National Framework:
In the context of actions and projects aimed at bringing Public Administration closer to the Citizen and a general trend towards the massification of new information and communication technologies, the Loja do Cidadão (Citizen Shop) project emerged nationally in 1997.
Being a project based on criteria of excellence, the then VII Regional Government of the Azores assumed the intention of extending this national project to the Region, with the aim of modernizing and simplifying the functioning of the Administration, as well as facilitating access and improving citizen service.
Given the competencies in the area of administrative modernization of the then Regional Secretariat Adjunct to the Presidency, it was up to this Department of the Regional Government to promote this initiative.
Project Development:
Taking into account the geographical and population reality of the Azores archipelago, a commitment was made to create a project that combined the specificities of the Region, namely the archipelagic reality characterized by geographical discontinuity, and the criteria of excellence provided by the Citizen Shop, which was named Rede Integrada de Apoio ao Cidadão (Integrated Network for Citizen Support) – abbreviated as RIAC.
Thus, on July 2, 2001, a cooperation protocol was signed between the Government of the Republic, represented by the Minister of State Reform and Public Administration, and the Regional Government of the Azores, represented by the President of the Regional Government, which allowed the realization of this project.
The implementation of this protocol was carried out by a partnership between the Institute for the Management of Loja do Cidadão and a project team from the Autonomous Region, created by Resolution of the Government Council and integrated into the services of the then Regional Secretariat Adjunct to the Presidency.
Through Resolution No. 164/2001, of December 13, this objective was framed and the said project team was maintained, later defined by Resolutions No. 8/2005, of January 6, and 118/2006, of September 21, to be under the dependence of the Vice-President of the Regional Government of the Azores.
Materialization of RIAC - Integrated Network for Citizen Support
With the aim of institutionalizing RIAC as an instrument for the modernization of the Regional Administration, Regional Legislative Decree No. 42/2006/A, of October 31, established the Agency for the Modernization and Quality of Citizen Service, designated as RIAC, granting it the legal status of a public institute with legal personality, administrative and financial autonomy, and its own assets, as well as subjecting it to the supervision of the Vice-President of the Regional Government.
Following this, Regional Regulatory Decree No. 3/2008/A, of February 19, endowed the public institute with the organic structure, staff framework, internal staff regulations, and internal recruitment and selection regulations, appropriate to the pursuit of the aforementioned attributions.
Regarding the organic structure, it was decided to constitute the Institute with the management bodies, single auditor, and partners council, and with the services Information Systems Office, Content and Services Office, Administrative and Financial Office, and Human Resources and Communication Office.
The activity of the Institute thus created was directed towards the rationalization, modernization, and quality of the Regional Administration's service, with a view to improving interaction with citizens. Today, this interaction is embodied in the network of Shops, the Contact Center, this portal, and the RIAC Móvel (RIAC Mobile) project, created to serve all citizens.