Singapore public sector IT spending to grow 4.8% from 2008-2013

By eGovAsia Editors | Nov 16, 2010

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SINGAPORE – The public sector IT spending in Singapore is set to reach US$ 1.2 billion in 2013, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.8 percent from 2008-13, making it as one of the most advanced and progressive public sectors in the world, Springboard Research said.

The Springboard report, “Public Sector IT Opportunity - Singapore” further revealed that the Singapore government has its plans in place to spend US$ 800 million on ICT in the 2010 financial year. Among the 350 projects in the pipeline are a new government portal, a revamped road monitoring system, relocatable clearance system for the home immigration and checkpoints authority, and an upgrade of Singapore’s national identity cards.

The other major initiatives taken by the Singapore government towards ICT include a 10-year, US$ 2.6 billion ICT master plan, Intelligent Nation 2015 (iN2015) and Nationwide Next Generation National Broadband Network (Next Gen NBN) deployment aimed at reaching 60 percent of households by end-2010, with full nationwide coverage expected by mid-2012.

“The government has reaffirmed its commitment towards cloud computing by issuing subsidies for the use of private and public cloud services to selected Singapore-registered organizations,” said Nilotpal Chakravarti, Research Manager, Vertical Industries at Springboard Research. “The plan will eventually attract IT service providers and technology firms to Singapore which would further help in driving revenue along with keeping the local firms abreast with the Cloud Computing technologies."

Moreover, the Singapore Ministry of Health Holdings (MOHH) plans to implement a US$ 140 million project, National Electronic Health Record (NEHR) scheme to offer substantial improvements in productivity, accessibility to information and better quality of care. In addition, the government is also planning a Clinical Management System (CMS) cum Electronic Medical Record (EMR) system for general practitioners.  

“The Singapore government is driving its efforts towards building social bridges by delivering several innovative e-services to its citizens. To further drive the efforts, IT platforms such as Singapore Internet Exchange (SGIX) and National Authentication Framework (NAF) have given a head start to the governments’ plans,” Chakravarti noted. 

The Singapore Ministry of Education’s (MoE) also plans to implement a US$624 million project, Standard ICT Operating Environment (SOE) for school’s ICT infrastructure. The FutureSchools@Singapore program, seeking to develop up to 15 schools with up-to-date teaching and learning methodology through utilization of ICT, is another measure to integrate ICT into education.