Winning entry

At the EDB, we often get queries from MNCs on supplier capabilities in Singapore. My colleagues and I reach out frequently to other agencies, e.g., SPRING Singapore, IE Singapore and A*STAR, to address those queries. It is resource-intensive work, with many emails flying around. Then we heard of the A*STAR proposal for an online A*STAR Collaborative Commerce Marketplace (ACCM) – think LinkedIn for business, featuring SME and MNC supplier capabilities. We saw its potential in a whole-of-government manner to better connect MNCs with SMEs, and help our SMEs to better understand MNCs’ needs. So, the EDB, SPRING Singapore, IE Singapore and A*STAR collaborated to make the ACCM a success. But it was not easy. Each agency had a different mandate: the EDB helps the MNCs, SPRING Singapore helps the SMEs, etc. After a year of consultations and discussions across agencies, I am happy to say that Version 2 of the ACCM is on its way.

Jonathan Tan, EDB

Congratulations, Jonathan! You win vouchers for board gaming sessions at Play Nation so you can celebrate the hard work of the public officers you worked with.

During the Home Team Festival Musical Show, I saw the camaraderie among the 10 Home Team agencies involved, even though we were given minor singing or acting roles. We managed to pull off a great show and were respectful of one another, regardless of rank. The unity showed the positivity of various agencies working as one. Knowing this was the inaugural Home Team Festival Show, we put our hearts together and carried out our duties professionally. I am proud to be part of this amazing collaboration.

Md Zaiful Nizam Mokhalil, SPF 

As a SportSG representative for the Car Free Sunday initiative led by the URA, I have had an awesome journey. The multi-agency working committee is more of a virtual team, yet we have a very good understanding of everyone’s objectives. Upon reflection, I wonder how this multi-agency team can work so seamlessly. Perhaps it is because my URA colleagues were able to gather like-minded people who believe in the value of this project. This is one of the best multi-agency teams I have ever been part of and after more than a year, we are still going strong. We share appropriate networks across agencies often. Most importantly, our relationship has extend­ed to other projects we collaborate in, beyond Car Free Sunday.

Ung Bee Koon, Sport Singapore 

Working with the Regional Services team at the Social Service Office, I often work with officers from different agencies to address social service issues in my town cluster. One memorable experience involved collaborating with police officers from the local unit to assist a homeless person staying near a forested area, who was spotted by other residents. Together, we tried to locate the needy resident. Despite searching thoroughly, we could only locate the resident’s makeshift home but not the person. Through more collaboration, the resident was eventually found and timely assistance provided. The experience reminded me that there are no easy solutions to the many social service challenges that occur. At times, only through close collaboration with different agencies can they be resolved.

Eric Goh, MSF