The Water Services Department under Public Works will be collaborating with local IT solutions provider ZNet Technologies on the installation and maintenance of the eBilling Integrated System (eBIS). The system will enable workers responsible for reading water meters to issue utility bills to the respective consumers on site, thus improving on the efficacy of current billing procedures. The department hopes to improve its service delivery by facilitating the middleman process in data gathering and reducing response time.
At present, the Water Services Department has to regularly deploy a team to collect meter readings and return to base to report and process their amassed data before utility bills can be sent out.
ZNet Technologies manager Lim Soon Bee said the workers will be equipped with a rugged portable computer for site visits, and that they will be able to print physical bills on the fly.
"Information will be stored in the device, and will be sent directly to the eBIS at the office for storage," he said.
He predicted that the new system, the installation of which is due to be completed within nine months' time, would assist the department greatly in its tasks.
"We will be working closely with the Water Services Department to modify their workflow, but also making some changes to (eBIS) to suit them better," said Lim.
The new service will be made available in all four administrative districts.
A ceremony to observe the inauguration of the eBIS project was held yesterday afternoon at the Ministry of Development. The guest of honour, the Permanent Secretary of Administration and Finance at the Ministry of Development Brahim Ismail, was present to witness the contract signing between senior representatives from ZNet Technologies, acting director-general of the Public Works Department Mohamad Zin Awg Salleh and acting director of Water Services
Abu Hanipah Talip. So far eBis is the fourth in a series of e-government projects embraced by the Public Works Department. Previously ZNet Technologies won a tender to supply the aforementioned department the Project Management Information System Enterprise (PROMISe) in 2005.
Autor(en)/Author(s): Fei Phoon
Quelle/Source: Brunei Direct, 08.03.2007
