Portal Ersar, created by the Water and Waste Services Regulation Authority, serves as an e-government tool designed to improve regulatory efficiency and effectiveness through centralizing and managing data related to water and waste services. It integrates various modules for complaints management, water quality, service quality, and economic regulation, facilitating streamlined communication with operators and ensuring data reliability. As a result, Portal Ersar has significantly reduced data exchange time and costs, improved transparency, and earned recognition for its successful implementation across stakeholders.

1. Portal ERSAR: an e-government tool
Portal ERSAR: improving regulator’s effectiveness and efficiency
D. Alves*, G. Robalo**, J. Rosa***
* The Water and Waste Services Regulation Authority, david.alves@ersar.pt ** The Water and Waste Services Regulation Authority, gisela.robalo@gmail.com *** The Water and Waste Services Regulation Authority, rosa.joaofilipe@gmail.com
Since it’s creation to the present date, the regulatory intervention of ERSAR (The Water and Waste Services Regulation Authority) has evolved in terms of the scope in line with a growth in the number of regulated operators. The regulatory framework established by ERSAR implies a flow of information between the regulator and the operators, comprising several stages which characterise the water and waste services provided to users: submission, analysis and validation of data. An adequate and efficient mean of managing the large volume of data related to the growing scope of regulation required the creation of a set of tools to optimise the existing procedures. This was the main driving force for the start of the Portal ERSAR project in 2006.
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Portal ERSAR is a powerful two-way information hub that has integrated the necessary modules to communicate with all operators. Thus, the 'Complaints management', 'Drinking water quality', 'Quality of service' and 'Economic regulation' modules are tools that ensure a very high level of efficiency and less bureaucratic procedures in the regulation of the operators’ behaviour. All activities necessary for ERSAR’s internal functioning are also integrated in the information system, which includes modules for Document management, Process management, Attendance management, as well as a Directory and a Library of documents and legislation. The Portal ERSAR also allows the automatic presentation of contents at ERSAR’s website, which is the main mean of communication with the general public. The volume of data that is centralised at Portal ERSAR is related to the operators’ obligations in several regulatory cycles defined by ERSAR. This represents over one million data entries per year that are available not only to support its regulatory activities, but which are also made available to the general public in a clear way. Decision making at strategic, tactical or operational levels require high quality information. The availability of this amount of relevant information allows the production of studies that will enable the analysis of several alternatives which can, thus, facilitate better decision-making. Portal ERSAR guarantees not only the centralisation of water sector data but also ensures the quality and reliability of the information produced, allowing a proper way of providing the information to various audiences (regulator, operators and general public).
Portal ERSAR achieved a significant set of goals, with decisive impact on regulatory activity, both from the point of view of the regulator and the operators:
•Reduction of time and costs in the data exchanges between ERSAR and the operators;
•Standardisation of data contents, with implications for the easing of information submission and subsequent processing and validation processes;
•Increased conformity with the deadline and legal requirements for the submission of information by the operators;
•More transparency in regulatory procedures;
•Increased data collection reliability, through cross-checking of data between operators and other data collected by ERSAR, increasing validation controls;
•Quick and easy production of statistic reports about the sector;
•Easier access to data, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, since the data is accessible anywhere using an internet connection. The acceptance of this tool by all stakeholders made it a real success case, recognised with the attribution of a few Best Practice awards.
The creation of a solid information system served the purpose of facilitating these procedures and enabled ERSAR to act more efficiently without having to proportionally increase the team allocated to information management. The Portal ERSAR is now an e-government tool that enables a continuous improvement of the effectiveness and efficiency of regulatory activities. Throughout its development the tools that ensure a perfect articulation of all dimensions of the ERSAR regulatory framework were integrated into the information system.