Published on the 13/10/2010 | Written by Newsdesk
A government paper setting the policy for Government ICT use has been welcomed by the industry…
Internal Affairs Minister Nathan Guy has released a paper ‘Directions and Priorities for Government ICT’ that will set the policy for Government ICT use, saying that a 2008 survey found that much of the government ICT spend is fragmented and duplicated.
“ICT is a $2 billion spend for the government and any savings or efficiencies,” said Guy. “We want to ensure that taxpayer money is invested wisely and that we get value for money. It’s important that government agencies coordinate their planning, purchasing and delivery of ICT services.”
The strategy will replace the 2006 eGovernment Strategy, and implementation will begin immediately. Responsibility for this programme, including the functions of the Government Chief Information Officer and the strategic leadership of ICT, will transfer from the State Services Commission to the Department of Internal Affairs.
Industry likes it
NZICT CEO Brett O’Riley says that considering that the public sector is one of the largest users of ICT goods and services in New Zealand, the direction being taken by the Government is important for both the industry as a whole, Government agencies and citizen.
NZICT believes that ICT can improve New Zealand’s competitiveness in the same way that countries like Denmark, China and Singapore have focused on technology investment to improve their economic performance.
“We support a move towards a cross-agency approach on the basis that it can deliver public sector wide efficiencies, and foster a fresh round of innovation by the industry to enable service delivery transformation.
“NZICT Group supports a transparent approach to procurement that clearly establishes the criteria for procurement for suppliers of all sizes, the timetable for particular projects or solutions and lowering the acquisition costs and cost of sale for all parties involved in the process,” he says.
“NZICT Group also endorses the government leveraging successful applications and solutions that have already been deployed in the sector, and encouraging collaboration between agencies.”
