National Digital Transformation Partnerships

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Strategy for Cooperation and Collaboration

The leadership of the Digital Government Authority (DGA) adopted a culture of international cooperation within the DGA and highlighted the role of the Saudi digital government globally. The strengthening of relations with others depended on the agility of DGA to build, develop and enhance cooperation and partnerships with digital counterparts of government agencies and relevant international organizations or agencies. Committed to this policy, DGA always advocated the ongoing presence in the international scene of digital governance and transformation through continuous upgrades of participation plans and methods.

The partnerships are governed by mutual international agreements and memoranda with relevant agencies. This included not only projects but also research activities, participating actively in international committees, conferences, seminars, and workshops, and coordinating with the organizers.

A significant policy is always adopted in ongoing contribution to the development of digital government in Saudi Arabia, creating compatibility with international indicators and achieving advanced ranks globally in the field of digital government.

According to this strategic way of thinking, DGA bases its cooperation and collaboration with other entities, whether national or international, on the ability to achieve progress along these needs:

Managing DGA’s projects and initiatives with regional and international organizations and agencies.

Participating in all projects related to international organizations, agencies, and events (locally and internationally), including committees or projects.

Managing committees and projects with digital transformation partners.

Preparing studies and submitting recommendations regarding international and local partnerships.

Keeping aware of relevant reports and publications issued by international organizations and agencies.

The DGA is very committed to collaboration and cooperation. A sound partnership can achieve success in the realization of goals and implementation of development following a set strategy.

DGA’S vision and goals for partnerships

There is a well-articulated path for enhancing partnerships for the DGA. This path takes shape following two tracks on three different levels. Such partnership is not limited to one track or the other, but it is implemented conveniently as needs and interests develop. The first track is a partnership to cooperate with another entity or more, helping to develop digital transformation in Saudi Arabia. The other is collaboration, where partnerships with others work to achieve common goals for both partners. The level of partnerships depends on who the partners are. The first level is defined by the national partners involved, such as entities and other government authorities. The second relates to partners who are from other countries, such as other government bodies or private actors, in both modes: bilateral or multilateral. The third type is when partners are international organizations such as the United Nations.

The overarching trend in the policy of DGA towards collaboration and cooperation is to enhance implementation methodologies and invigorate the global partnership for sustainable development. Collaboration can assist and secure the successful achievement of global goals. In addition, special emphasis is placed on encouraging international investments and support to ensure innovative technological development, fair trade, and market access.

Digital Consulting Program

In line with its effort to accelerate the Digital Government transformation, the digital government authority announced the launch of the first phase of its “.” DGA initiated the program within the context of collaboration with other government entities and stakeholders with the main goal of providing the digital capabilities necessary to operate and expand the scope of digital services and enrich the digital experience through a wide range of digital advisory services, methodologies, practices, and applications.

The program’s main objectives are the following:

Accelerate government digital transformation and ensure satisfied citizens.

Provide innovative solutions and business models that offer comprehensive digital services to beneficiaries.

Maximize the digital economy’s contribution to the Kingdom’s GDP.

Align government entities’ digital agenda to national and global objectives.

This program provides consultancy and advice in the form of partnership when needed to enable the implementation of government entity initiatives and projects according to stated policies and procedures. It also provides motivation and assistance to plan ambitions and capabilities to adopt an agile and adaptive digital transformation strategy. It also provides technical assistance in implementing scaling to achieve sustainable impact by innovating inclusive and seamless digital solutions.

Initially, the "Digital Consulting Program" provides services to review and provide an assessment of essential digital transformation building blocks such as digital strategies, digital operating models, and digital platforms. In addition, the program would enable government entities to access a set of market research, innovation, and co-creation capabilities such as benchmarking studies, ideas generation labs, proof-of-concept design, and business model transformation. The program introduces on-demand additional services that focus on improving the performance of government agencies in digital transformation and enables them to provide differentiated digital services in accordance with international best practices.

These services can be requested by government agencies and entities from DGA online.

A Joint Digital Services Platform

The Ministry of Finance established a Digital Services Platform called Etimad. A financial entity was formed to provide multiple services for Government Organizations to facilitate operational procedures and verify financial transactions. The adoption of the platform provides many services to various government agencies and enhances the partnership with the private sector. It also helps achieve the development goals of the Kingdom, enables the digital transformation of those services, increases transparency and efficiency, and facilitates providing services.

The Digital Government Authority (DGA), in partnership with the Ministry of Finance, launched a framework agreement to provide cloud-computing services for Saudi government agencies through the "Etimad" platform. This partnership, as consolidated by an agreement, proved to be a major opportunity to enhance the financial aspects of digital transformation in the Kingdom.

The agreement aims to develop local content, rationalize consumption, raise the efficiency of digital purchases, speed up its procedures, and increase the quality and effectiveness of products. The agreement includes several cloud computing infrastructure services: random memory, virtual CPU and storage, and backup.

This partnership supports the regulation and governance of digital services business and improves beneficiaries' experience through a system of digital government services. It also contributes to integration between government agencies and strengthens cooperation. Several entities joined in cooperation along this platform, such as Absher, Tawakkalna, Sakani, Sehaty, Madrasati, Najiz and others.

Private Sector Partnerships

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia seeks to advance the private sector in support and development, build bridges of sustainable partnerships to implement development plans and achieve national goals and objectives for the advancement and well being of the homeland and the citizens' in addition to material support. The Kingdom offers means of empowerment, such as facilitating procedures and focusing on private sector companies' rise through customized programs.

For more information about the partnerships and initiatives with the private sector, please visit the following link.

Civil Sector Partnerships

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia realizes that building an ambitious and integrated society is done through effective partnerships with civil society in the private sector and non-profit organizations. Thus achieving an increase in the domestic product and economic growth that is reflected in the quality of life and maximizing the social impact in building a stable, balanced and united nation. Realizing the importance of the social entrepreneurship sector and its role in stimulating societal innovation and raising the level of economic and social conditions, public authorities work on the continuous development of these partnerships and move towards building strategic alliances that enhance joint action to achieve the goals of the Kingdom's Vision 2030.

For more information about the partnerships and Initiatives with the private sector, please visit the following link.

Partnership in Health

In a partnership between the Ministry of Health (MoH) and DGA, MoH has received the National Overall Reference Architecture (NORA) Accreditation Certificate from the Digital Government Authority (DGA). MoH was the first government agency in the health sector to get the certificate on the sidelines of the ‘LEAP’ event. The cooperation was an essential factor in the success of MoH in its efforts to adopt the best local and global practices in terms of empowering digital transformation and achieving its vision for health care and services provision, as well as improving the quality of these services. This architecture adopted facilitated, in addition to the good design of enterprise architecture, the delivery of online services provided by government agencies to all beneficiaries and contributed to the effective implementation of the ‘digital government’ concept.

E-Business Partnerships

The private and public cooperation was well exhibited through the business agreement between the Digital Government Authority and the private sector after qualifying for digital government business for three companies: Elm for Information Security, Takamol Business Services, and Thiqah, to develop and operate 15 existing digital government platforms and products. The list of platforms and products include "Wasl", "Naql", "Ajeer", "Qiwa", "Musaned", "Etimad", "Saber" and "Ehkam". The partnership between DGA and relevant entities (10 government agencies), such as ministries of Transport, Finance, Justice, and others, were directly collaborating with these companies for the private sector for a successful digital transformation of relevant services.

Ongoing cooperation seeks to raise the efficiency and quality of digital platforms, ensure business continuity, regulate property rights for government digital platforms and products, and govern the mechanism of data sharing and prices of services. This is provided in a way which contributes to improving the investment environment supporting entrepreneurs, and strengthening the partnership of the public sector and private sectors, In addition, it is accelerating the growth of the digital economy to achieve the strategic directions of the digital government and the objectives of the Saudi Vision 2030.

Digital Government Investment and Procurement Center

Digital Government Authority (DGA) launched the Digital Government Investment and Procurement Center (SADAF). This center is a joint project aims to enhance the means of joint work between the public and private sectors, in addition to increasing the effectiveness and efficiency of the private sector’s participation in digital government projects. The government is always encouraging local and foreign investment in digital government, leading to improving digital budget planning and avoid duplication of projects.

At the time of launching, A partnership agreement was signed between DGA and the Expenditure and Projects Efficiency Authority (EXPRO), with the aim of boosting cooperation and partnership in several areas to help in advancing digital government transformation and raising the efficiency of spending.

Meanwhile, the ceremony saw the signing of an agreement between EXPRO and the National Center for Government Resource Systems (NCGR) to merge the “Saudi Project” platform with “Etimad” platform in order to achieve integration and provide a distinctive experience for beneficiaries.

SADAF was announced as part of DGA's initiatives to lead the Kingdom's digital government, culminating in a centre that supports the governance of digital procurement operations. The program was first introduced at the Digital Government Strategic Directions ceremony during the first quarter of this year.

Partnership between the DGA and SAP

Digital Government Authority (DGA)and SAP signed a Memorandum of Understanding to cooperate in the field of digital government and emerging technologies, support digital government transformation systems, and enhance digital innovation. The Memorandum of Understanding aims to:

Support digital government transformation projects and initiatives.

Provide digitization and innovation acceleration systems for the government sector.

Strengthen cooperation between various government agencies.

Provide operational costs for digital government transformation initiatives.

Develop standard specifications for government digital products.

Achieving aspects of cooperation in the areas of emerging technologies, technology, innovation, digital purchases and cloud services.

Digital Trust Services

The Digital Government Authority (DGA) and the Saudi Central Bank, "Fintech Saudi" signed two memoranda of understanding with THIQAH Business Services Co. and Emdha Co. to provide digital trust services to financial technology companies (FinTech).

The MoUs embody the integration between the DGA and the Saudi Central Bank to develop digital government services and the FinTech sector, aimed at supporting innovation and diversity in products and services through digital platforms, as well as raising the contribution of digital government services to the national economy, in line with the objectives of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030. Under the two agreements, THIQAH provides special packages for FinTech companies through “Wathq” services that allow beneficiaries to verify the data of commercial establishments directly, and Emdha will offer discounted prices for e-signature services to document contracts concluded by fintech companies with their customers.

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