GovNET Jamaica

PROJECT BACKGROUND

There is significant demand for a Government communications network that would serve the need of the various ministries and agencies of Government. There are independent initiatives underway in the following Ministries:

(a) Ministry of Education, Youth and Culture;

(b) Ministry of National Security;

(c) Ministry of Finance and Planning; and

(d) Ministry of Health

(e) Ministry of Transport & Works.

There are also major needs in the Ministries of Justice, Local Government and the Environment and the Ministry of Agriculture and Lands.

The present need is for a comprehensive, harmonized and integrated information and communications system for the public sector. The MIS Officers and key stakeholders support the approach to develop such an integrated and harmonized public sector network that would serve the communications needs of all the ministries, departments and agencies of Government.

There is therefore a need to definie a project to harmonize and integrate all ministries and agencies in an overall public sector communications network. This would comprise a broad-based multi-sector network, operating with common standards to inter-connect ministries, departments and agencies. The proposed network would enable the following:

(a) delivery of voice/telephone services

(b) transmission of data

(c) delivery of video

(d) secure and high speed Internet access

(e) secure e-mail services;

(f) connectivity for integrated government e-services; and

(g) ultimately, a national portal

The network would effectively provide common services to the Government as a single, closed and secure user group (GovNet). For example, each ministry and agency now has its own e-mail nomenclature and independent e-mail directories. The new system will provide a standard e-mail addressing system across the Government and hold a centrally managed e-mail directory. This will enable any officer to send an e-mail to another officer by using their computer to identify the other officer’s e-mail address.

There is a need for a Government of Jamaica single point of entry, or “portal”, to enable the general public to easily transact business with government and to gain access to all Government services and information from a single point of entry. The common network is a prerequisite to the GOJ Portal which will address this need.

It is likely that the most appropriate mechanism for such a network will be its implementation, operation and management as a Public/Private Sector Partnership (PPP). A number of countries, including Canada, Chile, Singapore and Trinidad & Tobago, have followed this model. They have found that a National Communications Network is an essential enabler for the implementation an operation of e-services and “joined-up” Government. We must take advantages of the available opportunities to learn from these other countries, and thereby avoid mistakes and move forward more quickly than we would otherwise.

It must be recognized that this will be a major multi-sector, multi-vendor and multi-year project. It must further be recognized that there are a number of separate data and voice communications initiatives which are either in use, being implemented or in the final planning stages at the present time. The integration of each of these into the full network will need to be carefully considered and managed from the outset, so as to eliminate or reduce consequential delays in these ongoing projects to the greatest extent possible.

The main sectors where there are urgent requirements and/or ongoing projects which need to be represented comprise:

• Education
• Finance
• Health
• Justice
• Land
• Local Government & Environment
• Security

GovNet Jamaica will be operated as a managed service on behalf of all Government of Jamaica organisations. This management may be provided either by a GoJ entity or by a private sector organisation with established competence in network operations management. This management must be characterised by a series of clear and measurable parameters relating to:

§ Contractual arrangements;

§ Service level agreements relating to all parties;

§ Measurable quality of service, standards and policies; and

§ Financial arrangements linked to performance and service.

The network operation center (NOC) organisation will be responsible for pulling together the technical providers of bandwidth and other network connectivity services, and guaranteeing the compliance of the service with agreed operational standards and interconnection requirements. The managed service organisation must be obligated to use all the suitable communications infrastructures which are owned by the Government; but they would be otherwise free to contract with any other third party providers for the provision of bandwidth, equipment, connectivity and the services required to deliver the contracted services.

In addition to the NOC, there needs to be an organization within the government that will develop and manage the standards and policies for all GoJ entities participating in the network and be the clearing house or broker for managing enrollment into the network.

BUSINESS NEEDS

· Need to harmonize and integrate public sector networks

· Leverage economies of scale

· Reduce GoJ cost of designing, deploying and operating public sector networks.