The implementation of e-Delivery in the public office brings up to PLN 300,000 savings per document shipment

A 42 percent reduction in operating costs, a shortening of the entire process from several weeks to five days, and tangible benefits for the environment - these are the effects of the Piaseczno municipality's introduction, in cooperation with Asseco, of electronic delivery in official correspondence. However, digitization is not going so smoothly everywhere in Poland: only 30 percent of local governments declare their readiness to join the nationwide e-Delivery system.

As of January 1, 2025, the e-Delivery system, the electronic equivalent of registered letters with acknowledgment of receipt, will take effect. Thanks to this service, citizens, companies and public entities will be given the opportunity to exchange correspondence from a computer or phone anytime, anywhere. The deadline has already been pushed back several times - the original launch date for the e-Delivery system goes back to October 2021.

So much for theory - but in practice, on October 21, the Sejm passed an amendment to the law on electronic delivery, introducing an additional transition period for offices - until the end of 2025. The problems and challenges of digitization of Polish local governments, as well as positive examples of its implementation, were the subject of an expert debate organized at the PAP Press Center.

We decided that another postponement of the law's entry into force makes no sense, because this formula simply doesn't work. Instead, we are offering local governments an additional year to familiarize themselves with the new electronic workflow systems and organize training in this area. Thus, the complete replacement of paper correspondence with electronic form will take place in January 2026, said Katarzyna Zajkowska, Director of the Digital Transformation Department at the Ministry of Digitization.

This is because it turned out that the beginning of 2024 as a date for the complete elimination of the traditional form of official correspondence is unrealistic. A survey of ePUAP users conducted by the Ministry of Digitization shows that only 25 percent of public entities use systems of the EZD class, i.e. electronic records management, but even among them this solution often performs only a supporting function, serving to record correspondence. On the other hand, the workflow remains paper-based anyway. The study also found that as much as 70 percent of public entities have not even applied for an electronic delivery address.

In order to make the most of the transition period, we are focusing on preparing a series of expert webinars, as well as a comprehensive guide for civil servants and IT professionals working in local government. After all, it is often not the technology, but the organization and the difficulty of changing habits that pose the biggest obstacle to the spread of electronic correspondence: internal as well as external – said Anna Durmaj, Deputy Director of the digital channels department at the Central IT Center (COI).

However, there are municipalities in Poland that are already successfully using the

e-Delivery system without waiting for statutory deadlines or transition periods. One of them is the suburban city of Piaseczno, whose authorities define the digitization of their offices not as an obligation, but as an opportunity to provide faster, more efficient and cheaper case handling for the ever-growing number of residents and registered companies.

Together with our technology partner, Asseco, we have created a model example of the effective use of innovative solutions in the functioning of the administration. Central to this transformation has been the implementation of the MKO365 e-Delivery system, aimed at automating and handling tax correspondence in bulk. The entire operation involved an impressive 70,000 decisions per year, addressed to individuals, emphasised Daniel Putkiewicz, Mayor of Piaseczno City and Municipality.  

As emphasized by Dr. Eng. Katarzyna Kobierowska, Product Manager at Asseco Data Systems, the digitization of just one dimensional action (in this case, tax decisions) brought tangible savings to the Piaseczno municipality - both in money and time.

Normally it would take the office four to five weeks to carry out such a process - together we have reduced this period to just a few days. Savings have exceeded PLN 300,000. This represented a more than 42% reduction in operating costs. Such automation has made it possible to free up the potential of employees for more complex tasks, the representative of the technology company Asseco explained.

Participants in the CP PAP debate acknowledged that the introduction of e-Delivery should not be the culmination of the process of digitization of local government administration, but its next stage.

Technology is currently well ahead of legislation. We are already actively working on the full integration of various systems and e-services, as well as the use of the potential of artificial intelligence, if only in the recognition of content and the appropriate cataloging of individual e-mails. So it is worth listening to experts and practitioners and keeping up with the best, concluded Dr. Eng. Katarzyna Kobierowska.

More information about e-Delivery, including instructions for setting up a box, can be found on Asseco’s website, among others.

‍