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Archive > Year 2004 > OGCIO > Speeches and Presentations in Year 2004
Speech by Mr. Alan Wong, Government Chief Information Officer at the OGCIO Networking Hour
05 - 07 - 2004
Friends from the IT industry, colleagues, ladies and gentlemen,
First of all, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to all of you for joining this gathering. I must say that the event today is a very special one. We are having the first "Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (OGCIO)" Networking Hour here. I would like to take this opportunity to introduce to you this newly formed Office which you may be interested to know.
We all know that information technology (IT) is the driver for our endeavours towards an information society and a knowledge based economy. IT enhances our competitiveness and brings along with it economic opportunities. To facilitate the implementation of the 2004 Digital 21 Strategy, we have decided to fundamentally change the institutional framework within which the Government's IT functions are performed. Until the end of last month, these functions were divided among two major organizations, apart from the 80 or so user departments. They were the Communications and Technology Branch (CTB) of the Commerce, Industry and Technology Bureau (CITB) working as the policy arm, and the Information Technology Services Department (ITSD) as the executive arm. We consider that the separation of the policy functions and executive functions was unduly hierarchical. This structure compromised both efficiency and effectiveness. Intensive interaction, integration and co-ordination between the two organizations were required. This was not conducive to the promotion of IT within and outside government. Clearly this structure had fulfilled its historical mission and change was necessary.
What we need is a single institution acting as a central focal point to co-ordinate, monitor and ensure the effective implementation of the 2004 Digital 21 Strategy and to face the challenges in a rapidly changing business and technology environment. We are looking for a flatter and more efficient organization with the necessary core competencies of both public policy and professional contribution. Overlapping of functions and duplications can be eliminated. Resources can be deployed more flexibly. We are also looking for a more visible and proactive leadership role for the government to drive forward the development of IT in Hong Kong, to drive the E-government programme and to build the community with an information economy. In fact, we are moving along similar lines as the United States, the UK, Canada and Australia, all of which have established a chief information officer or its equivalent who reports to the highest level of government.
So, here we are. The OGCIO has come into existence. The OGCIO was born on the first day of July 2004, as a result of the merger of the IT-related divisions of CTB and the former ITSD.
How does the OGCIO work then? The OGCIO is headed by a Government Chief Information Officer (GCIO), reporting to Permanent Secretary (Communications and Technology) (PSCT) and underpinned by two Deputy GCIOs (DGCIOs). The GCIO is also a member of the E-government Steering Committee, a high-level committee chaired by the Financial Secretary to steer the overall direction of the E-government programme. With the empowerment of the E-government Steering Committee, the GCIO can take a cross-agency leadership role in driving the E-government programme. Our plan is to recruit the GCIO through an open process where candidates, local and overseas, will be considered on their merits. In the interim, I am holding the post of GCIO until the right person is recruited and assumes the office of the GCIO. Mrs. Betty Fung, one of the two DGCIOs, is responsible for one stream of our work ¡V Planning and Strategy. She will assist the GCIO in formulating policies, strategies and initiatives to drive the further development of IT, e-business, E-government and innovative applications. Mr. Stephen Mak, the other DGCIO, is responsible for another stream of work ¡V Operation. He will manage the Government-wide E-government programmes, information infrastructure and security, technology adoption, sourcing of hardware, software and professional IT services as well as the implementation of programmes to support the IT Industry.
There are three divisions under DGCIO (Planning and Strategy) and five divisions under DGCIO (Operation) - a total of eight divisions headed by six Assistant GCIOs (AGCIOs) and two Chief Systems Managers (CSMs). The division of work among the three Planning and Strategy divisions is :
Division A is headed by Ms. Subrina Chow, AGCIO(A). This division is responsible for reviewing and overseeing the implementation of the Digital 21 Strategy, devising policies and strategies to support the development of the digital entertainment industry, housekeeping the Cyberport and reviewing the legal framework for electronic transactions.
Division B is headed by Mr. WH Cheung, AGCIO(B). This division is responsible for formulating policies, strategies and initiatives to promote the development of the local IT industry, and to drive the development and adoption of e-business and innovative applications, services and content.
Division C is headed by Ms. Joyce Tam, AGCIO(C). This division is responsible for the overall E-government policy and strategy and coordination of the E-government programme.
The division of work among the five divisions of Operation is :-
Division D is headed by Mr. Alex MA, AGCIO(D). This division is responsible for the management and implementation of joint-up and government-wide IT programmes.
Division E is headed by Mr. John Wong, AGCIO(E). This division is responsible for the development and maintenance of government IT infrastructure, standards and IT security policy.
Division F is headed by Mr. Dennis Pang, AGCIO(F). This division is responsible for the adoption, sourcing and management of technologies.
Division G is headed by Mrs. Eliza Lee, CSM(G). This division is responsible for implementation of programmes to bridge the digital divide, facilitate the growth of the local IT industry, and promote adoption of e-business.
Division H is headed by Mr. Victor Lam, CSM(H). This division is responsible for professional development within the OGCIO, grade management functions for the AP, COp and DP grades and management of the IT and network services within the OGCIO.
The OGCIO will continue to be the Government's IT advisor and facilitator. I would like to update you on the latest development of the two major outsourcing initiatives in which the IT industry will, I believe, be particularly interested.
T20
To support the development and maintenance of IT initiatives in the Government, we coordinate IT contract staff services in the Government through the establishment and administration of body-shopping contracts (or the so-called "T-Contracts") for the use by government departments. By working through the T-Contracts, departments can obtain IT staff services from a list of contractors within a short period of time. As the period of services required is of varying duration to meet the service needs, the arrangement of T-Contracts allows departments to enjoy maximum flexibility in addition to quick response to IT staff services requirement. We have just completed a review on the T-Contract arrangement and planned to seek approval for the succeeding contracts.
ITPSA
We have been outsourcing on an assignment basis under the Information Technology Professional Services Arrangement (ITPSA). The ITPSA was launched two years ago and we are working on a replacement system. We conducted an industry consultation on the ITPSA in June this year and have received 25 submissions from the industry. I thank all of you who have put their heads together to provide us the responses. We will consider your views fully in developing the proposal for the replacement of the ITPSA, which we will put forward to the relevant authorities within the Government. We hope to have the replacement system in place around the end of 2005. In the meantime, we will progressively post your views on our website once we have obtained the consent of the contributors.
I hope this brief sketch of the key areas of our work would set the scene for future exchanges of views and suggestions. I look forward to working together with all of you in sustaining the momentum created and continuing to harness the benefits of IT for our community.
Thank you.
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