Department of Finance and Dubai eGovernment sign strategic partnership agreement and MoU

A strategic cooperation and partnership agreement was recently signed at the Department of Finance headquarters at H.H. Dubai Ruler’s Court, between the Department of Finance (DoF) and Dubai eGovernment to manage and govern the Government Resources Planning (GRP) systems and other financial and accounting systems being used or to be implemented or developed across government bodies in Dubai. The agreement covers all technical, practical and contractual procedures, policies and accounting structures. Both parties have also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the implementation of ePay service. 

The signing underlines the commitment of both sides to promote joint co-operation among departments and ensure integration in visions and objectives with the aim of raising the bar of excellence in the level of services being provided by Dubai Government. It also seeks to achieve high-quality performance and optimize the use of government resources to attain excellence and leadership in the emirate.

The agreement and MoU were signed by H.E. Ahmed Bin Humaidan, Director General, Dubai eGovernment, and H.E. Abdulrahman Saleh Al Saleh, Director General, Department of Finance, in the presence of a number of senior officials from both departments. 

Under the agreement, Dubai eGovernment will provide GRP systems to the government entities in Dubai, including the technical, technological, executive and contractual support. Dubai eGovernment will also study and meet the requirements and proposals of Dubai government entities pertaining to the development and application of any financial system and will develop, add, amend or upgrade their GRP systems in co-ordination with the Department of Finance. In return, the Department of Finance will identify and administer the main accounting structures/substructures, assets and other aspects that have a great influence on finance and accounting. It will also lay down frameworks to help develop and issue financial, accounting and control policies, procedures and standards to govern the financial GRP systems, without compromising internal control procedures adopted by governmental entities. 

Under the MoU on the ePay service, all ePay-related financial and accounting procedures will be under the supervision of the Department of Finance, including all subscribed government entities, service providers and banks offering the direct debit service, since the Department of Finance is responsible for financial and accounting affairs in the emirate and for the auditing and preparing financial reports on behalf of Dubai Government. 

Expressing his happiness about the signing of the co-operation agreement with the Department of Finance, Bin Humaidan underscored the importance of this step for supporting the strategic goals of the government entities and making a success of their joint efforts to expand the areas of cooperation in line with the public interest. Dubai eGovernment is committed to capitalize on its capabilities to support the government corporate development strategies. 

“We are delighted to work with the Department of Finance as this agreement represents a cornerstone to achieve better integration and understanding of the ‘connected government’ concept among government entities and to accelerate digital transformation in Dubai. This provides an ideal platform to promote government efficiency by offering a unique range of GRP systems that comply with the highest standards of quality and excellence, in line with the vision of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai,” Bin Humaidan said. 

For his part, Al Saleh stated that the aim of the agreement is to lay the governance foundations of GRP systems in a manner that guarantees efficient use and enhanced coordination and centralized adoption of systems and applications across government entities. 

Al Saleh added: “The success of this agreement does not only depend on the adoption by the concerned parties of  effective means to accomplish their respective roles and discharging duties under the agreement, but also requires a high level of cooperation and continuing efforts to build a solid foundation for accounting and financial development at the level of Dubai Government. This will help improve financial planning and processes, as well as achieve better efficiency in the management of public funds and improvement of government performance.” 

Dubai eGovernment launched the ePay gateway in 2003 as an innovative electronic channel to facilitate payment for governmental and private transactions. UAE service providers currently use the platform for more than 250 eServices offered by government departments to their customers, such as DEWA bill payments, 'Salik' recharging, and traffic fine settlements. ePay is compatible for payment via Credit Cards and Direct Debit facility.