Government to spend S$1.1bn on infocomm projects

Some of the projects include a Flexi Immigration System for smoother clearance and a service portal for foreign workers.

　
These are some of the initiatives in the pipeline as part of the Singapore Government’s projected S$1.1 billion worth of new infocomm tenders for Financial Year 2011.

This is in line with infocomm expenditure for FY2010, where the Government awarded 647 infocomm contracts worth more than S$1.12 billion. The figure excluded the awarded amount of S$850 million for the Schools Standard ICT Operating Environment project.

Speaking at the Industry Briefing 2011 on Business Opportunities for Infocomm in the Public Sector on 19 May 2011, RADM(NS) Ronnie Tay, Chief Executive Officer of the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA), said the overall outlook for the infocomm industry remained positive, with increased spending in IT and demand for infocomm services. He also noted that the Singapore Government will continue to invest in infocomm to drive productivity and innovation within the public sector.

Pointing to Singapore’s strong performance in international studies such as the 2011 Waseda e-Government Ranking and the Global Information Technology Report, he said, "This is a strong testament to the Singapore Government’s commitment to continually improve the delivery of services and information to citizens and businesses, and the important role of infocomm in fostering economic growth in Singapore."

At the latest industry briefing, agencies including MINDEF, the Defence Science & Technology Agency (DSTA), the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and the National Environment Agency (NEA) presented some of their upcoming projects. They included:

A Flexi Immigration Clearance System which will enable the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority to toggle between automated and manned counters to boost operational capabilities and ensure a smoother immigration clearance;

MINDEF’s improved Healthcare System, which will provide better quality healthcare services to MINDEF and SAF personnel via the streamlining of business processes and the integration of military healthcare records with the national healthcare systems;

A new DSTA Intranet that will enhance information accessibility and knowledge sharing, as well as real-time connectivity among all itsstaff;

MOM’s integrated Foreign Manpower Management System (inFORM), a one-stop service portal that allows members of the public, employers, foreign workers, domestic foreign workers and business partners to transact with MOM through various channels such as web, mobile and Internet Protocol TV; and

The NEA’s Integrated Operations and Command System and the Smart Environment System, both of which will leverage on next generation infocomm, communication and sensor network technologies, coupled with business analytics and predictive modelling capabilities to enhance NEA’s services.