For targeted, strategic investment accelerating digital transformation across Western Australia’s government entities.
What is the Digital Capability Fund?
The WA Government, to drive more strategic and targeted investment in digital transformation across the public sector, established the $500 million Digital Capability Fund. The fund provides the capacity for Government entities to upgrade legacy ICT systems. A further $400 million was committed to the fund as part of the 2022-23 Budget, ensuring that these essential upgrades continue.
The Digital Capability Fund focuses on assisting the delivery of the Digital Strategy for the Western Australian Government 2021-2025, and modernises the way government works, enabling this transformation.
Objectives of the Digital Capability Fund
The Digital Capability Fund exists to address the following objectives:
- Accelerate digital service delivery reform to improve outcomes for people and businesses in WA
- Enable more targeted and strategic investment in digital transformation across government.
- Provide WA Government with visibility regarding the importance and quality of digital projects aiding in decision making and prioritisation
- Support delivery of government priorities, policies and objectives – including the Digital Strategy for the WA Government 2021-2025
- Achieve coordinated and collaborative approaches to developing digital capabilities, integrating and streamlining services, as well as reducing duplication
- Support upgrades to legacy ICT systems presenting significant risk to service delivery, internally and externally to government
- Enable greater oversight and assurance to delivery comprehensive, risk-based approaches to managing and funding digital projects
Governance
The Digital Capability Fund is subject to a robust governance structure and oversight. The Office of Digital Government (DGov) is responsible for administering the fund, including assessment and prioritisation of proposals. DGov is also responsible for reporting on the progress of funded projects.
The Minister for Innovation and the Digital Economy is responsible for the fund’s oversight and operational reporting. A Steering Committee, comprised of senior executive level public servants and an independent ICT expert, support the Minister for Innovation and the Digital Economy by independently reviewing and monitoring the administration of the fund.
Final decisions about the funding of proposals are made by the Government.
Agency CEOs are responsible for the successful delivery of ICT projects within allocated funding, while ensuring that agencies meet reporting obligations.
Assessment and Prioritisation
Proposals submitted by Government Entities are assessed against four weighted criteria:
- Alignment (20%) – to what extent the proposal’s strategic justification demonstrates alignment with the objectives and digital strategy of the WA Government. Considerations include the reach of the proposal (number of agencies involved), creation or reuse of whole of government digital capabilities, and overall alignment to government priorities and policies.
- Impact (20%) – to what extent the proposal’s objectives and benefits demonstrate impact on the community, businesses and government in relation to scale of change. Considerations include size of impact, scale of the change to agency business, value for money and supporting evidence demonstrating that customer needs will be met.
- Achievability (20%) – confidence as to whether the proposal’s delivery approach is strong and addresses risk. Considerations include staging of the project, speed of delivery, risk profiling and mitigation, financial compliance analysis and change management issues.
- Risk Mitigation (40%) – the severity of risk being addressed by the proposal. Considerations include cyber profile, support profile, compliance, technical capability, continuity of service delivery and risk profile.
Prioritisation
Prioritisation of proposals into three categories of funding priority occurs, based on a percentage score against the assessment criteria above.
How Can Tango IT Help?
As an independent IT consultancy, Tango IT provides unbiased expert guidance to develop a business case for funding. We include gathering the latest intel from the market with a managed Request For Information to provide validated evidence on the cost, time and risk considerations.
Tango de-risk your technology investment decisions by providing all of this at a fixed price.
Building a rock-solid business case is imperative if you are seeking funding. You need a clear understanding of the required change, as well as its positioning. As part of Tango IT’s independent consulting service, we specialise in the preparation of documentation to assist you in seeking funding by:
- Establishing your current state and capacity
- Explaining drivers for change
- Summarising the benefits
- Outlining risks and mitigation strategies
- Conduct a Request for Information to get the latest market information and indicative costs
- Plotting a high-level timeline
For Government entities seeking to secure funding through the Digital Capability Fund, Tango IT’s team of experts have the capability and understanding to assist in building your business case.