Taiwan government adds cloud to software procurement wishlist

Source: Ministry of Economic Affairs. Group photo from the 4 August press conference.

The Taiwan government has recognised that its 1999 regulations have to be updated to consider new technologies like cloud when procuring software. On August 4, the Industrial Development Bureau (IDB) at the Ministry of Economic Affairs announced that the government is committed to improving software procurement in conjunction with the launch of a software procurement policy steering group (軟體採購政策指導小組) and a Software Procurement Office (SPO, 軟體採購辦公室) by Taiwan's National Information and Communications Initiative Committee.

IDB Director of Electronic Information, Lo Da-sheng (羅達生) said in a speech that as technology evolution accelerates, procurement techniques must also be updated. He hopes that the SPO will enhance government software procurement procedures, and bring win-win opportunities for the software and cloud services industry that meet public sector needs.

The head of the Software Procurement Policy Steering Group Lee Hsueh-jen (李雪津), said that she hopes to establish an efficient, transparent and fair public procurement environment for quality software.

Lo added that the IDB will work with various associations to organise townhall meetings in the northern, central and southern regions so that stakeholders may better understand current software procurement practices. The northern townhalls have been completed; one will be held in the southern city of Kaohsiung on 14 August, and a final one in the central city of Taichung on 15 August.