Robotisation of bureaucratic procedures saves up to one million hours of work in Andalucía

The advance of robotisation in administration and bureaucracy, through the application of intelligent automation technologies, has allowed the Andalusian regional government (the Junta) to save up to one million working hours that are usually spent on repetitive tasks.

This boost in robotisation has been possible thanks to the creation of the intelligent automation unit (UAI) in 2022.

According to the Andalusian digital agency (Ada), robotisation allows admin workers to focus on tasks of greater strategic value, at the same time as it streamlines public services and provides a better service to the population.

Robotisation has freed public workers from a set of tasks that demanded enormous amounts of time and effort, while it has also reduced errors and optimised the validation of information. In addition, it benefits residents who need direct attention by optimising workers' hours.

Robotisation has saved the Junta 142,857 full working days or 28,571 working weeks, which is equivalent to the annual work of 650 civil servants. The accumulation of one million hours performed by robots has resulted in the expedited processing of four million files, with the digital processing of 5.4 million documents and the verification of 15.9 million requirements.

Regional minister for industry, energy and mines Jorge Paradela has stated that "the results achieved with the application of robotisation reflect an exponential increase in the efficiency of the administration".

One of the examples of the work performed by UAI is the processing of files supplied by agricultural producers applying for aid. Thanks to a robotic system that automatically reviews and sorts the documentation, the unit has made it easier to check invoices and supporting documents.

Another important application of robotisation is strengthening the annual monitoring of non-contributory pensions - a key process to ensure these benefits continue to reach those who meet the eligibility criteria.

The intelligent automation unit deploys a system that performs these checks automatically and regularly, using already available official information and in strict compliance with data protection regulations.

The Junta also has a centre of excellence in hyper-automation, a pioneer in the Spanish public sector. Since its creation, 113 robotisation projects have been launched in 12 regional department, of which 96 are active and 17 have already been completed. The Junta is currently working on the automation of nine more new processes.