Definition
GovTech refers to the whole-of-government use of technology to improve the efficiency, transparency, and responsiveness of government operations and service delivery. It involves collaboration between governments, industries, academia, and internal innovators or ’intrapreneurs’ to co-create technology-driven solutions that address public sector challenges.
GovTech emphasises modular and interoperable digital infrastructure (Government as a Platform), efficient and user-centred digital services (Government as a Service), and leverages emerging technologies to foster and enhance public sector innovation and public and business engagement.
Global perspectives from organisations like the OECD, World Bank, United Nations, and World Economic Forum underscore the importance of GovTech in driving digital transformation and sustainable development.
GovTech relates to the following capabilities:
- Collaboration and innovation
- Government as a platform (GaaP)
- Government as a service (GaaS)
Purpose
GovTech enhances government operations and service delivery through collaborative approaches on how technology is leveraged on a whole-of-government level.
Objectives
The objectives of this capability are to:
- enable collaboration, and efficient and effective use of platforms, technology and services that support whole-of-government outcomes
- encourage stakeholder engagement, including government agencies, private sector partners, academia, and internal innovators or ‘intrapreneurs’
- emphasise the role of digital infrastructure, open data, and emerging technologies in driving innovation across the whole-of-government
- promote inherent re-use requirement of any engagement, platform, service, or information across whole-of-government, in alignment with the Digital and ICT Reuse Policy in the AGA
- ensure that all designs related to the GovTech capability meet the performance scalability, security, and resilience requirements of the default whole-of-government solutions
- support Digital Government Maturity assessment in the OECD Digital Government Maturity Index by embedding GovTech practice in government.
Whole-of-government applicability
The Data and Digital Government Strategy (DDGS) sets a vision for 2030 to deliver simple, secure and connected public services for all people and business, through world class data and digital capabilities. It puts people and business at the centre of its vision ensuring everyone’s experience with the Australian Government is inclusive, accessible and responsive to their needs.
The Strategy is a blueprint for the Australian Government through to 2030 for the transformation that GovTech seeks to implement through practical solutions and collaborations.
GovTech supports the DDGS missions of:
- Delivering for all people and business: Connected, accessible services which are centred around the needs of people and business.
- Simple and seamless services: Using technology, data and analytics to deliver simple, accessible services for people and business.
- Government for the future: Adopting emerging technologies and fostering a culture of data and digital innovation.
- Trusted and secure: Deliver services which are trusted, transparent and ethical, and support people’s choices when engaging with public services
- Data and digital foundations: Adopting the right capabilities, practices, standards and culture and make effective use of data and digital technologies.
GovTech: collaboration and innovation
Definition
GovTech Collaboration and Innovation fosters innovation and agility by building strong partnerships between governments, industries, academia, and internal ‘intrapreneurs’ - individuals within public institutions driving entrepreneurial change.
These collaborations leverage collective expertise, innovation, and resources to co-create technology-driven solutions that address public sector challenges. The focus is on shared goals, mutual learning, and iterative problem-solving, breaking silos for better public-centric services.
This capability has common features with several capabilities in the Governance domain such as Procurement and Sourcing and Innovation and Proof of Concepts but differs in its emphasis on whole-of-government applicability and horizontal integration (across multiple government entities).
Purpose
The purpose of this capability is to boost innovation and flexibility by creating strong partnerships among governments, businesses, academia, and internal-to-government change-makers. It also aims to use shared knowledge and resources to produce sustainable technology-driven solutions for public sector challenges, which break down barriers, and improve services for people and business.
Objectives
The objectives of this capability are to:
- develop a whole-of-government approach to co-creation of technology-driven solutions with businesses, industry, academia, and internal-to-government change-makers in agile and innovative ways
- decrease barriers to participation in these partnerships, increase shared-goals and mutual learning, break-down silos, and increase participation of businesses, industry, and academia in potential whole-of-government public sector challenges.
GovTech: Government as a Platform (GaaP)
Definition
GovTech Government as a Platform (GaaP) emphasises whole-of-government modular, reusable, and interoperable digital infrastructure, enabling governments to act as enablers rather than service providers.
Through open Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), open data, and shared tools, GaaP creates ecosystems where third parties, including private entities and developers, can co-create applications and services.
The goal is to build scalable, flexible, and innovative platforms that empower stakeholders to address diverse public sector needs.
This capability has common features with many of the other AGA domain and capabilities but differs in the emphasis on capabilities that support the horizontal integration of whole-of-government or explicit organisation of government information, products, and services organised around the people and businesses as opposed to organisation around government entities.
Purpose
The purpose of this capability is to build scalable, flexible, and innovative whole-of-government digital platforms that enable multiple stakeholders to co-create applications and services, thereby addressing diverse public sector needs through horizontal government integration and a focus on user-centric organisation rather than government structures.
Objectives
The objectives of this capability are to:
- identify and require the use of modular, re-useable, and interoperable digital public infrastructure that has been explicitly designed for whole-of-government purposes
- maximise the value of whole-of-government digital investments
- minimise complexity for accessing information and services for people and businesses through standardised approaches that can be utilised or extended by any government agency without substantive re-development
- create minimum level requirements on security, performance scalability, resilience, support, and cost allocation for whole-of-government platforms (GaaP).
GovTech: Government as a Service (GaaS)
Definition
GovTech Government as a Service (GaaS) prioritises the delivery of digital services that are efficient, user-centred, and seamless.
GaaS adopts a customer-first approach to provide services that are consistent across all government touchpoints.
Leveraging shared infrastructure and cloud-based technologies, GaaS focuses on accessibility, transparency, and personalisation to meet evolving people and business needs.
GaaS has commonalities with many capabilities within the AGA, but it is differentiated through the specific nature of these services on a whole-of-government level.
Purpose
The purpose of this capability is to deliver efficient, user-centred, and seamless whole-of-government digital services by leveraging shared government infrastructure and cloud-based technologies, ensuring consistency across all government touchpoints, and focusing on accessibility, transparency, and personalisation to meet the evolving needs of people and businesses.
Objectives
The objectives of this capability are to:
- maximise the use of whole-of-government service offerings (GaaS) to be consistent across all government touchpoints
- maximise the value of whole-of-government digital investments
- minimise and discontinue the use of alternative service offerings that duplicate GaaS offerings
- promote use of GaaS to government entities and third parties (including private entities and developers) in a way that is user-centred and seamless
- create minimum level requirements on security, performance scalability, resilience, support, and cost allocation for whole-of-government services (GaaS).