Development

2 - Registration

Registration is the process of collecting standard information of a target group. For this use case, buyers and sellers working across the agricultural value chain, will be required to complete a registration process in order to fully access the Digital Marketplace (via app download and/or web browser). The user needs to complete a registration form with their identifiable information - this could include the person's citizen ID information, phone umber, age, gender, occupation etc.,). The purpose is to collect and authenticate the data identity and information of the intended Marketplace user. Once the intended user's identity data has been verified, they will then receive notification (via sms, e-mail and/or messaging system) confirming their registration with a first-time user ID and password to create a personalized profile on the Marketplace platform. Users can browse Marketplace with or without being logged in. If they want to sell and/or buy goods on the platform, then they must login with a valid account.

Workflows

Data Collection and Reporting for capturing responses provided during the registration process
Identification and Registration allows users to register themselves in the Marketplace in order to access the platform and its services. A built-in GPS in the users' main device i.e. mobile phone, automatically captures the user's location data so as to provide location based services

Building Blocks

3 - Data Verification and Validation

As the purpose of the Marketplace is to easily facilitate the buying and selling of products and services in the agriculture value chain, a process is needed to verify and validate the submitted identity registration data. The data is automatically checked against other government databases (eg. ID, tax, land cadastre, business registration, etc.) in order to fill in any missing gaps, verify and validate collected information, including authentication of all records. Data checking approaches also vary: sometimes it has full interoperability.

Workflows

Client Case Management for storing and reviewing identification records
Data Analysis and Business Intelligence for cross-referencing and verifying records across multiple registry sources, and reconciling gaps / overlaps

Building Blocks

4 - User Profile Account

Every user on the Marketplace that registers will be provided with a personalized username and password to create their own detailed account on the platform. However if a country has a national identity scheme/nation ID registry in place, then this information can used for users to log in/access their personalized account on the Marketplace. Once a user has an account, they must be able to log in, change their details, and create profile with their name or business name, upload images, and other relevant information.

Users should be able to select what kind of services they are seeking to access on the Marketplace platform - i.e., the type of products or services they wish to buy and/or sell on the platform and whether they wish to receive agriculture advisory notifications via audio and text messages (on weather forecasts, crop calendars, pest and disease prevention/control, new seeds, inputs and technology, and market pricing alerts). For any users wishing to supply any products or services, they should be able to personalize their profile page to make their business stand out, and input information on products or services for sale, and their set preferred delivery method (pick up and/or delivery). All of this needs to be done in a way that both keeps user data secure and is compliant with a country's legal requirements.

Workflows

Data Collection and Reporting for capturing the personalized profile information of all registerd users on the platform
Financial Services for staging users' account details for payment transfer processing
Identification and Registration for identifying users and linking them to a personalized profile on the Marketplace
Client communication sends users automated notification of harvest schedule, market prices for subscribed products, and weather/natural disaster updates, transaction-based and promotional information from the Marketplace through digital messaging (e.g. SMS, notification, etc.)

Building Blocks

5 - Listing Pages

The Marketplace needs listing pages - pages on the platform where sellers can display their products for sale and buyers to browse the different options available. Listing information can be sourced from sellers profiles where they can list attributes of goods and services they have for sale - with pictures, descriptions, prices, delivery options etc. Search and discovery tools should be incorporated features on the listing pages to help buyers find what they’re looking for on the Marketplace - buyers should have the ability to search and filter through based on the attributes above as well as use key words, audio function, image search etc, to filter through the Marketplace. A government run Marketplace admin system could be put in place to monitor, change, approve, close, and delete listings if necessary.

Workflows

Data Analysis and Business Intelligence / Decision Support / Data Collection and Reporting to capture, analyze and update all products and services listed on the platform, and ensuring the listing pages are automatically kept up-to-date with any new changes
Client Case Management for tracking products and services listed by Marketplace users on the platform and addressing any customer/ Marketplace users' related issues
Client Case Management for tracking all business transactions

Building Blocks

6 - On-platform Communication

On-platform communication is typically achieved through a messaging tool; a common marketplace feature that allows buyers and sellers to communicate quickly and easily. Buyers might have questions about items before placing an order. Sellers need a way to share updates with buyers after their purchase. Further, once a buyer is interested in buying a specific product, they can search for the product in the Marketplace and find different sellers who are selling the product in different markets, the pricing they are offering and delivery options. Once the buyer finds a seller that meets their pricing and need, they can directly contact the seller, negotiate pricing and share the delivery location with the seller. If the seller agrees to deliver the product at the buyer's location and the pricing is agreed by both parties, then the payment process can be facilitated.

Workflows

Communication to facilitate communication between buyers and sellers via app, web browser, mobile etc
Client case management to address any communication needs between users and schedueling support to coordinate on product or service delivery

Building Blocks

7 - Seller Transaction

A digital Marketplace should incorporate a process to facilitate the payment of goods and services to the seller. To facilitate transactions/payments between buyers and sellers, the platform can have an in-built payment function in the application. Step 7 above tracks the farm products and/or related services listed on the Marketplace and the preferred delivery method by location (pick up and/or delivery). Once the seller agrees to sell to a buyer, and the buyer makes the payment, an SMS or anther direct messaging system is sent to the seller informing them of the remittance being processed. The money could be deposited in to an Escrow Account possibly managed by a financial service provider, which only releases the final remittance to the seller once the physical deliver of a good or service is received b the buyer successfully. Once the physical delivery process has succeeded, the seller then receives the payment in their account.

When filing out their profile with their necessary information and phone number, a process should be put in place for all users to verify their preferred method to receive payment (i.e.via bank account or mobile money), mobil, which will be used to facilitate payment transactions on the platform. Should mobile banking be an agreed transation method, a verification process will be put in place to ensure the mobile number is associated with the user's banking details, and payment transfer can be facilitated via a financial service broker or intermediary embedded as part of the Marketplace platform.

Workflows

Client Case Management for tracking transactions - identifying and authenticating payment transaction between buyers and sellers
Financial Services to facilitate financial transactions between buyers and sellers in order to conclude the buy-sale process
Identification and Registration to identify, register and verify a registered seller's bank and/or mobile banking details is associated to their account
Procurement: buyers and sellers in the Marketplace procure via a Procurement workflow of goods and services by negotiating transactional terms and conditions (e.g. price, delivery time etc.)

Building Blocks

8 - Buyer Transaction

A digital Marketplace should also provide some kind of process to facilitate payment of the listed goods and services by thee registered buyer. After a user wishing to buy agricultural products or services completes their detailed profile on Marketplace, then based on this data, products and services can be suggested for the user. Once a buyer finds a product or service they wish to proceed with, they can get in touch with the seller to discuss pricing and delivery options. Once an agreement is reached, the buyer selects the payment service - it could be the in-built payment function in the Marketplace application connected to the seller's bank or mobile banking. After the payment successfully processed, the buyer receives an SMS or any direct digital messaging system - transaction confirmation authentication code, which has to be shared with the delivery service provider once they receive the goods.

Workflows

Client Case Management for tracking transactions - identifying and authenticating payment transaction between buyers and sellers
Financial Services to facilitate financial transactions between buyers and sellers in order to conclude the buy-sale process
Identification and Registration to identify, register and verify a registered buyer's bank and/or mobile banking details is associated to their account
Procurement: buyers and sellers in the Marketplace procure via a Procurement workflow of goods and services by negotiating transactional terms and conditions (e.g. price, delivery time etc.)

Building Blocks

9 - Physcial Delivery of Goods

Physical delivery is the act of sending out and the receiving of goods or services at an arranged place. In this use case, once the seller receives confirmation of payment for their good or service, an invoice is generated with the buyer's name and address. The next step is to coordinate the delivery process of the physical good(s) to the agree location/address of the buyer. The delivery could be done independently by the seller themself or through a logistics service provider (courier company, transporter) etc. I.e. the seller pays the courier company for on-site pick up and the courier company picks up the good and delivers to the buyer. On receipt of purchased good, the buyer provides the authentication code (see step 8) to the delivery service. The code gets authenticated and the seller receives payment in their bank account.

Workflows

Client Case Management for identifying and authenticating the buyer's authentication code
Financial Services to deposit payment into the seller's account once buyer confirms receipt of purchased goods or services
Supply-chain Management: ensuring the physical delivery of the goods and services being transacted in digital Marketplace and monitoring when the actual supply of goods or service happens physically

Building Blocks

10 - Ongoing Case Management

The government entity running the Marketplace platform has a team of case mangers and administers in place to operate the platform and ensure quality assurance. The case managers can address any queries and support needs of of users. This body also supports in monitoring and addressing complaints and grievances submitted by registered users.

Workflows

Client Case Management for tracking all business transactions, and addressing complaints/grievances raised by Marketplace users
Data Collection and Reporting for capturing the personalized profile information of all registered users on the platform

Building Blocks

Contributors

Wesley Brown, GovStack Product Owner, Digital Impact Alliance
Steve Conrad, Associate Director of Technology, Digital Impact Alliance
Taylor Downs, CEO of OpenFunction
Sarah Farooqi, The Exchange Product Owner, Digital Impact Alliance
Sainabou Jallow, Business Analyst, Digital Impact Alliance
Dr. P. S. Ramkumar, GovStack, International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
Margus Mägi, GovStack Project Lead for Estonia
Farina Owusu, Junior Advisor, Global Programme Digital Transformation at GIZ
Meelis Zujev, GovStack, Estonia

AGR-2 - Rural Advisory Service for Farmers

Product Use Case Summary

AGR-2

This use case profiles rural advisory services for farmers. The objective is to equip farmers with the information, knowledge and skills needed to improve their farms and get better yields.

Governments in low- and middle-income countries are increasingly driven to identify sustainable strategies to ensure farmers have the information they need to stimulate agricultural productivity. Also, to overcome various production, management and marketing constraints that affect their productivity, profitability, and livelihood. Providing rural advisory services that are personalized and subscription based to the needs of famers is seen as a solution to equip farmers with the knowledge required to help upgrade their farming and managerial skills.

Stakeholders

Ministry of Agriculture and/or relevant government run agriculture extension/advisory institution.
Non-governmental organizations (NGOs), the private sector, and producer organizations (POs) and cooperatives.
Agricultural extension agents with expertise in farming systems and supporting rural agricultural productivity.
Farmers seeking to improve agricultural yield and outputs.
Crop insurance providers that provide rural advisory service to ensure insured farmers have the right information.

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 2: Zero Hunger
SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

Building Blocks

Source Documents

Digital Impact Exchange - Rural Advisory Service for Farmers

Steps

1 - Outreach Communication

Staff from the Ministry of Agriculture/ Agriculture extension institution organizes an awareness campaign on a new program initiated by government to support farmers in addressing causes of yield losses in agricultural and horticultural crops - i.e., crops pests. In some countries, rural advisory services are also provided by non-governmental organizations (NGOs), civil society, the private sector, or even by producer organizations (POs) and cooperatives. The campaign is spread using promotional services - mobile messaging and/or aired on national radio/television to inform farmers about the new program. Posters advertising this service can also be disseminated. In addition, the agricultural advisor staff for this program, can coordinate in-person community outreach to rural farming communities.

Awareness drives can be implemented to educate and explain to farmers on the benefits and methods to subscribe to the advisory services of the program for example via a Mobile App, which can be downloaded for free from an online repository i.e., an App Store. Also, advisory services can be offered via a SMS & voice based advisory service, available to the subscribers of a particular Mobile Network Operator.

Workflows

Client Communication to raise awareness to target users about the program via mobile messaging / media channel(s)/ in-person. Also, communication on how farmers can access and subscribe to use the rural advisory service
Client Education for educating potential target users about the program's objective(s), benefit(s), constraint(s), guideline on access etc.
Content Management for the government staff and/ extension agents working on the program, to develop and manage training content for farmers on how to use the rural advisory services. Also, development of farming advisory content available on a mobile app and/or via a SMS & Voice based advisory service

Building Blocks

2 - Advisory Content Management

In this step, content contributors (e.g., agriculture experts) can use a digital system (often an online content management system such as wiki) to create crop specific advisory packages for targeted users. These guidance recommendations for farmers can then be made available in local languages and saved in data repositories - subsequently, a content management system can be used to publish the digital content. In certain countries, service providers such as mobile network operators, can then access the content management system and pull content - per specific need of the users (farmers) - based upon their query and profile, and send advisory messages to them. Thus, access to the content repository and delivery of the content to the targeted users is facilitated using digital means (SMS or via an App).

Workflows

Content Management to create information packages for targeted users and store all the information in a database/ content repository. Also, to facilitate the publishing and dissemination of the data to the target users
Data Analysis and Business Intelligence / Decision Support / Data Collection and Reporting to capture, analyze and update all crop specific advisory packages and messages. Information can be collected from the subscribers through digital survey (e.g., mobile survey)
Work Planning & Coordination to provide advisory services per user need and situational requirements (e.g., adverse climatic conditions, pest outbreak etc.)

Building Blocks

3 - Registration

Registration is the process of collecting standard information of a target group. For this use case, farmers seeking to receive personalized rural advisory service could be required to complete a registration process to subscribe to rural advisory services. Information requested could include information on the user's gender, age, phone number, location, size of farm, crops they are growing etc. This data which is store into a system is to facilitate a personalized user profile. The user will then receive personalized advisory messages based on the crops they are growing, advice on farming techniques and equipment to use based on their farm size, as well as receive local weather forecast and market price updates.

Workflows

Data Collection and Reporting for capturing and storing information provided by each farmer - stored as user profile
Identification and Registration to facilitate personalized advisory services based on registration information provided by the farmers. Also, to capture location of the farmer in order to provide localization-based services - this can be done with aid of geographic information services tool

Building Blocks

4 - Data Verification and Validation

This step is to verify and validate the submitted registration data. The data can automatically be checked against other government databases (e.g. ID, tax, land cadastre, etc.) in order to fill in any missing gaps, verify and validate collected information, including authentication of all records. Data checking approaches also vary: sometimes it has full interoperability.

Workflows

Client Case Management for storing and reviewing identification records
Data Analysis and Business Intelligence for cross-referencing and verifying records across multiple registry sources, and reconciling gaps / overlaps

Building Blocks

5 - Enrollment

Following registration, eligible farmers are asked to enroll in this advisory service program by subscribing to receive agri tips on crop and livestock, market prices and weather updates. In this use case, subscription can happen when users enact a digital action (e.g., dial an USSD code or complete a personalized profile on a mobile app) to receive personalized rural advisory services. Subscription can be open (without any pre-authorization or ID) or closed loop (only those having pre-authorization, such as a registration token).

In some countries, following registration to participate in the rural advisory service, the users must the enroll to receive tailored rural advisory services. This is to personalize their service experience. The user is prompted to complete their personalized profile by selecting the crops and agricultural products they would like to regularly receive advisory services on - optimal time to harvest specific crops, addressing crop specific pesticide issues, market price updates etc.

Workflows

Data Collection and Reporting for capturing personalized subscription selections
Identification and Registration for identifying registered users and linking them to the crop advisory subscriptions they have selected
Client communication sends users personalize SMS and/or notifications of harvest schedule, market prices for subscribed products/crops, and weather/natural disaster updates. Also to respond to any support needs/services requested by the users

Building Blocks

6 - Personalized Advisory Service

Users that subscribe to the rural advisory service, receive a specific number of agri tips notifications (via SMS or App) per week regarding the crop(s) and/or livestocks of their choice. Users should also have the ability to contact a helpline via app or telephone. The objective of the helpline is to connect users to agricultural experts, who can address their queries and follow-up questions on specific advisory notifications they receive. Users can then be given the ability to SMS in their questions or call in to speak to an expert for instant help.

Workflows

Client Case Management to address any communication needs and queries of the target users via mobile helpline, personal messengers, app messaging platform etc
Communication to facilitate communication between farmers and agricultural experts and extension agents (advisory content providers) supporting the implementation of this service

Building Blocks

7 - Marketplace

A marketplace is a platform where customers can find information of vendors selling products or services they need. This marketplace function can include searching and filtering feature as well as scheduling appointments feature. In certain countries that are implementing this rural advisory service via a mobile app, a procurement function is also incorporated into the app. This supports users to be able to search for a specific agricultural product on the app and then be provided a link or even redirected to the respective digital marketplace, where they can purchase this product. An example of such a marketplace platform can be seen outlined in this market linkage use case.

In other instances, this marketplace function can support farmers in identifying and booking a meeting and/or inspection with a specific agricultural expert i.e., an agronomist to visit their farm and address soil management and crop production issues they are facing. Furthermore, also coordinate supply chain management support for farmers around crop storage and waste recycling as well as helping farmer identify contracting services on tilling, harvesting, transport, irrigation,etc.

Workflows

Client Case Management to address any communication needs between users and scheduling support to coordinate on product or service delivery
Communication to facilitate communication between farmers and vendors via app
Marketplace to provide users with a list of products and vendors that can address their products and agricultural service needs

Building Blocks

8 - Monitoring and Evaluation

Monitoring insights are essential to facilitate learning and continuous improvements. Ongoing monitoring and evaluation entails tracking performance of a service all throughout its implementation cycle. It is important to incorporate the changing needs of farmers, but also address environmental problems in the agricultural sector such as soil erosion, pollution and salination which all cause a decrease in yields for farmers. Thus, being agile and having a process in place to implement learnings as quickly as possible, and method to collect, assess and incorporate feedback from farmers are crucial. For example, feedback can regularly be collected from farmers by using various digital tools such as SMS feedback (e.g., send Yes to 123}, IVRS {press 1 if you agree with statement} or mobile survey forms in mobile apps.

Workflows

Client Case Management for ongoing monitoring and tracking of advisory support services provided to farmers
Data Analysis and Business Intelligence / Decision Support / Data Collection and Reporting to analyze, update, and evaluate farmers' crop yields and outputs performances
Data Collection and Reporting for capturing feedback received, and data collected

Building Blocks

Contributors

Wesley Brown, GovStack Product Owner, Digital Impact Alliance
Sarah Farooqi, The Exchange Product Owner, Digital Impact Alliance
Sainabou Jallow, Business Analyst, Digital Impact Alliance
Margus Mägi, GovStack Project Lead for Estonia
Farina Owusu, Junior Advisor, Global Programme Digital Transformation at GIZ
Meelis Zujev, GovStack, Estonia

CLMT-1 - Disaster Management

Product Use Case Summary

CLMT-1

This use case profiles the implementation process of a disaster management system. With the increasing frequency and severity of disasters (both natural and human-made hazards), the international community and country-level disaster management authorities are prioritizing ways to mitigate, prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters. This process tends to involve a multiplicity of diverse stakeholders (public, private, non-profit organizations) - to respond to disasters and protect people, property, and places.

Thus, implementing a harmonized approach to disaster management requires systematic and clear coordination mechanisms on disaster preparedness within government authorities across sectors, at all levels, between levels, as well as with disaster relief organizations. This process entails how to coordinate once a disaster occurs, to setting up a rapid response disaster relief, delivering information on disaster management activities to the public, and implementing rehabilitation and reconstruction support. Certain countries and organizations are increasingly incorporating the use of digital tools in their disaster management systems to enhance their capabilities for preparedness, detection, mitigation, and response to various types of disasters.

Stakeholders

Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Home Affairs, National Crisis center, and/or national government body responsible for dealing with crises and disasters.
Regional, district and/or provincial level authorities responsible for disaster response in their federal state/municipality.
National and international organizations/ disaster relief agencies.
Disaster managers and case managers working at emergency operation centers, logistic and equipment depots, and/or disaster management organizations.
National or regional weather service.
Affected communities and general local population in the vicinity.

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 13: Climate Action

Building Blocks

Source Documents

Steps

1 - Outreach Communication

The Ministry of Interior and/or national government body in charge of nationwide disaster-related activities leads the disaster management coordination efforts. Staff from this government body is tasked with producing a unified legal policy framework, comprehensive disaster preparedness framework and guidelines to determine the declaration of a disaster and the operational direction of response at municipal, district, and federal state level. There needs to be clearly defined roles and responsibilities from central and local governments up to village levels, including the role of community, private sectors, and international partners in disaster management. A collaborative process to define roles and responsibilities is recommended to ensure buy-in and ownership by all relevant parties. All this information can be made available on a dashboard to ensure transparency and accessible of this information via different channels on all governmental levels.

In certain countries, disaster management is a task which is shared between all levels of government - national and subnational authorities (federal, district and/or provincial level authorities). Whereas in other countries, voluntary response organizations and international disaster relief organizations (i.e., Red Cross etc.) lead all disaster relief assistance and public service provisions in the event of a disaster.

Workflows

Client Communication to raise awareness amongst citizens and disseminate information of national and regional disaster management system via all relevant government bodies and disaster relief organizations' websites, mobile / social media channel(s)
Content Management for the collaborative development of agreed regulations and guidelines on harmonized coordination and implementation of disaster management - from policy to implementation
Data Collection and Reporting to ensure that all involved stakeholders are appropriately mapped and aware of their roles and responsibilities
Work Planning and Coordination for liaising with all government authorities and disaster relief organizations on new harmonized disaster management system and methods to effectively communicate and coordinate

Building Blocks

2 - Risk Management & Planning

Risk management planning is crucial to achieve disaster risk reduction, mitigation, prevention, and preparednes. This process can help countries set up emergency response and evacuation plans. Risk assessments should be carried out at all governmental levels, documenting disaster risk scenarios (man-made and natural hazards - floods, droughts, landslides, avalanche etc.), and their probability of occurrence - based on disaster history in the country or the region. Unpredictable climate and climate change related disasters should be considered in the risk assessment.

The purpose of this step is to map the identified disaster scenarios/risks and develop precautionary measures of how to mitigate the consequences for each specific disaster. A strong system of structural and non-structural protection methods should be outlined against each identified disaster. Satellites and information portals for specific natural hazards and other risks can be set up to monitor their early warning signs/ elements. Risk monitoring operational lines should be established at the levels of the municipality, district, and federal state. Authorities can install a national warning system through an alarm that can be triggered nationwide or regionally. i.e., sirens that will warn the population in an emergency. *In countries where disaster management are decentralized, appropriate risk management planning can be drawn up at the level of municipalities, districts, and federal states.

Workflows

Client Communication to provide comprehensive information about disaster risks for the public via the internet, information portals and/or through various local channels and regional media. With information about self-protection and adequate behavior in emergency situations
Data Collection and Reporting for capturing, managing, and evaluating identified disaster risks, their likelihood of occurring, and comprehensive mitigation and/or protection methods

Building Blocks

3 - Early Warning Systems

Early warning systems detect and inform signs before a disaster occurs. As part of their early warning systems, government authorities can set up several surveillance systems to monitor the environment and trigger an alert to the relevant authorities when defined thresholds are exceeded. For example, the use of satellites to map and monitor areas that are likely be affected by natural disasters. On the main rivers, there could be fully automatic flood warning and control systems managed by the hydrological services of the provincial governments.

As it is instrumental for people to know what to do during a crisis or disaster, the authorities can use national and regional government websites, radio stations etc., as an information channel during a disaster or crisis. It can contain information on the incident and on ways for people to reach safety. For people in the immediate vicinity of a disaster (or impending emergency), the authorities can provide warning information in the form of a direct 'Alert'. This could be via a mobile app or a text message that people receive on their mobile phones. In some countries, the National Weather Service operates a warning system for extreme weather conditions, which can be used to warn the authorities and response organizations. Weather warnings can also be disseminated to the local population via a mobile app.

Workflows

Client Case Management for population to be able to report disasters, and receive followup correspondences
Client Communication to disseminate unified disaster information broadcasting through different media platforms including social media, media channel(s), and SMS blasts
Data Collection and Reporting for monitoring, capturing, and evaluating disaster warning information and triggers
Identification to easily be able to identify and track people living in the vicinity where impending emergency is expected to occur

Building Blocks

4 - Emergency Response and Assistance Delivery

Disaster response encompasses all measures from the official declaration of a disaster until its end. This refers to all measures taken by authorities, response organizations, enterprises, individuals and affected parties to mitigate the consequences of an emergency or disaster. In the aftermath of a disaster, it is crucial to put in place a rapid response and assistance delivery system. Based on the location, type and scope of the disaster, stakeholders involved in the disaster response process can include various ministries, agencies, civil society organizations, international disaster relief organizations, the fire service, the police, and the medical services to provide rapid assistance and to keep situations from getting worse.

Depending on the location(s) of the disaster, effective cooperation between emergency services and municipalities in the region is crucial. Some countries have a stand-by force for emergency management made up of a combined civil-military forces from various relevant line ministries/agencies. This national stand-by force coordinates very closely with the local authorities in the district/municipalities the disaster occurs in. Their role is to be ready to assist the disaster-affected municipality in undertaking emergency activities in its area in a timely and integrated manner.

Workflows

Client Case Management for disaster support authorities to rescue victims, provide basic services, and respond to all inquiries and support required to help affected population to start early recovery measures
Communication to facilitate collaboration and communication between authorities, response organizations and affected parties prior to and following the occurence of the disaster
Data Collection and Reporting for capturing information on the initial event (type of disaster, when, where number of victims, cause, and capacity)
Financial Services for providing cash transfers and assistance to support affected population
Identification to easily be able to identify and track affected disaster locations and affected households

Building Blocks

5 - Community Engagement

Community engagement is a critical component of emergency management and disaster resilience. It is the process of building the resilience of communities to play an active role before, during and after a disaster occurs. Especially in disaster prone areas, local volunteers can respond quicker and provide aid due to their close proximity - assisting their fellow community members directly impacted by the disaster - disseminating real time information, evacuation coordination support, emergency first aid etc. Thus, this step recommends for government authorities to coordinate closely with local community groups in the disaster management process.

Workflows

Coordination for liaising with local emergency agencies and their workers involved in supporting disaster relief
Data Collection and Reporting for collecting real time data and disseminating with relevant parties

Building Blocks

6 - International Cooperation

Since most municipalities are too small to handle major hazards, and certain countries might not have the resources to handle all disasters, international cooperation with disaster relief organizations is the norm. The Ministry of the Interior and/or Ministry of Foreign Affairs coordinates support request from international disaster relief organizations. Coordination between national and international emergency agencies and their workers is crucial for any disaster response effort to run smoothly and enable a quicker and better response in crises. Certain countries have digital systems and platforms in place to facilitate asynchronous coordination and communication with international actors on registering the affected population, evacuating people, providing medical assistance, first aid, food, and temporary shelter.

Workflows

Coordination for liaising with all emergency agencies and their workers involved in supporting disaster relief. Onboarding their usage of a platform or system to communicate with each other, provide updates and flag support needs

Building Blocks

7 - Ongoing Case Management

Depending on the country context and the systems used in a country's disaster management system, case management is crucial in the disaster recovery phase. Thus, in certain countries, each municipality has a unit in place with case managers to support case management services during disaster relief efforts. For instance, case managers supporting affected population to have access to public services - housing, medical needs, food etc. These case managers respond, track and monitor urgent support requests from citizens, displaced people etc. Depending on the resources available, certain countries follow a “one-to-one” approach - assigning one case manager per household affected by the disaster.

Workflows

Client Case Management - for identifying and recording affected households’ interaction with case managers and capturing reported cases on grievances
Data Collection and Reporting - for capturing information of affected households and any changes regarding their assistance needs
Work Planning and Coordination - to potentially suggest and connect with departments / agencies offering other social benefits and services to affected households

Building Blocks

8 - Ongoing Monitoring and Evaluation

Monitoring insights are essential to facilitate learning and continuous improvements. Ongoing monitoring and evaluation entails tracking performance of a service all throughout its implementation cycle. All remote sensing and geodata collected and monitored can be assesed to identify ways to improve support during a national disaster situation. A process should be in place to implement learnings as quickly as possible, and method to collect, asses and incorporate feedback from all stakeholders. I.e., this could mean having a system in place that learns and improves its algorithms for subsequent climate events.

Workflows

Client Case Management for ongoing monitoring and tracking of support services provided to affected population
Data Analysis and Business Intelligence / Decision Support / Data Collection and Reporting to analyze, update, and evaluate disaster response performances
Data Collection and Reporting - for capturing feedback received, and data collected

Building Blocks

SDG Digital Investment Framework - A whole-of-Government Approach to Investing in Digital Technologies to Achieve the SDGs

Contributors

Wesley Brown, GovStack Product Owner, Digital Impact Alliance
Sarah Farooqi, The Exchange Product Owner, Digital Impact Alliance
Sainabou Jallow, Business Analyst, Digital Impact Alliance
Nico Lück, GovStack Advisor, GIZ
Ayush Shukla, Technical Officer, International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
Meelis Zujev, Project Manager, Govstack Sandbox, Gofore

EDU-1 - Remote Learning

Product Use Case Summary

EDU-1

The primary objective of the remote learning platform is to deliver engaging and effective educational content to students, facilitate seamless communication between educators and learners, enable interactive assessments, and support continuous learning in a virtual environment.

Remote learning systems can be used to enhance traditional schooling, for vocational training, or for continuous learning and it reduces the need for physical infrastructure, travel, and resource duplication. Learners can access educational content and participate in classes from anywhere, breaking down geographical barriers, and promoting learners of all abilities to participate effectively.

Stakeholders

Administrator that manages the remote learning system and can be available for technical difficulties.
Educator that is in charge of course creation, course delivery, and student evaluation.
Learner that is accessing platform for educational content.
Administrator that manages the remote learning system and can be available for technical difficulties.

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 4: Quality Education

Building Blocks

Source Documents

Steps

1 - Registration

Educators register on the platform by providing their credentials, teaching experience, and expertise. Their accounts are verified and approved by administrators. Learners register on the platform by providing basic personal information. User accounts are created, allowing access to course offerings and other platform features.

Workflows

Data Collection and Reporting for capturing details of educators and learners
Identification and Registration for educators and students
Client Case Management for creating user records

Building Blocks

2 - Data Verification and Validation

Accounts are verified and approved by administrators, including setting permissions based on the user profile. For example, educators will have access to course creation features and will have grade visibility of all students (if applicable). Learners will have a view that supports their personal learning. Advanced identity verification mechanisms, such as email confirmation or multi-factor authentication can ensure the accuracy of user-provided information and prevent unauthorized access. In some cases verification will also involve checking with learning institution (such as student/faculty ID numbers).

Workflows

Client Case Management for storing and reviewing identification records
Data Analysis and Business Intelligence for cross-referencing and verifying records with email, two-factor authentication, student/faculty records

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3 - Payment

In some cases, payment will be required as part of the course, and students and/or educators will have to make the payment after registration. In other cases, payment may be collected as part of a school student and will be external to the learning management system. If payment is required, the platform can facilitate secure online payment options for course enrollment, or the student may be be requested to travel to the nearest designated pay-point and pay in person.

Workflows

Client Case Management for identifying and authenticating individual that is making the payment
Financial Services for processing educator and/or learner payments for accessing the course

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4 - Educator Functions

Educators can create courses, upload course materials, including lecture notes, presentations, assignments, and reading materials. These resources are made available to enrolled students. They can also conduct real-time virtual classes using video conferencing tools integrated into the platform.

Workflows

Client Education for tutorials or guides aimed educators that are creating course content
Knowledge Management to manage course materials, lectures, assets, etc
Work planning and Coordination to manage release of learning modules, grades, quizzes, etc

Building Blocks

5 - Student Functions

Learners can access course content when released by instructors, submit assignments, access quizzes, access grades, and use discussion boards interact with peers and educators. Students can also receive notifications when new modules, messages, or grades are received.

Workflows

Client Education for tutorials or guides aimed learners to be able to use platform with ease
Knowledge Management to manage submissions, interactions with educators and peers, etc.

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6 - Provide Evidence of Learning

At the end of the course, the learner will receive proof of evidence of learning, for example: a digital badge, final grade, and/or certificate that shows the course was completed by the student.

Workflows

Identification and registration to link student account with credential/digital badge

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7 - Ongoing Monitoring and Evaluation

The platform tracks student performance, engagement, and progress throughout the course. Educators and administrators access real-time analytics and reports to monitor learning outcomes. Administrators can also track bug and issues create system updates accordingly.

Workflows

Client Case Management for ongoing monitoring and tracking of how educators and learners are using the platform
Data Analysis and Business Intelligence / Decision Support / Data Collection and Reporting to analyze, update, and report course performance and evaluation

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7 - Archiving/Sunsetting

The system should cater to the archiving/sunsetting of student data, cohort data, and course data, while considering the security of personally identifiable information. In some cases, data should be archived at the end of the course or at the end of student enrollment. In other cases, the system will have a delay function where data will be archived after a pre-determined amount of time. While most data should be archived, analytics and other anonymized data can be retained. Reminder messages may be sent to stakeholders to remind them that their data will be archived/deleted.

Workflows

Content Management for student/educator records
Data Analysis and Business Intelligence to retain necessary analysis on courses, student progress, educator profiles, etc
Knowledge Management for archiving course content and any libraries associated with courses

Building Blocks

Contributors

Wesley Brown, GovStack Product Owner, Digital Impact Alliance
Steve Conrad, Associate Director of Technology, Digital Impact Alliance
Sarah Farooqi, The Exchange Product Owner, Digital Impact Alliance
Sainabou Jallow, Business Analyst, Digital Impact Alliance
Rachel Lawson, Community Manager - GovStack, Digital Impact Alliance
Margus Mägi, GovStack Project Lead for Estonia
Dr. P. S. Ramkumar, GovStack, International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
Ayush Shukla, Technical Officer, International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
Meelis Zujev, Project Manager, Govstack Sandbox, Gofore

ENV-1 - Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR)

Product Use Case Summary

ENV-1

This use case provides step by step guidelines on how to implement the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) system of waste from electrical and electronic equipments (also known as e-waste). EPR is an environmental policy approach that regulates a producer’s responsibility for a product throughout the product’s life cycle. Improper disposal of e-waste poses numerous threats to the environment, economy, and health and well-being of citizens. Under the EPR approach, a producer takes the responsibility for financing collection, recycling and end-of-life disposal of e-waste equipment/product streams - batteries, small consumer electronics, accumulators, packaging and other EPR product categories - in order to mitigate the environmental impacts of their products throughout the entire product life cycle. It thereby aims to increase the separate collection of end-of-life products and to enable their more circular treatment.

Implementing EPR can create various environmental, economical and social benefits. Example of EPR benefits include - improved waste collection and treatment, higher rates of waste reuse and recycling, incentivizing greener products, helping to finance waste collection and processing, and generally promoting a sustainable management of waste and circular economy. Governments in low- and middle-income countries are increasingly interested in implementing an EPR system in various forms through a system where they: define the products covered, the producers affected, the obligations imposed on producers - targets and fees, disseminate information on EPR and e-waste to stakeholders and citizens, and have a process to ensure effective monitoring and enforcement of the EPR.

Stakeholders

Ministry of Environment or any Ministerial body in charge of environmental, recycling, waste, ICT and/or circular economy related regulations and policies.
Inspectorate, Competition and Consumer Protection Authority or any governmental body that ensures the protection and promotion of basic consumer rights as well as safeguarding healthy competition among enterprises.
Utilities Regulatory Authority or any governmental body with the mandate to license, monitor and enforce license obligations in the ICT sector.
Revenues Authority or any government revenue collection agency in charge with enforcing, assessing, collecting, and accounting for the various taxes imposed in a country.
Producers/business operators that manufacture, import, distribute, resell and/or assemble electrical and electronic equipments (e-waste products).

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production

Building Blocks

Source Documents

Steps

1 - Outreach and EPR Framework

The Ministry of Environment or relevant Ministry, should coordinate with relevant authorities i.e. the Inspectorate, Competition and Consumer Protection Authority, Utilities Regulatory Authority, the Revenues Authority etc., to develop and establish a legal EPR Framework and Implementation Plan that outlines the responsibilities and role of all relevant authorities. The EPR framework should include key clauses on scope of obligated products, stakeholder roles and responsibilities, financing mechanism, targets, penalties, authorization procedure, reporting, monitoring and enforcement mechanisms. To formulate this document, the Ministry can map policies and learnings from other countries, evaluate e-waste quantities and flows within their country, analyze waste management infrastructure and skills, as well as existing policies and legislation at national and sub-national level.

As a next step, the draft Framework can be shared with a core group of diverse stakeholders including other government authorities, civil society actors, and private sector actors that are electrical and electronic equipment producers (importers, distributors, manufacturers and resellers) - to review and comment on the draft document via workshop format sessions. A co-creation session with this group around the registration and EPR fee payment procedure would be very useful to acquire input from producers, and promote a user-friendly EPR designed process.

Once the EPR regulations and processes have been finalized, information on the EPR scheme can be disseminated via - media campaigns facilitated by relevant government authorities, and through local private sector federations/associations.

Workflows

Client education for educating and/or informing producers (e.g. an importer, manufacturer, distributor or reseller) on the EPR legal framework, requirements, fee as well as sustainable e-waste management and collection systems they are recommended to implement.
Client communication to facilitate information dissemination of the EPR Framework and electrical and electronic product license and registration process via government and business registration and licensing websites, mobile / media channel(s)
- Country wide campaign to increase awareness amongst local population about how and where to drop off old electrical and electronic equipment and the status of e-waste collection and management in the country.
Identification and Registration where target producers register with the relevant Regulatory Authority of the EPR system, apply for operational licensing and register the electricals and electronics they intend to introduce (new or used) into the market. Producers are then allocated a certificate of approval with an EPR registration certificate and operational license number for identification purposes.
Content management for the backend EPR Regulatory and Revenue Authorities to populate, track and monitor e-waster producers (electronic manufactures, e-waste importers, e-waste management and recycling companies), and their registered products.

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2 - Producer Registration

Producer registration is the process of collecting information of a new business - i.e., a business' name, purpose, tax data, etc – required by the chamber of commerce and/or relevant government authority as part of the business registration process. In this use case, producers (e.g. an importer, manufacturer, distributor or reseller) of electrical and electronic equipment have to register with the relevant Inspectorate, Competition and Consumer Protection Authority, as a business entity planning to operate in the electrical and electronics sector. A certificate of domestic company registration will be provided to the producer following their provision of the required registration information. The business registration certificate is a prerequisite in order for the producer to then apply for the operational license required to put electrical or electronic equipments on the market.

Workflows

Data Collection and Reporting for capturing the business registration information of producers wishing to operate in the electronics and electrical sector.
Identification and Registration for locating, authenticating and tracking business operators registered in the EPR system.
Client Case Management for automating the process in creating, collecting and organizing the registered producers' records in one place. This will allow the convenient access and a comprehensive view of each registered producer in order to initiate and manage compliance. Moreover, support improved and timely registration services, and back office efficiencies.

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3 - Licensing

Licensing is the process to acquire authorization from a government agency to operate in a sector that has specific requirements that need to be met. In this use case, licensing is fee-based and is the process for business operators, manufacturers, importers, distributors or assemblers of e-waste products, to apply for operational permission to introduce e-waste products into the local market. The local government's Regulatory Authority makes the decision on whether or not to issue an EPR license. This license is required for all producers to acquire prior to registering the specific type of e-waste product(s) they plan to introduce into the market. Licensing application to include i.e. licensing application fee payment receipt, completed application form, certificate of domestic company registration, environmental impact assessment, audit certificates etc). Certain countries also require site visits of a producers warehouse/factory prior to approving the issuance of a license.

Workflows

Data Collection and Reporting for capturing and evaluating licensing application data submitted by producers of e-waste products.
Identification to easily be able to identify and track registered business operators applying for a license within the EPR system.
Client Case Management to help automate and manage the licensing application and approval process, schedule site visit appointments of e-waste factories/warehouses, and distinguish between new and renewal licensing applications. Moreover, support in vetting/ensuring the applicants meet the eligibility requirements, and have submitted all required documentations.
Client Communication to update producers on additional documentations required and/or application status updates/outcome.
Financial Services for facilitating one off licensing application fee payment by the producer and allocation of a fee payment receipt.

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4 - Product Registration

Registration is the process of documenting and maintaining records of registered electrical and electronic products (new or used) being manufactured, distributed, imported and sold on the market. All licensed producers will be required to register the respective type of e-waste goods they wish to introduce to the market - in order to obtain a registration number/code for each type of product. As part of the product registration process: producers submit a completed product registration application form with agreement to comply to the EPR, the product user manual, installation manual, and document indicating product life span. The producer completes this registration process by paying the product registration application fee and receiving a receipt confirming payment. Some producers may be requested to submit a product sample. Based on whether a producer imports their e-waste products, additional data might be requested (i.e. import permit, product country of origin etc). Once all requirements are met, the producer receives a registration number/product code.

Workflows

Data Collection and Reporting for capturing the registration data of e-waste product(s) that will be on the market.
Identification and Registration for locating and tracking e-waste products being introduced into the market in all phases of their life cycle.
Client Case Management for automating the process in creating, collecting and organizing the registered e-waste products' records in place. This will allow the convenient access and a comprehensive view of each type/category of registered e-waste products in order to calculate EPR fees and manage compliance.
Financial Services for facilitating one-off product registration application fee payment by the producer and allocation of a fee payment receipt.

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5 - Data Verification and Validation

Data verification and validation should be coordinated with all relevant governement authorities and regulatory bodies. For the EPR system, in certain countries, the registration data collated of the e-waste producer and their products by the respective business registration and licensing authorities, is then generally checked by the Ministry of Environment, and against other government databases (eg. ID, tax, chamber of commerce, etc.) in order to fill in any missing gaps, verify and validate collected information, including authentication of all records. *Data checking approaches also vary: sometimes batch-sharing via CD, sometimes full interoperability.

Workflows

Client Case Management for storing and reviewing identification, registration, and licensing records.
Data Analysis and Business Intelligence for cross-referencing and verifying records across multiple registry sources, and reconciling gaps / overlaps.

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6 - Payment

For this use case there are three specific payments: (1) producer licensing fee, (2) product registration fee, and (3) EPR fee.

The producer licensing fee and the product registration fee are to be paid as part of each application process/phase, to the respective government agency in charge of allocating EPR licensing and EPR products registration. A payment receipt is to be provided to each producer for each payment made.

The concept of the EPR policy scheme is that an EPR fee is to be paid for each type of electrical and electronic equipments introduced into the market every year. The fee will be used at the end of the product lifecycle to cover the collection, treatment, recycling and awareness raising when it becomes e-waste. The EPR regulatory framework must clearly spell out which entity will collect the EPR fee, how much the fee is, what the methodology is being used to determine the fee, and how payment should be processed. For instance with e-waste products being imported, the EPR fee can be collected at the point/port of entry by Customs Revenue Authority or the Utilities Regulatory Authority. The EPR fee can be collected with the import tax fee etc. To facilitate this, producers could be required to declare cargo (online: e-single window) and make the payment through an online portal.

The fee to be paid could be proportional to the amount of electrical and electronic equipment introduced into the market. Below are examples of methods that can be used to arrive at the fee:

Product EPR fee paid by the producer = Total costs for waste stream divided by/ Mass of product type put on the market.
1. Market share calculation for a producer:
  - Market share = The weight of products put on the market by an individual producer per product type divided by/ The total weight of products put on the market by all producers for that specific product type
2. Obligation calculation for a producer:
  - Obligation for a producer = Total reported tonnage by product type multiplied by* Individual producer's market share
3. Total costs per e-waste product stream:
  - Total costs = Overhead costs per product type multiplied by* % Market share + Operational costs (per tonne) multiplied by* Tonnes collected
Product EPR fee paid by the producer = An EPR cost is calculated and associated for every possible type of e-waste product. Thus, the EPR fee a producer has to pay is the quantity of a product they plan to introduce into the market multiplied by the EPR cost associated with the product type.

Workflows

Financial Services for processing EPR fee payments by producers.
Client Case Management for identifying, authenticating and monitoring/verifying that the e-waste producers have made the EPR payment and the transaction has been fully processed and received.

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7 - Ongoing Case Management

This step involves ensuring information of e-waste producers are kept up to date - specifically relating to registration and licensing. Also ensuring that there is a process in place to address any complaints, grievances and appeals raised by the producers. This process should be led by the government authority's EPR compliance officers/team.

Workflows

Data Collection and Reporting for capturing changes in producer's information (e-waste products, licensing etc).
Client Case Management for identifying and recording producer interaction with EPR compliance officers and capturing reported cases on grievances / appeals etc., and for determining decisions/actions to proceed with by reviewing individual producer client case.

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8 - Ongoing M&E

The government authority leading the EPR implementation should also allocate a team in charge of regulating EPR compliance and enforcing penalties. A monitoring team consistently tracking all e-waste operators active in the market, registered with a license within the EPR system and payments of the EPR fee. A live database should be put in place to categorize and track e-waste products in the market and EPR fee payments from the producers. Late payments can be tracked and an automated system put in place to send out late fee penalties to the producers.

Workflows

Financial Services for processing late EPR fee payments by producers.
Client Case Management for identifying, authenticating and monitoring/verifying that the e-waste producers have made the EPR fee payment and the transaction has been fully processed and received.

Building Blocks

Contributors

Garam Bel, Circular Economy Coordinator, International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
Wesley Brown, GovStack Product Owner, Digital Impact Alliance
Taylor Downs, CEO and Founder, Open Function
Jaume Dubois, Digital ID Lead, GovStack
Longin Dusengeyezu, Database and Applications Lead, Rwanda Institute for Conservation Agriculture (RICA)
Theophile Dusengimana, Environment and Climate Change Policy Specialist, Rwanda Ministry of Environment
Hani Eskandar, Head of Digital Services, International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
Sarah Farooqi, The Exchange Product Owner, Digital Impact Alliance
Sainabou Jallow, Business Analyst, Digital Impact Alliance
Concord Kananura, GovStack Africa Regional Coordinator, International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
Dismas Karuranga, Pollution Control Specialist, Rwanda Ministry of Environment
Nico Lück, GovStack Advisor, GIZ
Margus Mägi, GovStack Project Lead for Estonia, Governement of Estonia
Yolanda Martínez, Overall Lead for GovStack, International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
Antoinette Mbabazi, Head of Registration& Licensing Department, Rwanda Institute for Conservation Agriculture (RICA)
Olivier Mbera, Country Manager, Enviroserve Rwanda
Robert Mugisha, Director of Registration& Licensing Unit, Rwanda Institute for Conservation Agriculture (RICA)
Eric Murera, Environment Expert, Private Sector Federation (PSF) Rwanda
Dr. P. S. Ramkumar, GovStack, International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
Ayush Shukla, Technical Officer, International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
Patrick Umuhoza, Multilateral Cooperation Officer, Rwanda Environment Management Authority
Olivier Urukundo, Engineering Risk Analysis Specialist, Rwanda Institute for Conservation Agriculture (RICA)
Eng. Gaston Uwayo, TMEA ICT Technical Assistant, Rwanda Standards Board
Damascene Uwizeyemungu, IT Officer, Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Agency
Meelis Zujev, Project Manager, Govstack Sandbox, Gofore

FINC-1 - Business Taxation

Product Use Case Summary

FINC-1

This use case profiles the digital transformation of tax administration (e-taxation) in the business sector. The meaning of business taxation refers to the taxes that businesses must pay as a normal part of business operations. Tax administrations across the globe are examining the potential benefits of digitalization to broaden the tax base and improve the quality of taxpayer services - tax reporting and collection. Digital tools are seen as potential means that can make tax systems more accessible, efficient, and seamless for both taxpayers and tax administration.

Moreover, digitalizing the tax collection process is now seen as a key mean to combat tax evasion and reduce the room for non-compliance. Thus, more countries are focused on moving away from a paper-based tax administration to primarily computer-based interaction between taxpayer and administration. This process can also help tackle problems of businesses operating in the hidden and informal economy.

Stakeholders

Ministry responsible for administering and enforcing all laws relating to tax revenue.
Chamber of Commerce facilitating all business registration and/or certification in a country.
Institution or agency in charge of business registry - typically under Ministry of Trade and Industry.
Revenue Authority and/or taxation authorities/ agency in charge of the collection and receipt of all business-related tax revenue in a country.
Corporate/business entities in the country - public and private companies.
Tax agents, auditors, and compliance officers reviewing submitted tax related files.

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

Building Blocks

Source Documents

Steps

1 - Coordination

Success in digitalizing the tax administration process requires a high level of commitment and buy-in from all levels of government authorities involved – from policy makers to tax officers and auditors. Thus, developing a fully articulated implementation plan (road map) with a communication strategy that prioritizes internal change management of all staff is key. In this step, the government body in charge of tax administration (i.e., Tax and Customs Administration, Revenue Authority) trains all staff about the core benefits of standardizing/automating the business tax filing and payment process via a digital platform. Close collaboration with the Chamber of Commerce and their staff may be required. In certain countries, once a business formally registers with the Chamber of Commerce, their information is automatically forwarded to the Tax Administration Authority.

Workflows

Content Management for the staff to acquire technical and nontechnical guidelines on how to use platform
Coordination to have an agreed form of coordination, communication and collaboration between the Chambers of Commerce and Tax Administration - facilitating information sharing on businesses operating in the country
Education for educating and training all relevant government staff on new process and platform/solution being utilized. Emphasis on objective, process, guidelines, and benefits - time saving and easy usability

Building Blocks

2 - Outreach Communications

For communication with the target business entity taxpayers - the tax administration implements a robust awareness raising campaign via telephone, email (i.e., Chambers of Commerce registered business entities contact database), SMS, newspapers, and social media. The purpose is to inform this target group about the new and mandatory digitized tax reporting process with clear guidelines and initial support on how to file taxes electronically using the platform in place. All information on the tax reporting platform should already be easily accessible and disseminated on all government run websites including in the Chambers of Commerce website, - timeframe to register, tax submission steps and requirements, deadlines, pre-filled standard form to declare revenue, expenses etc. Certain countries have a grace period of 1-3 years by which all businesses are required to transition to electronic invoicing (instead of cash-based transactions) to streamline and automate tax filing and reporting process.

Workflows

Client Communication to facilitate awareness of the tax platform for target audience and mandatory registration and enrollment process
Client Education for educating target users/audience on the objective(s), benefit(s), process, guideline etc
Content Management for the staff to generate relevant educational and promotional content

Building Blocks

3 - Registration

Registration is the process of collecting information of all eligible tax paying businesses that have formally registered their business entity in a country. Registration on the tax administration platform can take place via computer, mobile device etc. Information required could include business name, contact information (phone, email etc.) address, legal structure/type of business, date of establishment, taxpayer segment and corporate relationships., bank account details, business identification number or certificate received from the Chamber of Commerce etc. In certain countries, the Tax Administration allocates a unique taxpayer identification number and/or value added tax number (VAT) to each business, once they have fully completed the registration process. Personalized log in credentials can also be provided for each entity to be able to login to file taxes.

Workflows

Client Case Management for creating business entity user records
Data Collection and Reporting for capturing data of business entities
Identification and Registration for each registered business to be provided with unique identification number and/or personalized login details to the tax administration platform in order to submit all required forms and tax related documents

Building Blocks

E-Signature

4 - Data Verification and Validation

Data verification and validation should be coordinated with all relevant government authorities and regulatory bodies. For the e-tax system, in certain countries, the registration data that is submitted for tax purposes, is checked against other government databases (e.g. chamber of commerce business registry, etc.) to fill in any missing gaps, verify and validate collected information, including authentication of all records.

Workflows

Client Case Management for storing and reviewing identification, registration, and business registration records for tax purposes
Data Analysis and Business Intelligence for cross-referencing and verifying records across multiple registry sources, and reconciling gaps / overlaps

Building Blocks

E-Signature

5 - Registration Fee

To complete the registration, a fee can be charged to cover administration cost of registering a company in the Business Tax Register for the first time. This can be a one-time non-reoccurring fee. The payment can be done online or in person at the Tax Administration office as part of the final step of registration - this will depend on the country's tax regulations. This fee can directly be paid via debit or with credit card. Once the registration information and payment have been processed, a payment confirmation receipt and notification can be sent to the user information registration completion and approval.

Workflows

Client Case Management for identifying, authenticating and monitoring/verifying that the registration information and fee have been fully processed and received
Financial Services for processing registration fee

Building Blocks

6 - Tax Submission

To file and submit all requirements for tax submission purposes, users (business owners) can log in to the designated platform. They can then complete standardized electronic form(s) and submit other income data (e.g., payroll and financial). They can also submit accounting or other source data to support filings (e.g., invoices and trial balances) in a defined electronic format. In certain countries, there is an annual deadline of when to file taxes whereby all taxable income will be calculated according to the tax year. All income received or accrued during a single year would need to be submitted in the filling process, along with expenses paid or accrued. Depending on a country by country basis, there are generally three types of taxes that can be filed: (1) turnover taxes - value added tax (VAT) or goods and services tax (GST); (2) taxing profit of companies/ corporate income tax; (3) taxes from wages or salaries - these can be paid as you earn taxes or even directly taken monthly from wages.

Workflows

Client Case Management to track, review and process all submitted tax related documents. Also, to respond to any inquiries or support needs from business owners/accounting team
Data Analysis and Business Intelligence to analyze all submitted data and ensure they meet tax compliance obligations

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7 - Tax Payment

The amount of taxes a business pays can depend on the type of business, the nature of the business activity, and the volume of transactions carried out within the tax assessment period. In some countries, businesses must adhere to several domestic and business taxes including corporate income tax, value-added taxes, withholding taxes, and capital gains taxes. Thus, business taxes are calculated per the specific norms of a country.

The tax platform used can automate the tax calculation process by taking into account the tax regime and rate in the country, and the business's profit, revenue, expenses, and other relevant tax filing information submitted. The business is then allocated a timeframe in which to make this tax payment. The tax payment can be paid in one lump sum or installments.

Workflows

Client Case Management to track, manage and calculate tax payment per business. Also, to respond to any inquiries or support needs
Data Analysis and Business Intelligence to analyze all submitted data and ensure tax payment requirements are met
Financial Services for processing tax payments

Building Blocks