviews, targeted surveys, or other instruments.
The VUI should define performance indicators, including ones measuring user experience, and establish a system for monitoring and evaluating the results achieved to improve the VUI's performance.
4. Despite the success of the VUI in simplifying and digitally improving the procedures for setting up an investment in Costa Rica, which has generated high demand from public institutions wishing to join the VUI, it seems the VUI is not being widely used by the business sector.
The review team was able to gather feedback from representatives of the business sector in Costa Rica. Their feedback suggests there is broad knowledge of the VUI and a positive perception of its contribution to improving procedures for setting up investments. This positive perception contrasts with the seemingly low use of the VUI: among the groups interviewed by the OECD Secretariat, no representative who had used the VUI could be found.
Likewise, there is no evidence of a VUI communication plan that takes into account the platform's different users. Nor is there any explicit evidence that a communication strategy based on everyday language was used when setting up the VUI.
Recommendation
PROCOMER should design and implement a communication programme to promote the use of the VUI. The programme could include:
clear communication on the progress of the VUI, implementation stages, expected results and the problems it aims to solve
information on the procedures already set up in the VUI
awareness-raising and dissemination of information about the VUI among the public.
5. The VUI includes simplified and digitally enhanced procedures that facilitate the setting up of investments in Costa Rica. There are ample opportunities for end-to-end digital procedures, which would increase the benefits for the VUI's users and make business set-up even easier.
At the time of writing, 46 procedures, steps or processes have been simplified and improved with digital technology in the VUI. All of them were simplified and improved using different methodologies prior to their incorporation into the VUI.
In addition, the VUI provides a digital environment where those interested can find information on procedures, steps and processes, initiate some of these processes on line, and manage groups of them together digitally. The VUI has features that offer users the opportunity to benefit from digital technologies and make the management of procedures easier for them. This includes the use of digital signatures, payment engines and digital files. To achieve end-to-end digital procedures and thus increase the benefits to the VUI's users and make business set-up even easier, these features could be improved. Features managed by the central government such as the procedures and services registry, georeferenced map and inspection platform could also be included.
Recommendation
PROCOMER could consider improving or developing the blocks in the digital procedures pyramid to continue making progress with its efforts to simplify and digitise the procedures in the VUI. The proposed blocks of the digital procedures pyramid are a series of key components that must interact with a digital one-stop shopf. Each block represents a series of specific functions for the purpose of managing end-to-end digital procedures. In the case of the VUI, improving these blocks includes:
A procedures and services registry under the remit of the MEIC: promoting the creation of a single website that contains the entire repository of procedures and services in Costa Rica, which should feed into the VUI. The information on the procedures should be accurate, up to date and consistent with that of other existing information mechanisms. Finally, information should be provided in everyday language and organised by life events. Information on the procedures to be included in the digital one-stop shop should come from this registry.
Georeferenced map: promoting the creation of a website containing a georeferenced information system or spatial data infrastructure that can be consulted on line by the general public, businesspeople and public officials for decision-making purposes. Information must be up to date and interoperate between different government agencies and with the digital one-stop shop for mutual benefit.
Inspection platform: developing a digital inspection management system to improve communication between institutions and citizens in the regulatory process, making it more transparent and reliable. The inspection platform should interoperate with the digital one-stop shop.
Digital signatures:
requesting that the institutions responsible for the administration of digital signatures in Costa Rica promote schemes to reduce costs for citizens and investors of obtaining a digital signature for use in digital procedures in the VUI
promoting the use of digital signatures in all VUI procedures by both users and public officials involved in the management and resolution of procedures.
Payment engine:
allowing credit card payments
For future procedures with payments that depend on a variable factor, such as square meters, the creation of a digital calculator to determine the total amount payable is recommended.
Digital file:
ensuring that all VUI procedures use digital files.