Singapore gov’t continues to invest on infocomm

By Enterprise Innovation Editors | May 29, 2009

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The Singapore Government plans to invest S$1.73 billion worth of new infocomm tenders in Financial Year (FY) 2009, which started 1 April 2009 and ends on 31 March 2010.

This announcement was made by RADM(NS) Ronnie Tay, chief executive officer of the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) at the annual Industry Briefing on Business Opportunities for Infocomm in the Public Sector held recently.  Attended by more than 700 participants, the annual briefing provides infocomm businesses with an early indication of government procurement plans which allows them to better respond to government tenders.  

In spite of the economic downturn, infocomm investment by the government remains high, as it remains an important part of the government’s ability to deliver quality public service. In FY08, the government awarded a total of $1.6 billion worth of infocomm projects.  Some of these projects include the Next Generation National Broadband Network (Next Gen NBN) NetCo by IDA, the provision of Integrated IT Support Services for Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA), and Contact Centre Services for the Ministry of Manpower (MOM).

The Government will continue to work with the industry to find new and innovative ways to use infocomm technology to improve the delivery of government services, strengthen infocomm infrastructure as well as encourage citizens and businesses to adopt an infocomm-enabled lifestyle, said RADM(NS) Tay.

New Infocomm Projects in FY09

In FY09, the government plans to invest about S$1.73 billion in more than 392 new infocomm projects. Some of these projects are Calls-for-Collaboration issued by IDA, and these include an invitation to companies to form consortia and integrate their key IT systems, business processes and data through TradeXchange so as to achieve greater business efficiency; the deployment of contactless point-of-sale terminals to promote e-payment adoption via near field communication technology; and the development and deployment of mobile commerce applications, location-based services and innovative mobile services for the Digital Concierge program.

Other key projects by other government agencies include the Standard ICT Operating Environment for Schools (SOE Schools) by the Ministry of Education; the content and documentation management system by DSTA; and the BorderWatch System by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).

MINDEF presented a few key projects which will enhance its operational efficiency and defense management capabilities.  Besides the SAF's automated fuel dispensing system, which aims to enhance its vehicle fuel dispensing needs through radio frequency identification (RFID) technology, its knowledge management system (KMS) seeks to deliver and build a more user-centric knowledge-sharing environment within MINDEF. 
 
One key infocomm investment that DSTA presented at the event was the next-generation content and documentation management system. The project will review viable technical options and involve acquisition of hardware and software and engagement of professional services.

The two key projects which MHA plans to implement are BorderWatch System for Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) and Fire Safety Online Processing System II (FISOPS II) for the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF). The BorderWatch System is an intelligence management system that enhances ICA's data mining, data analysis and targeting capabilities, and provides real time information support to checkpoints. FISOPS II is a key SCDF system for the processing of all fire safety and shelter related matters, with new capabilities to process on-line 3D building plan submissions from the Building Control Authority (BCA) on-line portal.