Case study

CARNET: Rolling out the €172 million e-Škole project with Signator

How CARNET resolved a paper-process crisis triggered by the pandemic with Signator, a digital signing platform

€172M

value of the e-Škole project

~1,500

project participants (schools, cities, ministries)

10,000+

documents processed

5 min

instead of 1–2 weeks for approval

Challenge

Paper-based processes became unsustainable

CARNET was running the second phase of the "e-Škole" project (worth €172 million), which required collecting a huge volume of legally binding documentation from around 1,500 participants (representatives of schools, cities and ministries). When the pandemic hit and a full lockdown followed, the existing paper-based processes and reliance on postal services became unsustainable, seriously jeopardising the project’s delivery

Solution

Signator as a centralised signing platform

To resolve the crisis, CARNET chose Signator as a centralised platform for digital signing

Qualified electronic signatures compliant with the EU eIDAS regulation were implemented, carrying the same legal weight as a handwritten signature

The system included user identification via eID smart cards and was adapted to CARNET’s needs through electronic forms (eForms) and a bulk-sending option for documents

Key results and feedback

Fast adoption, measurable impact

Adoption of the platform was extremely positive, and its use quickly expanded from core documentation to all other processes (invoices, employment contracts, travel orders, etc.), reaching more than 10,000 documents processed

✓Time savings: Approval processes that previously took one to two weeks were reduced to just 5 minutes

✓Increased security and compliance: Electronic signatures cannot be forged, and CARNET’s legal department gained a system that quickly and easily proves who signed a document and when

✓Cross-department synergy: The IT department praised the fast integration with internal systems, accounting automated invoice approval, and management gained the freedom to sign from anywhere

Key metrics and financial savings

Drastic savings from going digital

Switching to digital signing delivered drastic savings by eliminating paper, printing and postal costs

Input parameters for the calculation

Parameter	Value
Average number of documents processed	10,012
Average number of pages (per document)	5
Average number of copies	2
Average processing time	6 minutes
Share of documents sent by post	80%

Cost comparison and total savings

Period	Cost (paper-based processes)	Cost (Signator platform)	Total savings achieved
Monthly	€2,967.94	€801.83	€2,166.10
Year 1	€35,615.22	€9,621.98	€25,993.24
Year 2	€71,230.44	€19,243.96	€51,986.48
Year 3	€106,845.66	€28,865.93	€77,979.73
Year 4	€142,460.88	€38,487.91	€103,972.97

Lessons learned and what’s next

Next steps towards full digitalisation

During the project, technical challenges emerged around smart-card administration (forgotten PINs, card-reader issues) among external users. As a result, CARNET is planning a move to simpler remote signing

Next steps

✓Rolling out digital signatures to all remaining internal and external processes

✓Enabling schools to use the system for their own digital transformation and fully paperless operation (enrolment documents, teacher contracts, parental consents, etc.)

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