Deliverables

The analysis carried out in the various Work Packages dealt with all the aspects foreseen in the project. All deliverables are in the form of reports. Please find here the summary of all deliverables.

WP1 – Project Management
D 1.1 Confidential Final Report and Public synthesis report
D 1.2 Quarterly management report
D 1.3 Semestrial progress report
D 1.4 Annual public report

Project Management activities were carried out by the Project Manager with the support of an officer of Progetto Europa, the Department of the City of Modena in charge with European affairs and international relations.

WP 2 – Supply and demand analysis
D 2.1 Market Analysis

WP 2 contains an in-depth analysis of the current situation of the telematic and information system of the City of Modena and of Meta, of the availability of the technological network as well as of the infrastructures, and of the operational connections existing with other local and central public administrations.
The informatisation of the working procedures concerns 99% of the working stations within the City of Modena, at all levels: technicians, officers, head officers, administrators. There is a great availability of digital contents deriving from almost all areas of the City administration; in some cases we have developed advanced professional elaboration, considered interesting by private companies active in the field.
There is also a progressive provision of information services and of interactive services via Internet, used both as an internal working tool and as tool available for citizens, associations and companies for the relations with the local authority. The drafting of a Provincial TLC plan, to disseminate best practices in the field of services devoted to citizens and companies, highlighted the interest of many local authorities in the Modena area. Both the central and the regional government activated programs to finance actions in the field of e-government.
The availability of optical fibre in the next two-three years prefigures the possibility of additional innovative services for business and private clients, in an area with a high level of social and economic development and a high level of schooling, which contributes to a good use of new technologies, already developing and increasing. Foreseen are activities aiming at dissemination, familiarisation and support in the use of ICT, connected to schools, cultural, sport and social associations.

WP 3 – Business model definition
D 3.1 Business model

WP3 defines the model for the business plan. The methodology used to assess the sustainability of the objectives is that of economic and financial planning. The company architecture foreseen is originally based on the presence of the City of Modena, the multi-utility Meta and a private partner such as a venture capital accelerator, able to provide technological expertise, capitals and knowledge of the market.
Since its start, the Newco, as we have called it, could rely on the availability of contents and services provided by the local authority and the multi-utility, will be able to provide innovative services to citizens and companies; and later will be able to involve other subjects such as local authorities and public organisations, local economic operators, financial partners, risk capital investors. The allocation of corporate shares, at least for the first 2-3 years, should see a majority shareholding for the public property.
The business plan will be composed by different sections: one concerning the outsourcing of the services already available by the local authority; one concerning the added value services for the exploitation of local authority digital contents; one concerning innovative services. It will be very important to share information with the legal framework analysis, concerning potential ties or prohibitions on the free use of digital contents.
The revenue flow will consider: revenues obtained by the local authority for outsourcing the services currently provided; revenues from additional and innovative services rendered with the involvement and support of the multi-utility; revenues deriving from agreements with content providers and with economic operators who wish to use the presence on the portal for promotional activities; revenues deriving from advertising activities.
The period for the business plan is three years. We will analyse in particular risks and opportunities which may be foreseen in a "glocal" (global and local) context, strongly bound to the specificity of the territory, but absolutely open to know and make itself known in a national and international framework.

WP 4 – Technical feasibility
D 4.1 Technical Portal Architecture

WP 4 is the survey on hardware and software requirements and relating costs in connection to an hypothesis of a Newco as a web portal - a uniform interface through which the outside world can access the available services and information provided by the different Newco partners.
Among the foreseen services, we find presentation services, search engines, customisation services, security services, publication services, workflow services, co- operation services, subscription services.
The components are in part of general use, in part of specific and dedicated use: a key element is the homogeneity of the user interface and the singleness of user recognition, with definition of user profile and access personalisation.
Costs analysis identified four levels of growing complexity and need for investment: from a level one - static information and low level of interactive transactions -, to level four - on-line transactions for full integration of applications of web services and participants' internal information systems. The four levels support the eventual progressive outsourcing by contents owners to the system of the Newco.

WP 5 - Economic and financial viability
D 5.1 Model Business Plan

D 5.2 Action Plan of the project

The business plan identifies three lines of business for the company:

1. Acquisition and undertaking of services for which the City already uses consultancy and external resources.
2. Innovative services (CRM, e-learning, closed-circuit monitoring systems and remote control).
3. Enhancement and marketing of services linked to the contents and professionalism of the local government.

The type of company identified is an SRL (limited liability company) with public majority which sees the initial participation of the City of Modena and Meta plus a private partner (capital holder) with knowledge and experience, including technological, in the sector concerned.
The company may subsequently be open to other partners and investors, and the distribution of public/private share could be reviewed. The clients are the City of Modena, Meta, AUSL (the local health authority) and other public administrations, but also citizens and enterprises for innovative services and value-added services.
The business plan is articulated over three years and identifies the need for initial investments and articulation of revenues. The balance sheet is negative for the first year and then shows a significant positive trend in the following years. In particular, two risk scenarios are identified: the first, in the event of loss of AUSL as client, produces a debit balance until reaching the breakeven point in the third year; the second, shows a considerable increase in the operating costs.
In any event, should even the most unfavourable risk hypotheses come true, the company identified, since it can count on the revenues for the services in any case assigned by the majority founding members, could in the first years - although with quite limited earnings - remain on the market and decide on the methods and timing for activation of the innovative services with the required investments.

WP 6 - Legal framework analysis
D 6.1 Guidelines for the corporate start-up procedure

The first part is organised as "legal opinion" going deeper into some criticalities which have emerged from WP5. In particular, an interpretation is given by law sources and procedures for the most suitable type of company to start up, as well as some restrictions and freedom of action in the choice of the minority private partner. The activities planned by the company are not "public service" but "promotion" activities. The private partner may be selected with wide-ranging freedom not in conflict with the rules of transparency and protection of free competition. SRL combines the benefits of "limited risk" with those of a streamlined and flexible structure. The public administration may directly assign services to the company by drawing up a contractual document called "service agreement".
The second part deals with problems related to data processing also in relation to the law on the protection of privacy. It also deals with the problems related to enhancement and possible economic exploitation of the data the public administration has in its possession.
The third part verifies the legal feasibility of the project and the model proposed compared with the French legislation. In this legislation a "mixed economy company – SEM" or SEML (local) is conceived, but with special and in some cases restrictive characteristics, which sees a participation of prevalently public nature, but in any case remains a tool of private character for achievement of the goals of collective interest.

WP 7 - Self assessment
D 7.1 Project self-assessment

The executive summary of the business plan has been submitted to various types of investors, both Italian and from other European countries: fund raisers, incubators, investment banks and corporate investors.
A questionnaire was sent to the investors concerning some issues for crucial reflection: what type of broad-band diffusion and the valued-added services connected with it should be developed, also for private citizens, and hence which level of penetration and use of the new technologies should be considered; which potential market and which services should be offered by the public administration.
The common opinion, apart from a widespread difficulty to engage in major investments in this sector in the short and medium term - also because of external events - is that there is a considerable slow-down in the diffusion and use of the new technologies and the services that can be connected with it. It is difficult to effectively calculate the so- called last-mile market, i.e. which will connect and bring technology to the individual homes and the SMEs. The forecast to have complete Internet connection by 2005 is staved off and, as a consequence, the market and the initiatives are considerably slowed down. Nevertheless, the initiative for the exploitation potential of the exclusive computerised information of the public administration is considered extremely interesting. E-learning and digital signature are seen as secure investments.

WP8 – Dissemination
D 8.1 MS Power Point presentation
D 8.2 Web enabled showcase
D 8.3 Project web site

The web site was set up at the beginning of the project and regularly updated, in particular in view of the end of the project. Of course, the web site will remain active even after the end of the project on the City of Modena's server at the address http://www.comune.modena.it/demands.
It is also possible to find the on-line MS Power Point presentation as well as the conclusions on the project. A cd rom was prepared to enable a project showcase during meetings and events.
Dissemination was carried out during the implementation of the project by the Project Manager herself, during national and international events, from Telecities meetings (the City of Modena is a member of the Telecities network), to national exhibitions and workshops on e-government issues. In all occasion, the Demands project aroused great interest especially for its future developments.