New gazetted rules that enable government departments to procure their IT services without having to rely on the State Information Technology Agency (Sita), despite strong initial opposition from some members of Parliament, are a victory for effective governance, said business organisation Business Leadership South Africa (BLSA) CEO Busi Mavuso.

This was because of the critical role that IT must play in rebuilding a capable State and the ability of government to embrace world-class IT systems being too important to be held hostage by politics, calling for a focus on what was best for citizens, she said.

Government departments and key public services such as the South African Police Service will now be able to run competitive tender processes to procure the best systems and service providers in the market, instead of being compelled to use Sita.

Specifically, the new rules afford Sita ten working days to respond to any department's notice and can be bypassed only when a department can demonstrate that Sita cannot meet its requirements, or that it can procure IT systems faster or at a lower cost than through normal government procurement processes.

Sita would 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 had plagued it for years, said Mavuso.

“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.”

The South African Revenue Service was proof that when public institutions had the autonomy to implement the best available technology, they could achieve excellence, she added.

“Citizens have endured years of frustration with Home Affairs system failures that turn simple tasks like renewing an identity document or applying for a passport into day-long ordeals. With the flexibility to access world-class IT systems, Home Affairs could transform these experiences, and the same applies across government,” noted Mavuso.

However, departments must ensure procurement decisions were based on genuine business cases and deliver measurable improvements in service quality, as South Africa could not afford to see this opportunity wasted through poor implementation or capture by different vested interests, she emphasised.

Procuring world-class IT services would require clear leadership and vision for the role of systems within the overall approach to how a department operates, she added.

The test will be whether South Africans experience faster, more efficient and more reliable government services, and whether this reform enables departments to embrace digital efficiencies that transform their service delivery or does not translate into real improvements in people's lives.

“The effort to rebuild government into a capable State will only succeed if we have the systems to support it. We need to ensure that departments use this opportunity to implement the world-class systems that will enable them to deliver the quality of service South Africans deserve.”