CNCD employees manually re-enter the data from online complaints: IT tender of 4 million euros for the digitization of the institution's services

“In the case of receiving forms filled out electronically, by email, there is no method to automatically retrieve the data from the forms and transfer them to the back-office applications, so it is necessary to re-enter the data from the forms manually”, says the National Council for Combating Discrimination (CNCD).

What problems does the institution say CNCD employees face?

The National Council for Combating Discrimination states in the tender specifications that officials involved in the provision of public services to combat discrimination face the following situations:

• management of a large number of files – the additional burden of employees generated by many redundant activities that are managed manually due to the absence of specific systems/tools/applications that allow the reduction of dead times and activities that do not bring real added value;
• in the case of receiving electronically completed forms, by email, there is no method to automatically retrieve the data from the forms and transfer them to the back-office applications, therefore it is necessary to manually re-enter the data from the forms;
• the archiving of documents is carried out by traditional methods, with the related difficulties in situations where it is necessary to consult the physical archive;
• the impossibility of automating repetitive processes, due to the lack of specific systems/tools/applications, which consume an important part of the activity of officials, who should focus more on specific activities with significant added value;
• the impossibility of providing services to prevent acts of discrimination by providing training courses on human rights, the effects of discrimination, the principle of equality, due to the lack of personnel and the necessary technical means.

“Also, there are many beneficiaries of public anti-discrimination services who do not reside in Bucharest, but must interact with the institution for the detection and sanctioning of acts of discrimination. All these realities impose the need to improve citizens' access to information and to make electronic services available,” says CNCD.

How worn are IT equipment and applications: Risk of cyber attack

CNCD states that it currently has a poor and worn-out basic hardware and software infrastructure:

• “The institution does not have dedicated applications related to public anti-discrimination services.
• All applications are under evolutionary maintenance and the institution does not own the source code.
• The institution does not use relational databases or their management systems.
• The connection to the Internet is made through optical fiber, and the Internet access service provider is the Special Telecommunications Service (STS). The maximum connection speed is 1 Gbps.
• CNCD has a single server, installed since 2019, serving as a storage medium for files, namely the legislation program (Indaco Lege5). The server's operating system is Windows Server 2016 Standard, for which Microsoft provides support until January 2027 only for security vulnerabilities.
• There is no established procedure for backup and disaster recovery. Data backups are not made, except for certain files on the institution's server, whose duplicates (copies) are saved (manually) on an additional HDD also installed on the server.
• The stored volume of document files registered on the file server is approximately 200 Gb.
• The institution does not own Firewall/Gateway equipment / The institution does not own WEB application Firewall equipment.
• The institution does not have a dedicated server room.
• CNCD has 65 desktop PC equipment with monitors in working order. Of the 65 computers, 14 are running old OS versions (Microsoft Windows 7 Pro), and 47 of them are using the Office suite (Microsoft Office 2013 or older), thus introducing vulnerabilities to cyber threats into the institution or not being able to ensure the appropriate level of data security”.

What benefits should the new IT system bring?

The institution expects that by implementing the new IT system, called the Integrated Information System for Public Services to Combat Discrimination (SIISPECD), it will reduce the processing time of notifications and petitions regarding acts or acts of discrimination and ensure online access to public services to combat discrimination.

“The new system will allow users to log in from electronic devices such as computer, mobile, etc. and submit main documents (such as the request, complaint, notification, proposal, etc.) through an electronic form, as well as attach other supporting, supporting documents in electronic format directly in the Public Electronic Services Portal (PSEP) of the CNCD. It will take the entered data and documents and automatically transfer them to the internal document management system (DMS)”. specifies the institution.

In the case of submitting documents by other legal means – post, email, etc., the solution will allow the entry of information and the content of the main document in the DMS by the employee responsible for the Registry activity, the employee who will scan any physical documents and attach them to the main document.

The system will enable the activities of registering petitions, official documents and any other documents in the DMS document management system by the employee responsible for the registry activity, as well as their distribution within the institution, depending on the object of activity, or to various other institutions in whose sphere of competence the issues within them fall.

Also, the new IT system will ensure the record of the petitions distributed among the departments in the institution, aiming at their resolution within the legal term.

The Integrated Information System for Public Services to Combat Discrimination (SIISPECD) will be implemented in the Government Private Cloud (CPG), the Dedicated Cloud unit based on Azure Hub Stack technology and will be developed based on the software components requested in this tender.

The estimated value of the auctioned contract is over 19.5 million lei (without VAT), co-financed from European funds. The IT system involves the provision of equipment, software licenses, IT services and training.

CNCD announced last month that this project also provides for the development of skills in the field of information and communication technology for at least 70 people, “thus contributing to the strengthening of the administrative capacity of the institution”.

The project benefits from a total budget of 27,610,463 lei, of which:

• 19,533,958 lei represents non-refundable financing from European funds,
• 8,076,504 lei (the difference) being provided from the national budget and the beneficiary's contribution, according to the provisions of the financing contract.

The deadline for receiving offers or requests to participate is May 7, 2026. The opening of offers will also take place on the same day.