Organizational Regulation of the State Chancellery (OR-SC), of May 27, 2025 - State Chancellery (OV-STKN)

1. The State Chancellery fulfills the role of staff headquarters for the Council of State.

2. It assumes the tasks assigned to the State in the areas of political rights, foreign relations and communication, official publications, legalizations, registered partnerships, procurement, supply, logistics, and printed materials.

1. The State Chancellor directs the State Chancellery.

2. He or she assumes the functions of Secretary of the Council of State.

3. His or her responsibilities are determined by the Law on the Organization of the Council of State and Cantonal Administration (LCE), of March 22, 1983, and by the Law on the Organization of the Grand Council (OGC), of October 30, 2012 [3].

1. The Deputy Chancellor acts as the substitute for the State Chancellor.

2. He or she advises and assists the State Chancellor in the performance of his or her duties.

3. He or she directs the services of the Chancellery.

The State Chancellery comprises the following services

a) the Chancellery service;

b) the Purchasing, Logistics, and Printing service.

1. The State Chancellor regularly meets with the heads of departments in the form of general or individual meetings.

2. The Vice Chancellor attends meetings with the purchasing, logistics, and printing services and acts as a liaison between the State Chancellor and these services.

3. The Secretariat for these meetings is provided by the Chancellery Service.

1. The State Chancellor organizes a weekly strategic follow-up meeting of the State Council sessions to ensure the follow-up of decisions, as well as the cross-functionality coherence of activities concerning all departments and the State Chancellery, including specifically the external relations and the communication of the State.

2. The Deputy Chancellor, as well as the General Secretaries of the departments, participate in this meeting.

The Chancellery Service has the following responsibilities

a) Area of Council of State Affairs

- planning the work of the Council of State;

- preparation and follow-up of the Council of State sessions;

- receipt of correspondence, its registration, and its allocation to the relevant departments;

- dispatch of decisions and, where applicable, their publication in the Official Gazette;

- drafting the minutes of the Council of State sessions and updating a compendium containing the texts of the decisions made;

- archiving documents.

b) Domain of Political Rights

- overseeing the application of provisions related to political rights;

- organizing federal and cantonal ballots;

- managing electronic voting, as well as other IT applications related to the organization of federal and cantonal ballots;

- conducting the checks provided for by legislation on political rights and the organization of the Grand Council concerning popular initiatives and motions, as well as requests for referenda.

c) Domain of Administration, Human Resources, and Finance

- publishing the Official Gazette;

- managing administrative tasks related to the One-Stop Service;

- legalizing signatures of public officers;

- recording registered partnerships and managing the registry;

- managing internal mail and postal service;

- handling tasks assigned to the State Chancellery in matters of human resources;

- preparing management reports of the Council of State and the State Chancellery, in collaboration with the procurement, logistics, and printing service;

- planning, directing, and coordinating the financial management of the State Chancellery, in collaboration with the procurement, logistics, and printing service.

d) Domain of User Reception

- welcoming citizens and other visitors to the Castle or centralized administrative buildings of the cantonal administration;

- managing and servicing the Castle’s rooms.

e) Domain of External Relations and Communication

- developing, implementing, and monitoring strategies in matters of external relations and communication;

- coordinating and managing information for the Council of State and departments;

- systematic defense of the canton’s interests;

- monitoring strategic files;

- developing and using diversified channels (digital, traditional) for the dissemination of State messages;

- producing media publications and publishing internal communications;

- managing the State’s websites and intranet;

- organizing events and receptions for the Council of State;

- managing relations with the media;

- responsibility for the visual identity of the State.

1. The Procurement, Logistics, and Printing Service has the following missions

a) Procurement Field

- The definition and implementation of purchasing policy and processes;

- Advising cantonal administration services and providing support in procurement procedures.

b) Supply Field

- Management of office supply procurement for the cantonal administration;

- Management of school supply procurement for mandatory schools;

- Stock management and coordination of the distribution of office and school supplies;

- Management of supply and logistics for federal and cantonal polling materials;

- Execution of various logistics missions for the cantonal administration.

c) Editorial Center of the State of Neuchâtel

- Design, printing, enveloping, and distribution to the entities of the cantonal administration of all the documents necessary for their operation, as well as carrying out work for municipalities, para-governmental entities, and external clients;

- Editing and production of administrative documents and various educational materials.

2. The pedagogical, financial, and administrative responsibility for the school supplies sector falls under the Department of Education and Finance.

The State Chancellery may establish specific provisions regarding its responsibilities and internal organization.

The present regulation repeals the organizational regulation of the State Chancellery (RO-CHAN), dated May 17, 2017 [4].

1. This regulation shall enter into force immediately.

2. It shall be published in the Official Gazette and inserted into the Collection of Neuchâtel Legislation.