Renewal of central government’s service and premises network in 2020s

  

The central government’s in-person services will be brought together into joint customer service points, and government agencies and public bodies will move into shared premises during the 2020s. ​​​​​​​

The aim of the service and premises network renewal is to create a single shared customer service network for central government and Kela customers by 2030 and to condense the number of premises in line with the central government premises strategy approved in December 2021. The aim of reshaping the network is that a shared network of in-person services will enable service that is more customer-oriented, cost-effective and systematic than currently.

The project involves the Regional State Administrative Agencies, the Digital and Population Data Services Agency, the ELY Centres, the Finnish Immigration Service, the National Land Survey of Finland, the Legal Aid and Guardianship Districts, the Police licence administration, the Criminal Sanctions Agency’s Community Sanctions Offices, the Employment and Economic Development Offices, the National Enforcement Authority, the Finnish Tax Administration and, particularly with respect to customer service, the Social Insurance Institution of Finland Kela. The aim of the joint service points is also to provide comprehensive access to local government services and such wellbeing services county services as are suitable to being provided in joint service points. 

The aim is that central government services should be provided comprehensively as e-services but also complemented by in-person services. The in-person visits of the future will focus on multi-sectoral services, digital support and use of remote services. By building joint customer service points with local governments and by examining the service network as a whole, it will be possible to ensure the wide-ranging availability of in-person services and to improve the present level of service while also achieving cost savings.

The objective of the premises strategy is for a quarter of central government personnel to work in premises shared by agencies and public bodies. In shared premises, employees of several government agencies work in the same premises. However, the needs and special characteristics of activities, for example with respect to data protection, will be taken into account, as will the current practice of mixing remote work and in-office work. The aim is to improve the efficiency of the use of premises from the current 18 square meters per person-year to 10. This will save costs and reduce energy consumption.

The need to renew the central government’s service and premises network in the 2020s is based on a number of factors: the growing supply and use of digital services and the resulting significant reduction in the number of visits to in-person services; an increase in multi-location working; demographic changes and urbanisation; and a diminishing level of financial resources. The increase in multi-location working and remote working has a significant impact on offices and the amount of office space required. New opportunities for using premises are presented if central government agencies can operate in joint facilities and if premises can be shared with local authorities, for instance. 

What will the service and premises network project change?

  • The in-person services provided by government agencies will gradually be assembled in joint customer service points, which will also provide a wide range of local government and Kela services as well as services of wellbeing services counties that are suitable for being provided in these service points.
  • All citizens will be at most a one-hour drive away from services.
  • The range of services provided at service points will expand and become more consistent, and support will be available for the use of electronic services. 
  • A quarter of the personnel of government agencies and public bodies will move to work in shared, activity-based work environments.

Project status

2021: Service and premises network project established; implementation roadmap and regional project groups established in South Karelia, North Karelia and Päijät-Häme. Work begun on the national and regional level.
2022: Regional plans completed; national customer service and premises concepts completed; reports on the arrangement of joint government customer service activities and remote service solutions; preparation of pilot project for remote services.
2023: Preparation of tender for remote services; first premises projects in implementation areas completed; interim project report I.
2024: Regional work begun in South Savo, Central Finland, Pirkanmaa, Satakunta and Uusimaa
2026: Interim project report II
2030: Joint customer service network and policies of the premises strategy implemented throughout Finland.

Strategies guiding the project

The project for the renewal of the central government’s service and premises network in the 2020s implements the following strategies:

More information:

Marko Puttonen, marko.puttonen(at)gov.fi
Jaana Salmi, jaana.salmi(at)gov.fi