Publication
The SAFE-PSC-MyGovID Framework for Public Service Identity Management: A Cost-Benefit Analysis
From Department of Social Protection
Published on
Last updated on
This report is a Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA) of the Public Service Identity management framework.
The framework was introduced in 2010, and is administered by the Department of Social Protection (DSP) on behalf of the whole Public Service. It has three components: the Standard Authentication Framework Environment (SAFE), the Public Services Card (PSC), and the MyGovID online identity platform.
The report has been prepared as a Spending Review by the DSP Investment Analysis team, and it is also published by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform as one of the Autumn 2021 Spending Review papers.
The core of the report is a quantitative Cost-Benefit Analysis of how the costs and benefits of the framework compare with the costs of public service identity verification in the counterfactual scenario where the framework was not introduced. The report also analyses the wider financial impacts of the framework, and provides a qualitative assessment of its implementation, impact on public service design and delivery, and impact on wider society.
The SAFE-PSC-MyGovID Public Service Identity management framework was a major strategic investment in a key element of public infrastructure, and the report finds that this investment has been successful in both financial and qualitative terms.
Financially, the investment paid for itself in less than five years, and the discounted Net Present Value of the initiative is highly positive, with a central estimate of +€206 million. The main driver of this positive result is the savings realised from not having to repeatedly re-verify people’s identities: if the Public Service Identity management framework did not exist, then at least 17 million extra identity checks would be required from 2010 to 2030 to deliver the same level of public services.
If the financial model were broadened to include further efficiency gains to Public Service bodies, further control and customer contact savings, and especially the value of time and cost savings for people using public services, the estimated Net Present Value of the initiative might be expected to increase by a further +€300 million to +€1 billion.
In qualitative terms, the framework was successfully implemented, and it has enabled efficiency gains in the design and delivery of public services; greater convenience in accessing services; minimisation of use of personal data by Public Service bodies; and enhanced social inclusion through the establishment of the Public Service Card and MyGovID as trusted tokens of public service identity available at no cost to everyone in Ireland.
