The central premise of this article - part of a Master thesis - is that the Internet is a strong technology tool for the access to and the dissemination of information. That is why government bodies have been using it as a form of approaching citizens. Based on this premise, and in an attempt to evaluate its effective reach, the Services and Information Portal of the Brazilian Federal Government is assessed on the basis of Vilellas´s methodology (2003). This methodology comprises 73 criteria, which are grouped under 14 parameters. These parameters, in its turn, are divided into three dimensions, namely, content, usability and functionality. During a pre-established period of time, three different types of software were used as assessing tools, and marks were attributed to each dimension in order to evaluate its degree of approval. Research results pointed to both strengths and weaknesses of the Portal. Firstly, the low marks given to the form of the content presentation, updating and maintenance. Secondly, a balance in usability marks, underlining, however, the difficulty for citizens with special needs to access the Portal.
Portals; E-Government; Evaluation of portals; Information and public services portals
