National, regional, provincial and local government agencies, as well as various other public sector organizations, face particular challenges as a result of the relentless pace of technology change. They have to consider very broad constituencies and interests in their decision processes, balance the desire for operational efficiencies with political agendas, always be conscious of probity concerns and often have to deliver services in severely constrained environments (whether budgetary, infrastructure or manpower related). And they have to do all of this under the full glare of media attention and public scrutiny.

Our consultants understand the unique situations public sector enterprises have to deal with as they craft their IT strategies and policies. They have advised dozens of governments across Asia at all levels, and have been instrumental in helping create national IT industry development strategies for countries as diverse as Australia, India and Thailand. Elements of the Chinese IT five year plan for ICT were drafted by some of our team, while other consultants have been senior policy advisors to Asia/Pacific governments for a number of years, including the Shanghai and Beijing Municipal Governments, most of the States of Australia, the Government of Singapore and various provinces of India.

Our Public Sector Consulting services include:

• Effective eGovernment: Giving our clients clear insights into how to effectively implement eGovernment initiatives from a strategic and organizational perspective.
• ICT Roadmap: Working with industry development agencies to craft realistic road maps for the local ICT sector, leading to increased jobs and exports.
• ICT Industry Policy Advice: Supply policy makers with best practice guidance and inputs on the most effective policies to nurture and grow a thriving local ICT community, to bridge the digital divide and to further develop the economy towards being knowledge-based.
• Branding & Promotion of an ICT Identity: Working with all levels of government to create, build and sustain a recognized profile within the global IT community, designed primarily to attract inwards investment.
• Country Competitive Profiles: Understanding where a nation fits in terms of IT readiness in relation to other countries, especially those that compete for investment.
• ICT Industry Perspectives: Help governments understand the needs of their local IT industry in order to put in place any required remedies and improvements. We deliver a realistic assessment of the capabilities of the local IT industry.
• IT Governance in the Public Sector: Work towards building the proper mechanisms, constructs, organization, processes, skills and tools for effective IT governance. In the public sector this is a unique challenge that is very difference from what is necessary in the commercial sector.
• Bridging the IT-Politician Gap: Many Government organizations rely on politicians to fund their IT initiatives, but too often these decision makers lack an appreciation of IT concepts, terms and benefits. As a result many important IT projects fail to gain the necessary support. We provide guidance to public sector organizations on how to effectively communicate and sell the IT agenda to bureaucrats and the political masters who determine funding.

Case Study # 1

Our consultants were asked to provide an in-depth analysis with recommendations for an Asian country to build an entire offshore business process outsourcing industry that was able to capitalize on the success of India in this area. A detailed assessment of the current ability of this country to build such an industry was completed, and several opportunities identified in terms of process domain and target markets. A second phase of the assignment then drew up a list of recommended actions and timelines to exploit these opportunities.

Case Study # 2

The Ministry of ICT of an Asian country approached us to work with them to understand how they could best nurture, build and promote a local ICT sector. They were hoping to craft policies and incentives that would ultimately lead to having many local ICT firms that contributed to growth in jobs and exports. A thorough review of the current state of the ICT sector in the country was prepared and debated, leading to the identification of a number of impediments that required government action to remove before the sector could take hold and thrive. An entire ICT Road Map was developed and mutually agreed with the client.

Case Study # 3

The IT executive team of a large government ministry was frustrated and asked our consultants to help. They had been unable to gain the necessary funding for the investment in several middleware technologies that would act as the underpinnings of a new IT architecture based on SOA concepts. Their submittal had been to cabinet three times with no success. We approached key members of the cabinet with tailored presentations, and adapted the fourth submission substantially to simplify the message and better convey the benefits of the new architecture n terms the politicians could appreciate and understand. This new submission was passed, and the project finally could proceed.

Case Study # 4

A new agency of an Asian government was created with the specific task of moving the entire government’s IT environment towards eGovernment. We worked with this agency to clearly define a road map based on achievable goals that were understood by all parties, including what everyone actually meant by the term ‘eGovernment’. We also recommended a number of changes in organization and a better definition of various roles and responsibilities within several different parts of the government. Finally we pointed to several processes that spanned multiple levels of government where particular efforts should be applied to deliver seamless services to citizens for maximum benefit.