About S$2.2 billion worth in information and communications (ICT) tenders will be launched by the Government in the financial year of 2015, the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) announced on Wednesday (May 27).
The projected spending for the year will be higher than the S$1.95 billion spent the year before. The key areas of procurement will be focused on digital and data services, web services, infocomm infrastructure, as well as the development of the Smart Nation Platform, the agency said.
The investments in ICT is to realise the Smart Nation vision, and the Government will seek collaboration with the industry to build capabilities and develop more citizen-centric services, it added.
IDA Managing Director Jacqueline Poh said: "The Government is actively engaging with citizens, businesses and the tech industry. We seek to gain better insights into the kinds of applications that people need and build new digital government capabilities to deliver great experiences."
Some of the tenders will include a new work pass system to be rolled out by the Manpower Ministry, while the Education Ministry will also acquire technology services to build and extend its infrastructure in schools as well as in the procurement of systems for efficient school administration.
The Government will also roll out a system called the Corporate Pass (CorpPass). It allows employees to make transactions with government agencies on behalf of their companies. This means they do not need to use their own SingPass ID.
After it is implemented in the second quarter of next year, companies will be given a six-month grace period to transit to this new platform. IDA said the transition period may be extended upon review. Once this period ends, CorpPass will be the only recognised platform for businesses to perform such transactions.
And as the Government allows better access to its data, the emphasis on cyber security is also higher on the agenda. Ms Poh said: "As more data are generated by people, about people and to benefit people, it is important that data is properly treated in the collection, dissemination and also sharing.
"So, the Smart Nation platform has a lot of checks and balances in it to make sure that data centres are secure, that data is encrypted, and data sharing platforms are also secure."
IDA also said it will work with the industry to co-create the development of government digital services, instead of outsourcing to a third party. This will give IDA some control and allow it to make changes faster.
Source: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/business/government-to-launch-s-2/1874506.html