| Get
more for each $ |
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What’s the Economy
Drive in the Singapore Public Service sector all
about? Simply put, it means getting more for the
dollar — spending what you need, saving where
you can.
People are spending less. Companies are
making less. Workers are earning less. The Government
is collecting less in taxes. But demand for government
services remains unchanged. In fact, the
Government has to spend more because of SARS, unemployment and the uncertainties
of the future.
The public wants good and efficient service. They also expect quality. When
fees go up, they want good reasons for it. Some have even said they do not
need such high quality for some services if high quality means higher charges.
The Public Service owes it to the public to give them the best service possible
with the money put in our trust. So we must get more out of the dollars in
our budgets. This is why the Economy Drive has been launched throughout the
Public Service.
The drive is endorsed by the Committee of Permanent Secretaries and centrally
led by an Economy Drive Committee linked to the Organisational Review Committee
of the PS21 Movement. Every ministry, department, statutory board and organisation
which uses public funds has a part to play. And everyone is involved.
Change must take place
The Economy Drive is not a new idea. Many organisations have been practising
it over the years. But we have to relaunch it to get the message to everyone.
What needs to be done is very simple, even though it may not be easy to do
because we have been used to doing things in a certain way. We must change
wherever necessary to get more for the dollar.
Spend what you need, save where you can
Each organisation and each officer should look at what is being done and ask: |
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Are
we getting the best value for the public money
we are spending? |
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Can
it be done cheaper? |
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Is
there wastage? |
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Is
the quality too high? |
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Is
it sustainable — is it cheap now
but will cost much more later? |
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Are
there better things we can do with the money
in our hands? |
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Why
are we doing this? |
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Is
it worth doing? |
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Is
there wastage? |
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Would
we spend it this way if it were our
own money?
Channels |
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Channels
What the Economy Drive needs is interest, commitment and energy. So use your
imagination, work with your friends and push for what you believe will help
your agency to get more for the dollar. The channels for submitting ideas include
WITS, SSS and Six Sigma.
Here are some good ideas: |
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defer projects
or cancel them |
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co-locate with other agencies |
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photocopy less, photocopy
on both sides, go paperless |
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team up with other agencies
to buy publications, develop IT systems, organise
training, etc. |
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switch
from manual services to less costly e-services
if possible |
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