Manama: Recommendations to improve information technology (IT) systems and reform organisational structures have been prepared for review by the financial committee, a top official has said.
The chairman of the government task force responsible for reducing IT expenditure, Mohammed Ali Al Qaed, said the recommendations were the result of wide-ranging work by four technical sub-committees.
The recommendations include measures to place controls on IT expenditure, consolidate government IT projects, establish new mechanisms to manage the approval of new projects, and a new regulatory framework.
The task force was established following the directives of the executive committee, chaired by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Premier, as part of wider efforts to reduce government expenditure.
Following the financial committee’s review, the recommendations will be submitted to the executive committee for final approval.
The policies would be implemented by the relevant government agency and supported by the ICT governance committee.
Mr Al Qaed added that the task force is also reviewing information and communications technology supplier contracts and holding meetings with companies to reach suitable solutions to further reduce expenditure.
The chairman said moving forward, the task force will look into areas that require centralised management in order to streamline operations. He emphasised that the task force’s priority is raising the standard of government services provided to citizens at a reduced cost.
The final recommendations were in line with international best practice following detailed comparisons with the US, Canada, the UK and Australia.
The IT expenditure taskforce forms part of six government task forces that were established to review and identify areas where government expenditure can be reduced.
&uuid=(email))