Good practice:

Loja do Cidadão/ Citizen’s Shop

The creation of Citizen’s Shop in 1999 was the first step towards the introduction of the one-stop-shop concept in public service in Portugal. The possibility for the citizen and companies to have access to a wide range of public and private services in a single space, represented an important increase in the quality and levels of demand related to the provision of public services in the country.
In 2007, with the introduction of the a new concept, the first one-stop shops were created (Multiservice Counter, Lost wallet, etc.), marking a paradigm shift resulting from the national administrative simplification strategy - public services are also organized according to companies day-to-day affairs (e.g. changing data in several documents simultaneously, creating companies or buying a house).
This model, more flexible and economical, allows to further optimize savings and improve efficiency in the provision of services, having in the municipalities a strategic partner was decisive for the success of these spaces.
The shops have been appearing as the main channel in the relationship of SME with the state services. With the launch of the e.portugal webplatform, information on more than 1,000 public services, access to digital services that don’t require travel to shops or service points, is now available to SME, thus allowing greater digital interaction for companies with public services. Allowing a time and costs saving, while increasing the digital interaction of companies.

The cost of implementation and management varies with the store’s size, and it can be funded by municipalities budget or by the national government budget, from a few hundred EUR to more than 20k EUR per month. HR costs are not accounted for, as they are guaranteed by the employees' home services.

Citizen Shop is today one of the most distinctive brands in the relationship of SME’s with Public Administration. At the end of 2011, the service reached 100 million users. The high levels of demand (there are alternatives) that reveal the users preference for this model of public service provision, with consistent and generally positive evaluations. In 2018 the Territorial coverage rate in Portugal was 19%, compared to the 11% rate for 2013.

In addition to providing comfort and convenience to citizens allowing them to deal with various issues in the same space, with time and travel cost savings, the stores also allow sharing resources, infrastructure and platforms, enhancing efficiency and cost reduction in the Government Body.
All the actors involved have benefits, the public services increase their efficiency and the customers save money and time:
• Reducing the number of local offices and posts, which multiply in rents and infrastructure costs;
• Sharing infrastructures, platforms and software between some of the present entities;
• Benefiting from the presence of private entities, which contribute to the sustainability of the model by covering 33% of total expenses;