Singapore Government Projected to Invest $1.2 Billion in Infocomm Technologies to Enhance Operational Efficiency and Public Service Delivery

Singapore Government Projected to Invest $1.2 Billion in Infocomm Technologies to Enhance Operational Efficiency and Public Service Delivery

23 MAY 2013

The Singapore Government plans to call S$1.2 billion worth of new infocomm tenders in the Financial Year (FY) 2013 leveraging on industry expertise to improve service delivery to citizens and businesses, through the innovative use of technology. This was announced at the annual Industry Briefing on Business Opportunities for Infocomm in the Public Sector held today, where IDA together with the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) and Singapore Customs share their infocomm procurement plans for FY13.

Mr James Kang, Assistant Chief Executive Officer, Government Chief Information Office of the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore, said that the Government will focus on key areas of technology development to drive improvements within the public sector. These include Agile Software Development, Government Cloud Solutions, Data and Analytics, and Infocomm Security.

Mr Kang also revealed that the S$1.2 billion worth of new infocomm tenders in the Financial Year (FY) 2013 is comparable to investments in FY 2012, where the Government awarded 577 infocomm contracts worth up to $1.2 billion.

Key Focus Areas in FY13

The Government will call for a bulk tender on agile software development which will provide government agencies with access to a range of suppliers with agile expertise, resources and tools enabling a shorter turnaround time for the development of innovative applications and solutions. User Experience Design will be key in ensuring that services, websites and apps are accessible, usable, useful, and credible. The agile development’s iterative approach allows for the gathering of constant user feedback to enhance the usability of solutions launched, especially towards citizen-centric applications, such as government e-services, websites and mobile applications. This dynamic approach will also be beneficial to small-to-medium infocomm companies as it opens up collaborative opportunities to infocomm companies regardless of their size.

Mr Kang also shared on the need for businesses to adapt to a new provisioning model as the Government continues its cloud journey after establishing the Government Cloud (G-Cloud) Infrastructure-as-a-Service. In this next phase, it will call for Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) tenders to allow agencies to tap on a wide choice of software offered on the cloud. This offers the Government the agility, scalability and utility pricing model of software on the cloud.

Data and Analytics is another key area of focus for the government. Through harnessing the value of available government data, the Apps4SG competition launched last month opens co-creation opportunities amongst citizens, businesses and government. Citizens and businesses are encouraged to develop innovative and useful applications to improve the way we live, work and interact in Singapore.

The Government is also continuing its thrust on data-driven decision making through the use of analytics where actionable insights derived from data will help improve operations, planning and policy formulation. Consumer-centric businesses for instance are encouraged to adopt Social Analytics to unlock new business value in sectors such as retail, food & beverage, and tourism. To facilitate such business adoption of analytics solutions a Call-for-Collaboration on Social Analytics for Business Enterprise is currently underway for businesses to develop and deploy social analytics services together with infocomm enterprises and analytics solution providers.

To complement the government’s adoption of technology for better service delivery, infocomm security will also be enhanced for greater stability. A bulk tender to centralise the provision of data encryption products and services will be called in FY2013, while another bulk tender to enhance the Cyber-Watch Centre is currently available for participation. This will tap into the industry’s expertise to strengthen infocomm security by mitigating risks and detecting threats early.

More Infocomm Projects in FY2013

Among the projects shared at the Briefing were those from MINDEF and Singapore Customs.

MINDEF’s key projects are aimed at enhancing its organisational and operational effectiveness through the development of corporate IT systems. These projects include the enhancement of Enterprise Knowledge Portal, HR system and Integrated Transport Management system. Substantial investments will also be made in developing a learning management system to deliver effective training and administer trainee evaluation for Enterprise Systems.

Singapore Customs will be implementing several new systems in the coming years. These include the development of a customer relationship management (CRM) system that consolidates essential customer information onto a single platform to enable Customs officers to better manage interactions with their customers. Together with the CRM system, a customer engagement portal will also be implemented. This system will allow traders to perform self-help transactions and have more direct interactions with Singapore Customs.

Singapore Customs is also developing a customs intelligence & investigation system to manage end-to-end processing of cases, and build up a repository of intelligence for profiling and data analysis. In addition, Singapore Customs is looking to revamp its trade statistics system and corporate website. The new trade statistics system will be supported by analytic solutions to enable Customs officers to identify outliers easily and compile statistical information more efficiently, while the new corporate website will enhance the general public interaction experience with Singapore Customs.

ISSUED BY CORPORATE AND MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS DIVISIONINFOCOMM DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY OF SINGAPORE

About Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore

The Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) is committed to growing Singapore into a dynamic global infocomm hub. IDA uses an integrated approach to developing infocommunications in Singapore. This involves nurturing a competitive telecoms market as well as a conducive business environment with programmes and schemes for both local and international companies. For more news and information, visit www.ida.gov.sg.

For media clarification

Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore

Christopher Koh (Mr)
Manager
Corporate and Marketing Communication
DID: +65 6211 1709
HP: +65 9144 1995

Fax: +65 6211 2427
E-mail: christopher_koh@ida.gov.sg

Ministry of Defence

Goh Kai Shi (Ms)
Media Relations Officer
MINDEF Public Affairs
DID: +65 6307 5548
HP: +65 9784 2348
Email: Goh_Kai_Shi@starnet.gov.sg

Singapore Customs

Patricia Bay (Ms)
Assistant Head,
Corporate Communications
DID: +65 6355 2127
Email: Patricia_Bay@customs.gov.sg

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https://www.tech.gov.sg/media/media-releases/singapore-government-projected-to-invest-1-point-2-billion-in-infocomm-technologies-to-enhance-operational-efficiency-and-public-service-delivery