Digital strategy adviser: Latvia's new competence centre should change services, not just the org chart
On 29 September the Latvian government backed consolidating ICT competences and ordered a model for a cross-ministry support centre. An opinion piece in Ir magazine argues the reform should be judged by simpler services for residents and businesses.
Zigurds Līkums, an independent digital strategy adviser in the United Kingdom's public sector, argues in an opinion piece in the Latvian magazine Ir that the country's digital governance reform should be judged by whether services become easier for people and businesses to use. The article responds to the Cabinet of Ministers' decision of 29 September to back the consolidation of information and communication technology (ICT) competences and to commission an operating model for a cross-ministry digital development and ICT procurement support centre.
What the government has decided
A proposal for the new centre's operating and funding model is due by 31 January 2027, using the State Digital Development Agency as its basis. Unified ICT procurement guidelines are due by 1 March 2027. Rules adopted in September call for stricter assessment of ICT investments, reuse of existing solutions and cross-ministry oversight.
On 11 September the Ministry of Finance reported that its review under the ICT procurement moratorium had, by 4 September, averted state budget spending of 21.2 million euros. Some requests were withdrawn, postponed or suspended.
The author's position
Līkums says one institution should not take over all ministries' IT functions: sectors should keep responsibility for their services, while centralised expertise should help them and demand results. He argues the state must be a professional client able to set requirements, manage suppliers and challenge the assumption that a new system is needed. In his view, the private sector will remain an important partner.
As an example, the author cites passport renewal in the UK, which can usually be done online without visiting an office, and suggests Latvia assess remote renewal at least in some cases, while keeping identity checks and document security. That would require reviewing laws, security requirements and cooperation between institutions.
For the new centre's model, he would like to see clear cross-ministry powers, strong in-house state expertise and measurable results, including the time and effort that obtaining services takes for residents and businesses.
