We set out to change the way that government funds digital projects in NSW just over 12 months ago. After initially being established with $100m, and proving our success, the fund was expanded to $1.6b in June 2020. We've already funded close to 100 projects and we're excited about what's coming up for us next year.
Our first year
We have seen a strong demand and have assessed over 178 projects for eligibility as we strive to help government provide better, faster outcomes and increase coordination. We've been working to rapidly get initiatives underway, with projects able to access funds within nine weeks. Projects are also driving rapid delivery, with an average time of 37 weeks for an initiative to exit the fund.
We've made a great start. We've already completed 23 initiatives that are truly transforming the way that we deliver services in NSW. We are consistently achieving our goal of driving better customer engagement and accelerating digital projects' speed to market. We've invested in education, creating liveable and safer communities and we're working to improve cyber security.
These projects will deliver better outcomes for customers and unlock financial benefits. We are helping to improve efficiency by better utilising resources, with 61% of the initiatives funded involving cross department collaboration. In addition, 81% of initiatives are using multi-disciplinary teams as part of agile ways of working.
What have we funded?
The projects we have funded transform NSW through a better customer experience or by revolutionising government processes. They cover life journeys and events, state digital assets, legacy modernisation and digital capability.
Transforming procurement for small businesses
We funded deployment of a new catalogues.buy.nsw platform, with the goal of making procurement easier for small businesses. This is a whole of government click and buy solution which provides government buyers with access to 20 suppliers and over 30,000 products. As part of the project, the team developed a high-fidelity prototype SimpleQuote for low risk, low value procurement. Catalogues.buy.nsw reduces the barriers to doing business with government and allows buyers and SMEs to engage quickly and easily. It also supports purchase by credit card and reduces the time from order to payment.
Making it easier to complete tenant leases in social housing
Using the new I Visit You mobile app, it now takes at least half the time to sign up to a public housing Tenancy Agreement, have rent deducted and complete Rental Subsidy Forms. The app is currently being piloted in Macquarie Fields and Murrumbidgee. There have been 300 digital sign-ups completed to-date and over 2,900 documents submitted digitally. Following the success of the pilots, the app began a state-wide roll out in September.
Digitised approach to building sector regulation
Through e-Construction, the NSW Government has made a significant change in its approach and role in regulating the building sector. We funded the project to leverage the existing ePlanning portal to create a beta release that meets new legislative requirements in the Residential Apartment Buildings (Compliance and Enforcement Powers) Act, and Strata Schemes Management Regulation 2016. This will result in greater compliance and protection for consumers of Class 2 residential buildings, address risks associated with construction and building design, and enforcement of the strata building bond, where applicable.
How you can get involved
We have achieved a lot in the last year, but we've got a lot more to do. We are continuing to seek to fund NSW Government agency digital projects which transform NSW processes or customer experiences. This could be by creating better efficiency across agencies, transforming legacy systems, or building the skillset of government employees to unlock new ways of working.
The application process is designed to help align projects to government objectives and prepare them for a more efficient delivery by breaking them into clear successful deliverables. For this reason, it is important to be prepared and clear about the problem you are trying to solve, who your customers are and the benefits.
If you think your project meets the criteria, contact us at digital.restart.fund@customerservice.nsw.gov.au.
Image source:digitallearning.eletsonline.com