Government Technology Agency of Singapore

Government Technology Agency of Singapore
Agency overview
Formed1 October 2016; 10 years ago (2016-10-01)
Preceding agency
  • National Computer Board (NCB)
    Telecommunication Authority of Singapore (TAS)
    Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA)
JurisdictionGovernment of Singapore
Headquarters
  • 82 Punggol Way, Singapore 829910
Annual budgetS$238.93 million (2017)
Minister responsible
Agency executives
  • Joseph Leong, Chairman
  • Goh Wei Boon, CEO
  • Chang Sau Sheong, Deputy Chief Executive (Product and Engineering, TMO / CODE)
  • Henry Chang, Deputy Chief Executive (Services, Governance and Cybersecurity)
Parent agency
Ministry of Digital Development and Information
Websitetech.gov.sg
Agency IDT16GB0002G

The Government Technology Agency of Singapore (GovTech Singapore) is a statutory board of the Government of Singapore, under the Ministry of Digital Development and Information (MDDI). It was restructured from Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IMDA) in 2016, and officially legislated in Parliament on 18 August that year.

Overview

GovTech is responsible for the delivery of the Singapore government's digital services to the public. It is the agency that provides the infrastructure to support the implementation of the country's Smart Nation initiative to utilise infocomm technologies, networks and big data to create tech-enabled solutions.

The Government Chief Information Office (GCIO) is under GovTech.

Its sub-unit Open Government Products (OGP) develops pieces of software for the government. As of 2022, Lee Hsien Loong's son Li Hongyi serves as the director of OGP.

History

On 1 May 2017, GovTech was moved from the Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI) to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) as the implementing agency of the newly formed Smart Nation and Digital Government Office (SNDGO); together they formed the Smart Nation and Digital Government Group (SNDGG).

On 1 June 2023, Goh Wei Boon replaced Kok Ping Soon as the chief executive of GovTech. Goh was previously the CEO of the Centre for Strategic Infocomm Technologies.

In September 2023, following claims on Reddit that GovTech had made offers of employment to about 60 former Indeed employees who had recently been laid off at "inflated" salaries and that the new hires had "no deliverables", GovTech confirmed that it had hired 60 former employees of Indeed. It explained that it had taken "a more agile hiring approach that balances speed with responsible hiring" and that every candidate had been interviewed as part of the hiring process and the remuneration offered took into consideration the candidates' equivalent grades within Indeed.

In October 2023, SNDGG merged with MCI's digital development functions to form an enlarged Smart Nation group, which remained part of the PMO but was administered by MCI. The status of statutory boards under both entities, including GovTech, was unchanged. On 8 July 2024, MCI was renamed the Ministry of Digital Development and Information (MDDI), under which GovTech is a statutory board.

In July 2026, GovTech announced a two-year workforce restructuring as it shifted from a project-delivery model to one focused on continuous product ownership. The agency said that 7 to 9 per cent of its workforce would be affected. In the first phase, 93 officers left the agency, while more than 200 others were retained, redeployed or placed on full-pay apprenticeships.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Head Q: MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION" (PDF). Budget 2017: Revenue and Expenditure Estimates. Ministry of Finance. February 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 September 2017. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  2. ↑ "New Board Chairman Appointed to GovTech". MDDI. 1 April 2022. Retrieved 3 February 2026.
  3. ↑ "GovTech to get new CEO from June 1". The Straits Times. 30 March 2025. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
  4. ↑ "Who we are". Government Technology Agency of Singapore (GovTech Singapore). Retrieved 24 September 2026.
  5. ↑ "Government Technology Agency". Singapore Government Directory. Retrieved 21 September 2026.
  6. ↑ "IDA, MDA to be restructured to capitalise on converging media and ICT landscape". Channel NewsAsia. Archived from the original on 20 January 2016. Retrieved 23 January 2016.
  7. ↑ "GovTech about using technology to create citizen-centric solutions: CEO". Channel NewsAsia. Archived from the original on 12 June 2016. Retrieved 28 May 2016.
  8. ↑ "Parliament passes Info-communications Media Development Authority Bill". Channel NewsAsia. Archived from the original on 26 August 2016. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
  9. ↑ "National Digital Identity system to be cornerstone of Singapore's Smart Nation vision". Channel NewsAsia. Archived from the original on 25 August 2017. Retrieved 25 August 2017.
  10. ↑ "Bills passed for establishment of IMDA, GovTech". TODAY. 17 August 2016. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  11. ↑ "How the Singapore Government turned to its experimental tech team to solve COVID-19 problems quickly". CNA. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
  12. ↑ "Formation of The Smart Nation and Digital Government Group in the Prime Minister's Office". Prime Minister's Office Singapore. Retrieved 21 September 2026.
  13. ↑ "GovTech to get new CEO from June 1". The Straits Times. 30 March 2023. ISSN 0585-3923. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  14. ↑ "Leadership Change in GovTech". www.tech.gov.sg. 30 March 2023. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  15. ↑ "GovTech addresses online claims about hiring, salaries of former Indeed staff". CNA. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  16. ↑ "Smart Nation and Digital Government Group and Ministry of Communications and Information to merge from October 2023". Smart Nation Singapore. 12 September 2023. Retrieved 21 September 2026.
  17. ↑ "Digital Services Awards 2024: Excellence in Digital Government Services and User Experience". Government Technology Agency. Retrieved 21 September 2026.
  18. ↑ "Government Technology Agency". Singapore Government Directory. Retrieved 21 September 2026.
  19. ↑ Lim, Vanessa (15 July 2026). "GovTech layoffs reflect broader reorganisation trends in tech sector, say analysts". CNA. Retrieved 17 July 2026.
  20. ↑ "GovTech retrenches 93 staff". The Straits Times. 15 July 2026. ISSN 0585-3923. Retrieved 17 July 2026.