Italian State-Owned 3-i Spa to be Absorbed by Sogei After Failures
Public digital services firm faces dissolution following years of mismanagement and high absenteeism.
1Failed Public Digital Initiative
Established in December 2022 with 45 million euros from Inps, Inail, and Istat, 3-i Spa was intended to centralize public IT services. However, the company functioned primarily as an administrative shell. By October 2026, the government announced its total absorption into Sogei, marking the end of a four-year period of stagnation.
2Financial Losses and Inactivity
The company reported zero revenue throughout 2023 and 2024, focusing solely on internal organization. By the end of 2025, it had accumulated 1.4 million euros in losses, with initial capital dropping to 43.56 million. Despite minimal operational output, the firm maintained significant administrative costs and high-value contracts with various external technology providers.
3Outsourcing Contradicts Original Mission
Designed to reduce reliance on external suppliers, 3-i Spa paradoxically outsourced nearly all its technical projects. A temporary grouping led by IBM Italia received 18.7 million euros, while other major contracts were awarded to Telecom Italia and Almaviva. The company failed to hire internal software developers, relying entirely on external consultants for operations.
4Extreme Absenteeism Rates
Internal data reveals alarming absenteeism, with the general management secretariat reaching a 68.6 percent absence rate in 2025. Even by mid-2026, rates remained above 33 percent in key departments. These figures highlight a lack of operational discipline within the twenty-person staff, further undermining the company's stated goals of efficiency and productivity.
5Executive Turnover and Governance
The company experienced frequent leadership changes, including the resignation of Claudio Anastasio in 2023 following a controversial email. Current leadership is held by Stefano Tomasini, who simultaneously serves as president of Consip. These appointments reflect a pattern of political and administrative instability that characterized the firm's entire four-year existence.
6Questionable Expenditure Patterns
Beyond core IT costs, the firm spent over 73,000 euros on long-term luxury car rentals, including Alfa Romeo models. Additionally, 748,117 euros in strategic consulting fees were written off as losses because the associated projects were never utilized. These expenditures demonstrate a significant disconnect between corporate spending and the company's actual service delivery.
7Future Integration into Sogei
Under the 2027 financial maneuver, Sogei will acquire 100 percent of 3-i Spa. The entity will be tasked with managing critical national digital infrastructures, including the eIdas node for European identity verification and the official index of public administration offices. This transition aims to finally consolidate these essential digital services under one roof.
8Legacy of Ineffective Reform
The 3-i Spa case serves as a stark example of failed public sector restructuring. Despite substantial public funding and high-level mandates, the firm failed to produce meaningful digital improvements. The final absorption into Sogei underscores the difficulty of creating new state-owned entities to solve systemic inefficiencies without clear operational oversight.
Original article: Today.it — Italian State-Owned 3-i Spa to be Absorbed by Sogei After Failures