$2b e-govt masterplan launched

The Business Times, Amit Roy Choudhury, 31 May 2006

S'pore players who develop e-govt solutions will retain IP rights and get help to export them.

(SINGAPORE) In a move that is expected to boost the infocomm industry, the government yesterday announced a $2 billion iGov2010 masterplan under which it will work with local players to co-create, develop and export e-government solutions.

In addition, it will allow them to retain ownership of the relevant intellectual property (IP) to enhance their business and export opportunities. Players welcomed this move, saying it should boost infocomm exports.

To run over five years, iGov2010 will introduce innovations like a single SMS (short message service) number for all government services.

Unveiling the plan yesterday, Raymond Lim, who will today relinquish his posts of second finance minister and minister in the Prime Minister's Office, said the government aims to transform back-end processing to achieve front-end efficiency and effectiveness. Mr Lim takes over from Yeo Cheow Tong as Transport Minister.

iGov2010, or integrated government, builds on two previous plans - the e-Government Action Plan I (eGAPI) launched in 2000 and eGAPII launched in 2003. The government spent about $1.2 billion and $1.3 billion respectively on these three-year plans to develop e-services for citizens and businesses.

Wu Choy Peng, deputy chief executive of the Infocomm Development Authority (IDA) and the government's chief information officer, said iGov2010 will facilitate the growth of private sector IT through partnerships in innovative projects.

'Public agencies will collaborate with the infocomm industry in the co-creation, development and export of iGov solutions,' Ms Wu said.
She said that in many economic sectors the government is either the regulator, dominant supplier or dominant consumer. 'So in such sectors, what the government does internally can potentially have a lot of effect on the entire sector.'

An example of this is TradeXchange, a project by Singapore Customs, the Economic Development Board and IDA, which aims to transform the trade and logistics sector. 'We used what was essentially a government function... to create something that can potentially transform the entire trade and logistic sector,' Ms Wu said.

Similar sectoral transformation projects will be implemented under iGov2010.

Reacting to iGov2010, NCS chief executive Chong Yoke Sin said her company is well-placed in terms of expertise and experience in developing solutions such as My.eCitizen to create best-in-class solutions.

'Ultimately, these same solutions would have to be tweaked for foreign governments for export . . . In this regard, we applaud the government's thrust to release IP to the industry,' Dr Chong said.

Singapore Computer Systems president and chief executive Tan Tong Hai said iGov2010 is good news for his company because it is easier for governments to sell to other governments and to market 'Made-by-Singapore' solutions as a whole. 'The 'Made-by-Singapore' branding is very important, especially with Singapore being showcased as a leader in e-government solutions,' Mr Tan said.
CrimsonLogic's CEO Leong Peng Kiong said: 'To be able to export the IP for innovative e-government solutions is certainly a huge shot in the arm for local companies like ourselves.'

Stephen Lim, chairman of the Singapore infocomm Technology Federation (SiTF) noted that while there have been previous transfers of IP from the government to industry, iGov2010 institutionalises this arrangement. 'It makes it much more easier for industry and government agencies to collaborate - it's a positive act for the industry,' Mr Lim said.

The iGov2010 plan will revamp My.eCitizen and develop My.eBusiness portals to cater to specific customer segments or individuals. It will also increase the number of CitizenConnect Centres from five to 25.

According to IDA's Ms Wu, guidelines will be developed to help agencies present clear and useful information online and create new consultation spaces for business, young people and overseas Singaporeans.

She also said the government will implement a Unique Establishment Identifier (UEI) for establishments in Singapore, including companies, businesses, societies and non-profit organisations.

Similar to the NRIC number for individuals, the UEI for establishments will reduce the number of identifiers that establishments have to use and will provide a common means of identifying them.