With infocomm investments continuing to play a key role in the delivery of quality public service, the Singapore Government has announced plans to invest S$1.73 billion in more than 392 new infocomm projects in Financial Year (FY) 2009.

This was announced 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 on 12 May. Attended by more than 800 participants, the annual briefing provides infocomm businesses with an early indication of government procurement plans which allows them to better respond to government tenders.

More than 800 people attended the annual Industry Briefing on Business Opportunities for Infocomm in the Public Sector.

Some of the projects that are up for tender are Calls-for-Collaboration issued by IDA. 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 programme.

RADM(NS) Tay: We look forward to more opportunities for partnership with industry.

Examples of projects by other government agencies include the Standard ICT Operating Environment for Schools (SOE Schools) by the Ministry of Education; an Internet-based knowledge management system by the Ministry of Defence and the BorderWatch System by the Ministry of Home Affairs.

FY09’s infocomm investment projection is consistent with the S$1.6 billion worth of tenders that were awarded in FY08. The infocomm industry has also continued to benefit from the Government’s continual investment in infocomm, with local companies awarded about 67 per cent of infocomm contracts in FY08.

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. "We look forward to more opportunities for partnership with industry, which serves to encourage sophisticated demand for infocomm, spur the development of innovative services and knowledge capital and strengthen Singapore as an economic hub," said RADM(NS) Tay.