As government departments have now been given leeway to procure their IT services minus the State Information Technology Agency (SITA), they must use their newfound flexibility wisely, ensuring procurement decisions are based on genuine business cases.
This is according to Business Leadership South Africa (BLSA) CEO Busi Mavuso, in her weekly newsletter, in which she welcomes a “breakthrough for common sense”.
BLSA is an independent association that represents the interests of major corporations in the country.
Communications minister Solly Malatsi last month introduced new rules that allow departments to bypass SITA and procure IT services on their own, if they can demonstrate better alternatives.
While the decision became contentious before it was gazetted, Mavuso advocated for departments’ IT procurement independence and warned against the politicisation of issues affecting SITA.
In her newsletter, the CEO says the new rules are a victory for effective governance. “The fact that this reform happened, despite strong initial opposition from some members of Parliament, shows that when you present clear evidence and focus on what's best for citizens, you can cut through the noise of party politics.”
She explains: “The new rules are sensibly designed. They don’t simply abolish SITA – they create a framework where departments can bypass the agency only when they can demonstrate that SITA cannot meet their requirements, or that they can procure faster or at lower cost through normal government procurement processes.
“Importantly, SITA gets 10 working days to respond to any department’s notice, giving the agency a fair opportunity to compete. This balanced approach addresses the real constraints departments have faced, while maintaining appropriate oversight and accountability. Only if SITA fails to respond, cannot meet the requirements, or cannot compete on speed and cost, can departments proceed with alternative procurement.”
‘Competitive pressure’
SITA, which is an entity of the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies, sits as a central pillar of the state’s IT procurement, acting as the backend office of government ICT. It is also responsible for developing, operating and/or maintaining ICT services consumed by government departments.
However, the state’s IT procurement arm has continuously faced allegations of maladministration and corruption, with client departments, particularly the Department of Home Affairs, expressing dissatisfaction with the agency’s service delivery and capacity.
Mavuso says this development has the potential to create competitive pressure, meaning SITA will now have to compete for government business on merit rather than relying on its monopoly position.
“This should drive the agency to address the corruption, mismanagement and poor service delivery that have plagued it for years. If SITA can transform itself into an efficient, competitive service provider, the public sector will benefit from having multiple high-quality options. If it can't, departments won't be trapped by its limitations.”
Further, it presents an opportunity for creating another “world-class” example, like the South African Revenue Service, which is proof that public institutions with autonomy to implement the best available technology can achieve excellence.
“Imagine if home affairs could operate with the same efficiency. Citizens have endured years of frustration with system failures that turn simple tasks like renewing an ID, or applying for a passport into day-long ordeals. With the flexibility to access world-class IT systems, home affairs could transform these experiences. The same applies across government – from the police service accessing real-time crime data, to social services delivering benefits efficiently.
“We can't afford to see this opportunity wasted through poor implementation or captured by different vested interests. The changes aren’t therefore a solve-all; they merely open the opportunity for departments to procure world-class IT services. Doing so will require clear leadership and vision for the role of systems within the overall approach to how a department operates.
“The effort to rebuildgovernment into a capable state will only succeed if we have the systems tosupport it. With this reform, we’ve removed a significant obstacle to digitaltransformation.
“Now we need to ensure departments use this opportunity to implement the world-class systems that will enable them to deliver the quality-of-service South Africans deserve.”
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