Designing Government as One: The Integrated Service Center in Bhutan

This article is part of the 2025 Report: GovCX Trailblazers Case Studies, published by the International Foundation for Customer Experience in Government. The report aims to advance the global dialogue on Customer Experience (CX) in the public sector by highlighting innovative practices from around the world and setting benchmarks to help governments strengthen their CX initiatives.

For Sithar Norbu, Chief Program Officer at the Public Service Delivery Division under the Prime Minister’s Office of Bhutan, improving how citizens interact with government isn’t just a job—it’s a national priority.

“Government must adapt to the needs of citizens instead of citizens running after the government.”

This conviction is what led to the creation of Bhutan’s Integrated Service Center (ISC), a flagship initiative that officially launched in Thimphu on June 10, 2025, following a six-month pilot. The ISC represents a bold step toward breaking down silos in public administration and making government services genuinely seamless for people and businesses alike.

Developed under the PMO’s guidance, the ISC was designed around the “no wrong door” principle, ensuring that citizens and entrepreneurs can access multiple services—across agencies and sectors—through a single platform, whether in person, online, or by phone. A specialized wing, GovBiz, supports businesses in navigating regulatory services and setup processes with ease.

The ISC brings together previously fragmented service delivery channels—including G2C services, the 1199 Public Service Contact Centre, and business-facing functions—into one integrated environment.

Whether a citizen needs to renew a document, seek social benefits, or register a new business, they no longer have to visit different offices or figure out which agency is responsible. The ISC provides trained multi-service officers and a unified experience powered by interoperable digital infrastructure like the Bhutan National Digital Identity (NDI) system.

The ISC is not just a co-location of services—it’s a full redesign of how government shows up for its people. Among its most significant achievements:

• Turnaround times were significantly reduced, simplifying once-complex procedures.
• Over 100 public services from multiple sectors are now accessible under one roof.
• GovBiz improved the ease of doing business, especially for startups and SMEs.
• Citizen trust and satisfaction rose measurably, with positive post-launch feedback and survey responses.

“The ISC did more than simplify processes—it demonstrated that when the government works as one, citizens no longer need to navigate its complexity alone.”

At the heart of the ISC’s success was strong political support from the Prime Minister’s Office, which gave the project the legitimacy and authority needed to break through institutional silos. This backing:

• Facilitated cross-agency coordination
• Enforced accountability
• Maintained momentum from pilot to full-scale implementation and ultimately delivery

The Public Service Delivery Division, led by Sithar Norbu, championed the change from within—bringing clarity, purpose, and energy to every step of the process.

Transforming entrenched systems wasn’t without challenges. The most persistent challenge was misalignment in how integration was understood. “While some agencies embraced full-service transformation, others saw it as simple physical co-location” Sithar Noted.

Legacy systems and limited human resources also caused friction in service onboarding.

The breakthrough came through:

• Enforcing shared service standards. 
  
• Adopting Bhutan’s National Digital Identity (NDI) via the GovTech Agency.
• Training over 100 multi-service officers to deliver across agency boundaries.

This shift reinforced that integration must be process-deep, not surface-level.

Bhutan’s Integrated Service Center (ISC) represents more than a physical space—it marks a transformation in how government delivers services. Its success highlights two critical lessons for public sector innovation:

1. One-stop access must be matched with one-team execution.
Integration is not about co-location—it’s about redesigning processes around the citizen journey and delivering services seamlessly across agencies.

2. By combining digital innovation, political leadership, and citizen-first design, Bhutan is redefining how public services are delivered—building a system that is more responsive, inclusive, and human-centered.

When viewed through the lens of the International CX Model, Bhutan’s ISC initiative demonstrates strong performance across multiple dimensions.

Clarity of direction was evident. The ISC was backed by political will at the highest level, with the Prime Minister’s Office driving the vision, setting priorities, and empowering execution. This top-down alignment ensured that CX strategy, leadership, and culture were embedded from the outset.

From a Design perspective, the service experience was intentionally shaped around real citizen and business journeys rather than institutional mandates. A multi-agency, multidisciplinary team collaboratively reimagined processes using human-centered design principles and digital enablers such as the National Digital Identity (NDI).

Together, these principles are embedded in Bhutan’s public service fabric, offering a powerful model for governments striving to deliver better, more human-centered outcomes.