Implementation and certification of quality management systems in the public administration sector in Portugal

The APCER perspective

Regarding the renewal and modernisation of public administration, quality clearly appears to be an essential and strategic factor for the improvement of the relationships with citizens and economic agents, consubstantiating, by this means, the necessary answer to progressively more demanding customers.

This path, that started being crossed by the national companies more than 15 years ago, and during which the certification of management systems has assumed a growing relevance on the increase of competitiveness and improvement of Portuguese organisations, appears, today, as an essential aspect of the changes that are intended in the public administration.

What will impel a public agent to implement and certify the management system?

From the APCER experience and from the contacts that have been established with managers of these entities, the dynamic agents are the following:
  • improvement of functionality, efficiency and effectiveness of the service supplied to citizens and economic agents
  • reduction of bureaucracy, processes rationalisation and increase of transparency in decisions
  • credibility of quality of life improvement projects, welfare of citizens and social action projects
  • visibility of the efforts to get close to population’s worries and satisfaction of their needs and desires
  • adoption and systematic use of management tools that are applicable to any organisation, independently of its dimension or activity sector
  • unequivocal demonstration of environmental working conditions preoccupations
  • additional evidence of focus on planning and efficient use of organisation resources
It must be noted that the above key ideas consubstantiate an actual national purpose, with expression on the “Guidelines to the Public Administration Renewal”, presented by the Portuguese Prime Minister, on 24 June 2003:

“… There is a central idea in this renewal - the idea of quality…. We have to answer the quality challenge, with success. If others, abroad, have won the battle of quality, there is no reason for us, Portuguese people, to stay behind. It is fundamental to provide Public Administration with modern and flexible tools, that have been long ago claimed….”

It is urgent, therefore, that the leading public organisation joins this process, that undoubtedly will bring benefits only to those who believe in a better and stronger country, projecting, in this particularly difficult phase, as a modern and innovative country.

Conscious of its role, while being the market leader in certification services supply in Portugal, APCER established a specific structure (included in the Development Department) capable of providing a service that fits the specifications of public administration entities, with the purpose of making a dynamic and calling attention to this sector and supplying a personalized service.

We can, by this means, securely affirm that the year 2003 will mark the consolidation of a changing period, in what concerns management system implementation and certification in public administration, whether it is quality (ISO 9001:2000), environment (ISO 14001) or occupational health and safety (OHSAS 18001 and NP 4397).

In this context, the certification of
  • Economic Ministry Centre Regional Direction (Scope: “to represent the Ministry of the Economy and to assure, in an integrated and direct manner, the execution of its policies, as well as the exercise of its abilities in the scope of the industrial, energetic, geological resources, quality, commerce and tourism Administration”),
  • Pombal City Hall (“Approvals and processes by the division of buildings and the front desk section”)
  • Oliveira de Azeméis City Hall (“Management and supply of the service of attendance to the customer, municipal service of metrological control, administrative water section and sanitation, design, development, supply and management of services of support to the manager, tourism and handicraft”)
  • Coimbra University (“Human Resources, Administrative and Economic Management of the Coimbra University”),
  • Army’s Geographical Institute (“Conception, development and production of geographic information”),
  • Alcochete Shooting Field (“Whole certification of the Campo de Tiro de Alcochete (CTA), the Portuguese Air Force air-to-ground and ground-to-ground fire range, with the mission of supporting the execution of live and simulated firing for training purposes of the Armed Forces, as well as the quality assurance tests performed by the Defence Industries. Included in the certification are the mission related activities, those connected with the infrastructure performance, and those associated with the existing fauna and flora protection and preservation“)
are examples of the interest in the modernisation and improvement of the quality of public services.

We believe that, because of the characteristics and the impact of their activities on their environment, the public administration organs may perform a relevant paper in promoting the quality, environmental, and occupational health and safety questions, whether by establishing regulation mechanisms, or by their example, serving as models or catalyst elements to the different agents or organisations in their sphere of influence.

As the market leader certification body in Portugal, APCER proposes itself as an effective partner of public administration entities, contributing with its experience, credibility and independence, to the development of added value activities, and public services oriented to the satisfaction of the needs and expectations of all interested parties.

Pedro Alves
Development Director
APCER - Portugal