The e-government service market offers huge business opportunities for domestic companies because it involves the whole gamut of computing-related areas. However, private companies often find it difficult to have an access to overseas markets. Bidders are required to meet requirements of public institutions. Related policy formulation and implementation and system build-up are expected to come together as well.
In an effort to help companies interested in exporting e-government technologies, the Ministry of Public Administration and Home Affairs established a team exclusively in charge of international business in the area in April 2004. The main responsibilities of the team include handling inquiries from various countries having interest in the nation’s e-government service and setting up a Korean pavilion to promote e-government service at international events. Toward this goal, the ministry organized an e-government workshop jointly with the United Nations in May 2005 and participated in more than a dozen of the international events on e-government service.
On the strength of active support from the government, Korean companies’ exports of e-government service technologies amounted to $85.2 million for a total of 10 contracts so far. Importers of Korean e-government service include a U.S. port administration system, the center for small and medium-sized companies of Indonesia and the Saga city of Japan. Currently, negotiations for 42 contracts valued at $847 million are underway.
The centerpiece of Korea’s e-government service is the government e-procurement system (GEPS) of Public Procurement Service (PPS), an online portal site for public procurement. The GEPS is evaluated as one of the top examples of an integrated one-stop shop used by all government agencies and institutions in procuring public utilities and goods and transacting other businesses. Its annual transaction volume stands at around 40 trillion won.
The biggest merit of the government e-procurement system is to help ensure transparency in the whole process of bidding. For these reasons, an increasing number of countries, particularly developing countries, are showing keen interest in taking ideas and concepts, as well as the technology and skills that are required for the system from the Public Procurement Service. For example, the PPS completed a feasibility study on an e-procurement project for the Pakistan government in September 2005 and is currently drawing up a plan to build a system.
The encouraging overseas sales of the e-government system have been also supported by a project to invite IT experts overseas and form a personnel network. The foreign IT expert invitation project served as an opportunity for Korea to build a personnel IT network overseas to help domestic companies’ advances into overseas market, as well as publicizing Korea’s upgraded status as an IT powerhouse. Since the Ministry of Information and Communication launched the project in 1998, a total of 1,555 experts from 84 countries participated in the invitational project.
Through the personnel network formed through the invitational project, scores of overseas contracts bore fruit. They include Laotian on-line civil document issuance project, online citizens registry system and e-government project, both for Yemen and the computer network establishment for Laotian Science Technology and Environmental Agency.
Korea is strengthening its IT diplomacy in line with its status as an IT economic powerhouse and is also strengthening its assistance to domestic SI companies to advance into overseas markets.
Quelle: Korean Overseas Information Service, 13.12.2005
