IfG.CC - The Potsdam eGovernment Competence Center

Bahrain's Ministry of Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning has launched an electronic system to receive contractors’ pre-qualification applications.

The system was launched under the supervision of the Works Affairs Undersecretary and chairman of the contractors and consultants pre-qualification committee Ahmed Al Khayyat.

"The Tender Board has implement the VARStreet solution to provide a centralised online system," Tender Board chairman Dr Abdulhussein Mirza said.

The launch was announced by Minister of Transportation Kamal bin Ahmed Mohammed during the inauguration of the 'MEET ICT 2013' conference today (December 10) at the Bahrain International Exhibition and Convention Centre.

The first-of-its-kind system in Middle East that enables citizens to securely access government eServices was launched by Bahrain's Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Supreme Committee for Informatics and Telecommunication (SCICT), Shaikh Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa at the 5th Bahrain International eGovernment Forum 2012 held recently.

Spearheaded by the Information & eGovernment Authority, the new wristbands are part of the government’s effort in quickly tracing new cases of COVID-19, as well as keeping track of active cases.

The Kingdom of Bahrain is keeping track of its active cases of COVID-19 via electronic bracelets.

Launched earlier this week, the wristbands – which are compatible with the country’s coronavirus contact tracing app, called “BeAware” – have been designed to alert a governmental monitoring station of any suspicious activity. Affected individuals wearing the electronic bracelet must be connected to the app at all times via Bluetooth, with GPS enabled to track movement, ensuring that they do not leave their location. Those self-isolating will be asked to set their location, most likely their place of residence, and made to remain in that location until cleared.

The eKey system, developed under the National Authentication Framework project with CrimsonLogic, aims to offer Bahrainis more efficient and secure government services.

"We wish to congratulate Bahrain on the successful launch of their eKey system and are honored to be part of the country's effort to positively transform its government administration," said CrimsonLogic CEO Leong Peng Kiong said.

This is the first eService for Noga to be launched through the eGovernment portal (www.bahrain.bh).

The new service allows citizens, residents and visitors in the Kingdom to view information about the Gasoline Octane characteristics and be able to use the correct vehicle fuel - regular or premium depending on the car model and manufacturer.

It has been introduced as part of a new vision to prepare the country for the "digital future", said Deputy Premier and Supreme Committee for Information and Communication Technology chairman Shaikh Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa.

The Tender Board and the eGovernment Authority (eGA) launched the first phase of the eTendering System, which will initially enable government departments to prepare application documents, submit tender documents and allow suppliers and contractors from the private sector to purchase documents through it.

It was unveiled in a ceremony held under the patronage of Deputy Premier and Supreme Committee of Information and Communication Technology chairman Shaikh Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa, at the Ritz-Carlton Bahrain Hotel and Spa.

The new service can be reached through the e-Government portal bahrain.bh or the Ministry’s page works.gov.bh.

MoW’s Information Technology director Hisham Satir revealed that the newly launched service targets MoW’s contractors and supervisors; aiming to facilitate and speed up the service-related procedures with the Materials Engineering Directorate.

This came about at the opening of the seventh edition of the Bahrain International eGovernment Forum being held at the Ritz-Carlton Bahrain, Hotel and Spa until tomorrow.

The event was also attended by a number of senior officials from the Bahrain government and the Kingdom's business community.

The 2010 report stated that Bahrain’s government succeeded in developing their e-portal and diversifies their technical services, leading the Arab listings and place itself in the 13th slot on the global scale. Remarkably, they were able to move forward 29 slots in 2 years.

Bahrain has climbed 29 places from 42nd in 2008 in the survey, which considers e-Government development in the context of the overall economic and social development of a country. According to Shaikh Mohammed bin Essa Al Khalifa, Chief Executive of the Bahrain Economic Development Board (EDB), the ranking further demonstrates Bahrain’s commitment to achieving the ambitions of the country’s National Economic Strategy and Vision 2030; both are designed to encourage further private sector growth, support further diversification of the economy and ultimately elevate national living standards by creating greater opportunities for Bahrainis.

Bahrain’s Information & eGovernment Authority (iGA) will begin the migration of ten government websites as a trial of Cloud Computing - developed by Amazon Web Services (AWS). The trial is intended to complete full migration during one year. This follows an agreement with technology investment firm C5 Capital.

The websites are those of the Ministry of Justice & Islamic Affairs, Ministry of Health, Central Bank of Bahrain, National Oil & Gas Authority, Survey & Land Registration Bureau, Ministry of Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning, Ministry of Transportations & Telecommunication, Public Prosecution; Capital Governorate and the Northern Area Municipality.

Bahrain plans to roll out a new fibre optic cable network over a four-year period, boosting its already robust IT infrastructure and paving the way for expansion in segments with high-growth potential, such as e-commerce. The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA), which will oversee the initiative, said it aimed to ensure 80% of the population had access to the service by 2018.

A total of 3,855 users accessed 12 electronic services of Bahrain’s Ministry of Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning (MoW) during the third quarter of 2016, a top official said.

The month of August witnessed the highest number of users (1,573), followed by September with 1,203 users, and then July with 1,079 users, added Hisham Sater, IT director at the ministry.

Its implementation in next year’s elections has not been decided yet, he said on Friday, adding that neither the Cabinet Affairs Ministry nor the e-Government Authority is entitled to decide on the issue.

The committee, is made up of professionals and specialists representing a number of government entities, who will be responsible of setting high eGovernance standards for the employment and utilization of ICT projects in the government entities, review strategies, monitor financial cost of ICT projects and report to the Supreme Committee for Information and Communication Technology (SCICT) in this respect for necessary action.