近期公布的一份名为“更小、更好、更快、更强”的报告提出，政府须加强数字化驱动。该报告提出了政府应该采用电子采购提升购买效率、使用电子认证代替纸质证书、发布应用程序编程接口方便开发人员编写政府所需的程序等诸多建议。此外，该报告认为通过此举，政府有望在2020年效率提升8%，并且每年可释放240亿英镑用于扩大公共服务和减少政府赤字。
英文原文：
Thinktank says Government could save £70bn by 2020 via digital drive
Sourcingfocus |Tuesday, September 03, 2013
A recently published report ‘Smaller, Better, Faster, Stronger’, argues that in the near future the government must move ‘from digital-by-default to digital, full stop’, eliminating paper for interactions within and between departments, and moving to solely digital channels for public services that do not require a face-to-face interaction with the public.
A digitally transformed government could be up to 8% more effective by 2020 than if it continued as it is, freeing up £24bn a year which could be spent on either expanding public services or reducing the deficit. The paper acknowledges the government’s successes, saying that much progress has already been made on reform, spearheaded by the Government Digital Service. However, it says that it is only the ‘end of the beginning’, and ensuring that the government goes on to achieve the goals it has set itself is ‘tremendously important’.
The paper (written by Chris Yiu, Head of Policy Exchange’s Digital Government Unit and a former Treasury official) calls for the government to adopt electronic purchasing to make procurement more efficient, use electronic proofs instead of paper certificates, and publish its application programming interfaces (APIs) so developers can write apps that can communicate with government systems.
Yiu said, “The public sector has historically been slower and less effective when it comes to taking advantage of technology, data and the internet. The web is already inseparable from most people’s day-to-day lives, and this will only increase in the years ahead. Switching to digital for everything the government does would generate billions of pounds worth of savings that could be used to cut the deficit or improve public services.
“Government is changing, but the world around it is changing faster. With the internet all around us, it’s reasonable to expect government to embrace digital. Our public leaders need to rise to the challenge, or risk a chasm between new and old tearing the whole system apart.”
Francis Maude, Minister for the Cabinet Office, said, “This report recognises considerable progress and remarkable potential. We estimate shifting government transactions to digital channels can save £1.2billion by 2015. This will deliver better value for hardworking families and better public services designed around users’ needs. In future all Government services will be fast, convenient, agile and digital by default.”
Mike Bracken, Executive Director at the Government Digital Service, said, “We’ve made huge progress since setting up GDS, working with other departments to release GOV.UK and start making services digital by default. But there is still significant potential to drive digital into everything the government does. This report is a timely reminder that our digital journey is only just beginning, and should inspire everyone in government to aim high when deciding where we go next.”
文章来源：商务部网站
