A new computer system designed to digitise Malaga city council's administrative procedures has plunged parts of the local authority into disarray, with technical failures, ... confusion and delays bringing some services almost to a standstill.
The system, developed by T-Systems ITC Iberia SAU under a contract worth more than two million euros awarded four years ago, reached a key stage of implementation two weeks ago, when the council extended its use to almost all the case files and procedures handled by different departments and municipal bodies.
The impact of the Sitae electronic administrative processing system has been felt across numerous departments that deal directly with the public. The disruption has been particularly severe at the municipal urban planning department, where a backlog has delayed numerous procedures, as well as in Social Services, trade and environmental sustainability.
The widespread paralysis is not simply a matter of perception. Municipal employees, speaking anonymously, have confirmed the scale of the disruption and described the organisational and technical shortcomings hampering the council's internal operations.
They have pointed to three main problems: software that has not been adapted to the specific needs of individual departments, virtually no training and technical restrictions that prevent staff from accessing complete case files while processing applications.
"The main problem with this system, apart from the fact that it doesn't work properly and is very difficult to use, is that civil servants and public employees in the different council departments have received no specific training," one municipal worker said.
According to the employee, training consisted of recorded theoretical presentations, with no opportunity to ask questions directly. "They put you in a meeting where someone spends four hours talking about how to navigate the tabs. After 40 minutes, you've lost track and you can't ask anything. Then they tell you to watch the recording again. We're still completely lost," he said.
The lack of training compounds the rigidity of software designed to standardise workflows across departments with very different responsibilities. According to staff, the system requires far more steps than the previous platforms, significantly increasing the time needed to complete routine administrative procedures.
"Previously, to send a notification, you opened the application, checked the details, attached the signed document and clicked send. It took three or four minutes. Now you have to open a case file, create a report, request a signature, generate the notification and link it to the file. I've timed myself: what used to take three minutes now takes about 15. If you have to send 30 notifications in one morning, that means five times as long," the same employee said.
The worker also highlighted the confusion caused by an interface in which "all the screens look very similar, or identical, and you often don't know which stage you're at".
Operational problems are compounded by inadequate technical support and faults with the council's electronic office. Because online forms are too generic, residents' applications are being sent to departments that have nothing to do with the procedures in question, creating a further bottleneck as staff try to sort and redirect requests.
"We're receiving requests for refunds relating to cancelled wedding licences, vehicle taxes and company taxes: things that have nothing to do with our department. The forms on the electronic office are so generic that they confuse people," another council employee said.
"When the application arrives, you have to open a case file, and the system keeps producing errors that cause further delays." The employee described the impact on day-to-day work: "For the past two weeks, virtually nothing has been getting done. Information relating to payments for construction certificates and supplier invoices either doesn't arrive or gets stuck. The delays are enormous."
Staff have also raised concerns about the severe restrictions the new system places on access to information. The inability to view complete case files is hindering the exchange of documents and reports between departments such as urban planning and the fire service.
"If one department requests a report from another through the system, the person responsible for producing it can see the decision but cannot access the case file. They can't view the background information or previous documents, so the report is refused or its preparation is put on hold," employees said.
The rollout of Sitae has also coincided with a critical period in the local authority's calendar, as the council closes its current budget year and processes the accounts for the following year. With many procedures subject to deadlines before the end of December, staff say they have little room to manoeuvre in the face of continuing technical failures.
"The timing of this rollout is terrible for the council. Many administrative procedures have to be completed by the end of the year, and spending has to be submitted at the beginning of December. The delays are appalling," one employee said.
"For more than two weeks, we've spent practically all our time testing the system and dealing with problems because the work either doesn't come through or arrives incorrectly. We can't respond to residents. Everything takes five times as long, and the word that best describes the situation is paralysis."
Mariano Ruiz, the main opposition's spokesperson in the council, has tabled a motion alongside fellow councillor Pablo Orellana calling on the local governing team to take "urgent measures" to address the "constant problems" and "chaos" caused by the new system, which has replaced the previous platform, Tramita.
"It is unacceptable that the governing team has replaced Tramita, which put Malaga at the forefront and was developed by the council's own staff, as they themselves acknowledged in writing," Ruiz Araujo said.
"This is not an orderly step forward. It is chaos that puts people's rights at risk because case files could expire or deadlines for grant applications could be missed," he added.