A Joint Digital Services Platform

The Ministry of Finance established a Digital Services Platform, called Etimad. A financial entities 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 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.

Partnership in Health

In 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 good design of enterprise architecture, delivery of online e-services provided by government agencies to all beneficiaries and contributes to the effective implementation of the ‘digital government’ concept.

Benefits

DGA through its collaboration and partnership with many government agencies and entities, DGA helped greatly advance the integration among them. Such collaboration contributed to the Kingdom’s manysuccessful International and regional achievements in the field of digital government, as well as the efforts of government agencies to advance the digital government process. The national cooperation between DGA and national entities is significant as DGA assumes the role of a regulator and national reference for digital government products and services. This contributed significantly towards the strategic vision of the digital government is to create a pioneering digital government for an empowered and dynamic society to contribute to providing seamless and integrated digital government services by utilizing technologies and focusing on the preferences of beneficiaries.

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 fifteen (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 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, 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, strengthening the partnership of the public sector and private sectors, In addirion, 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.

DGA launches Digital Government Investment, 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 “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 center 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 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 Digital Government Authority (DGA) and the Saudi Central Bank to develop the 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 provide special packages for FinTech companies, through “Wathq” services that allow beneficiaries to directly verify the data of commercial establishments, and Emdha will offer discounted prices for e-signature services to document contracts concluded by FinTech companies with their customers.