govBuy: How to co-create with Government Digital Services
There are two main ways for government employees in Singapore to make purchases — invitation to tender, for high value purchases, and small value purchases, for things that cost less than $5,000.
Usually small value purchases are used to buy off-the-shelf hardware, software or office supplies. What if we could use it to buy microservices (small pieces of software that can be deployed independently), software libraries, non-critical bug fixes or even customised hardware?
What if we could use it to buy microservices (small pieces of software that can be deployed independently), software libraries, non-critical bug fixes or even customised hardware?
govBuy, inspired by 18F’s Micro-Purchase Marketplace, aims to fill this gap. This platform allows government employees to post projects or tasks capped at $5,000. Developers can then bid on these projects.
Why do we need to buy software when we have a software development team?
govBuy provides a way for development teams to outsource technical spikes and non-critical bug fixes that have lower priority in the product backlog. This means that teams can reduce technical debt and deliver a better product.
It makes it easier to co-create with citizens and engage everyone in the tech community — freelancers, students, small companies. Not just those with the resources to bid for large tenders. By levelling the playing field and giving more people the opportunity to participate, we also hope to foster a greater interest in technology, especially among our youth.
It makes it easier to co-create with citizens and engage everyone in the tech community — freelancers, students, small companies. Not just those with the resources to bid for large tenders.
The platform can also help us spot and grow talent. Students and junior technical talents will have more avenues to work on real-world problems and get practical experience. If the platform attracts a large number of students, we can use it to set up a talent pipeline with local schools.
Finally, we can use this to introduce open source software to government agencies in small steps.
How it works
The platform allows government employees to post a task or project. Anyone can bid to take on the project during the bidding period. The reverse auction starts at $5,000 and the lowest bid wins.
The winner works on the project and submits their code to the team. If the code meets the acceptance criteria before the deadline, they are sent a cheque for their work.
The current site is a prototype that we forked from 18F, and we’re using it to gauge interest and feasibility in Singapore.
What people are saying
The initial responses were mixed.
There was some encouraging feedback, such as this one from Winston:
Others were skeptical about the results, and it reminded them of the infamous $1 bid on 18F’s first iteration.
What’s next?
We’re still in the middle of our experiment. We’ve already uncovered several issues we need to address, such as should we allow someone overseas to bid (it all depends on whether or not the rules allow us to pay them).
Help us learn even more and improve by checking out govBuy and making a bid. Bidding closes on 30 Sep 2016, so get in quick!
Do you have any thoughts on this experiment?
Leave a comment below or contact me at chai_sheng_hau@tech.gov.sg. We’d love to hear from you!
