DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORK: Experiences from KSA’s Digital Government Transformation DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORK: Experiences from KSA’s Digital Government Transformation A joint research article/white paper with the World Bank Digital Development Team © 2024 The World Bank 1818 H Street NW, Washington DC 20433 Telephone: 202-473-1000; Internet: www.worldbank.org Some rights reserved. This work was prepared by The World Bank at the request of the Digital Government Authority (DGA) of Saudi Arabia. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this work do not necessarily reflect the views of the Executive Directors of The World Bank or the governments they represent. The World Bank does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this work and does not assume responsibility for any errors, omissions, or discrepancies in the information, or liability with respect to the use of or failure to use the information, methods, processes, or conclusions set forth. The boundaries, colors, denominations, links/footnotes and other information shown in this work do not imply any judgment on the part of The World Bank concerning the legal status of any territory or the endorsement or acceptance of such boundaries. The citation of works authored by others does not mean the World Bank endorses the views expressed by those authors or the content of their works. Nothing herein shall constitute or be construed or considered to be a limitation upon or waiver of the privileges and immunities of The World Bank, all of which are specifically reserved. RIGHTS AND PERMISSIONS The material in this work is subject to copyright. Because The World Bank encourages dissemination of its knowledge, this work may be reproduced, in whole or in part, for noncommercial purposes as long as full attribution to this work is given. World Bank. 2024. © World Bank. All queries on rights and licenses, including subsidiary rights, should be addressed to World Bank Publications, The World Bank, 1818 H Street NW, Washington, DC 20433, USA; fax: 202-522- 2625; e-mail: pubrights@worldbank.org. Cover photo: © Shutterstock.com Sample credit for a non-WB image: © Ami Vitale / Panos Pictures. Used with the permission of Ami Vitale / Panos Pictures. Further permission required for reuse. Sample credit for a WB image: © Curt Carnemark / World Bank. Further permission required for reuse. Cover design: Adelaroche Designs DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORK: Experiences from KSA’s Digital Government Transformation 1 DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORK: EXPERIENCES FROM KSA’S DIGITAL GOVERNMENT TRANSFORMATION TABLE OF CONTENTS Foreword................................................................................................................................................................................3 Acknowledgements And Disclaimer...............................................................................................................................4 Executive Summary.............................................................................................................................................................6 1. Introduction...................................................................................................................................................10 1.1 Context.............................................................................................................................................................................10 1.2 Definition........................................................................................................................................................................ 11 1.3 Target Audience.............................................................................................................................................................13 2. Digital Sustainability Journey: Challenges And Efforts.....................................................................14 3. Digital Sustainability: Frameworks Inspiring The DSF In KSA......................................................... 17 3.1 The Digital Sustainability Framework In KSA: Progress Since 2021................................................................19 3.2 Country Examples: Denmark And Singapore........................................................................................................21 4. Digital Sustainability Framework: Building Blocks And Services..................................................24 4.1 Digital Sustainability Framework.............................................................................................................................24 4.1.1 Digital Building Blocks..............................................................................................................................................27 4.1.2 An Example Of Use Cases Involving Payments.................................................................................................29 4.2 The Benefits Of The Digital Sustainability Framework......................................................................................31 4.3 The Components Of The Digital Sustainability Framework.............................................................................32 5. The ICT Enablement Process..................................................................................................................... 37 6. Takeaways And Roadmap Toward Digital Sustainability.................................................................45 7. Conclusions.....................................................................................................................................................48 Academic References.........................................................................................................................................................49 Online Resources And Practitioners’ Reports............................................................................................................50 Appendix A – Digital Sustainability Survey Questionnaire For Agencies...........................................................52 Appendix B - ICT Enablement Process – Phase 5......................................................................................................56 DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORK: EXPERIENCES FROM KSA’S DIGITAL GOVERNMENT TRANSFORMATION 2 The digital transformation in the Kingdom of Saudi FOREWORD Arabia (KSA) has put the country at the forefront of innovation, enabling the government to reimagine public service delivery and public administration. Digital is transforming Saudi Arabia, with a gamut of daily life transactions now managed online, from the registration of a newborn or a new vehicle to obtaining a travel visa. The same is true for the private sector and businesses, as employee registration, work permits, insurance, and the applications for or renewals of professional licenses can also all be handled online. As the digitalization of public services matures, so does the capacity of Digital Government Authority (DGA) regulator to orchestrate the transformation on the basis of a safe and robust legal and regulatory framework, simplified and design- based thinking for creation of people-centered services, and technology solutions such as cloud computing that enable a scalable, efficient deployment of online services. This white paper narrates the ongoing efforts of the DGA to create a culture of re-usability, re-purposing, and efficiency across public expenditures and investments in large technology projects. It has been jointly researched and co-created by a Digital Government Authority team, in partnership with the World Bank Digital Development Global Practice. I hope the narration of our ongoing establishment of the Digital Sustainability Framework, the analysis of the steps taken, the collaboration and cooperation mechanisms established, and the evidence of early results can support policy makers, researchers, project managers, and technology or environment sustainability practitioners who seek to acquire practical insight on this complex journey. Thank you, ENG. AHMED ALSUWAIYAN Governor, Digital Government Authority Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 3 DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORK: EXPERIENCES FROM KSA’S DIGITAL GOVERNMENT TRANSFORMATION ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AND DISCLAIMER This World Bank white paper was jointly authored by The white paper benefited from the overall guidance of two teams, respectively from the Saudi Government, Michel Rogy, Practice Manager for Europe and Central and the World Bank, under a Technical Assistance Asia (ECA) and the Middle East and North Africa regions partnership with the Saudi Digital Government (MNA) in the Digital Development Global Practice. Authority (DGA). The Saudi Team was led by Noura The white paper was produced in collaboration with Alsanie and Reem Almadhi, under the leadership the Digital Government Authority of the Kingdom of of H.E. the DGA Governor, Eng. Ahmed Alsuwaiyan Saudi Arabia under the funding of the World Bank’s and Dr. Abdullah Al Faifi, DGA’s Vice Governor and Reimbursable Advisory Services. The DGA and the VP of Investment and Excellence. On the World Bank World Bank’s cooperation in issuing this disclaimer side, the co-authors were Samia Melhem (Task Team demonstrates their commitment to promote safe leader), and Andrea Carugati. The authors are also and efficient cloud computing practices in KSA. This grateful for research and editorial support from Seda is particularly important given the growing demand Pahlavooni, Albatool Al Hashem, Marta Priftis, and to reduce investment costs and carbon footprint of Dina Danif Richani. The white paper was edited by digital investments. This document is a product of the Erin Rupprecht Aylor and the graphic designer was staff of the DGA and The World Bank with contributions Andres de la Roche. from external sources. Any findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this work do not The authors would like to express gratitude for quality necessarily reflect the views of The World Bank, its peer review comments received from across the World Board of Executive Directors, or the governments they Bank Group for refining the message of the white represent. The material in this document is intended paper, including from Stela Mocan (Manager), Khuram for general information purposes only and does not Farooq (Senior Financial Management Specialist) , constitute legal advice. Such material is intended to and Vlad Manoil (Digital Development Specialist) of be neither exhaustive nor prescriptive and should in the World Bank as well as from Professor Lapo Mola no circumstances be construed as or substituted for (PhD), Associate Professor, Skema Business School, appropriate professional financial, technical, or legal and University of Verona. advice on Digital Sustainability projects or programs. Unless otherwise noted, “$” denotes US Dollars throughout this white paper. DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORK: EXPERIENCES FROM KSA’S DIGITAL GOVERNMENT TRANSFORMATION 4 5 DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORK: EXPERIENCES FROM KSA’S DIGITAL GOVERNMENT TRANSFORMATION EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This white paper, Digital Sustainability Framework: Experiences from KSA’s Digital Government Transformation, highlights the crucial role of global digital sustainability endeavours, focusing on Saudi Arabia’s initiatives aligned with the Vision 2030 for digital government. The Digital Sustainability Framework (DSF) is presented as the KSA’s interpretation of how the adoption of learnings from environmental sustainability can be applied to investments in Information and Communications Technology (ICT). While acknowledging the challenges of this effort, costly duplication of efforts across different Saudi Arabia’s experience may serve as a model or agencies and sectors. This leads to economies inspiration for other nations. By fostering knowledge of scale and a greater return on digital exchange, Saudi Arabia aims to promote sustainable investments. digital development globally, underpinned by their 3. Accelerates progress towards sustainable progress in global rankings and toward the achievement development goals: These frameworks of the UN SDGs and Vision 2030 targets, and despite help map the links between development existing hurdles like organizational silos. targets (e.g., SDGs), priority use cases, and the digital components required to enable Digital sustainability and its most used frameworks, those use cases. This allows governments to the Digital Investment Frameworks from ITU-DIAL and strategically invest in the solutions that will the Digital Public Infrastructure from the UN, are based have the greatest impact on advancing their on the sustainability principles of reuse of resources development objectives. applied to the ICT domain. Digital sustainability 4. Fosters innovation and growth of the promises a series of benefits for the adopting digital ecosystem: Ensuring that core digital governments, as it: components are in place stimulates the (economical and fast) development of new 1. Enables the delivery of digital services at digital applications and services by both the scale: Digital sustainability provides the public and private sector. This spurs innovation foundational, reusable digital components (e.g., and growth of the wider digital economy. digital ID, payment platforms, data exchange) 5. Enhances efficiency and saves costs: Digitizing and cloud infrastructure that allow digital government services and operations using applications and services across sectors to be these frameworks can lead to significant cost built and delivered to citizens more efficiently savings through reduced duplication across and at a larger scale. ministries, reduced transaction overheads, 2. Maximizes return on investment: By taking an reduced cybersecurity costs, and increased integrated, whole-of-government approach to efficiency compared to siloed approaches to investing in digital sustainability, governments government services. can identify opportunities for reuse and avoid DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORK: EXPERIENCES FROM KSA’S DIGITAL GOVERNMENT TRANSFORMATION 6 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Chapter 2 provides a detailed overview of Saudi certified signatures, and communication, are Arabia’s digital sustainability journey, discussing expected to be reused by 53% of government entities, challenges and progress. It highlights the hurdles fostering efficiency and innovation. The 20 digital of fragmented digitalization and integration issues, building blocks are estimated to deliver savings up which are caused by cultural and structural practices to $4.5 billion over the next decade if their utilization within government agencies. Despite these challenges, becomes widespread across government agencies. the establishment of the Digital Government Authority These chapters also share international examples from (DGA) in 2021 marks a significant step forward in Denmark and Singapore to highlight the benefits of streamlining the Kingdom’s digital transformation. ICT consolidation. Several initiatives, including the development of the National Enterprise Architecture (NEA), aim to Chapter 5 discusses the ICT enablement process, enhance digital government services by aligning a methodical approach to enhance the DSF by goals, standardizing technical standards, and refining identifying and implementing sustainable digital processes. The NEA creates the foundation on which investments at both the national and entity levels in digital sustainability is built. Saudi Arabia. The ICT enablement process provides a practical, reusable, and actionable methodology Chapters 3 and 4 introduce the Digital Investment to enable the Digital Sustainability Framework and Framework (DIF), developed by ITU and DIAL, which achieve progress towards the Digital Sustainability is crucial for Saudi Arabia’s Digital Sustainability Dimensions. It involves consolidating ICT resources, journey. It advocates a whole-of-government strategy, rationalizing costs, improving efficiency, and which requires effectively integrating digital services contributing to Sustainable Development Goals to drive innovation and sustainability. Inspired by (SDGs). This process includes six phases: Building ITU-DIAL’s DIF, the Digital Sustainability Framework Block Universe Definition, Government Entities (DSF) presented in this white paper extends these Shortlisting, Building Blocks Shortlisting, Feasibility principles, tailored for Saudi Arabia’s context, to Assessment, Deep Dive Analysis, and Consolidation promote collaboration and resource optimization Implementation. Each phase involves assessing among government agencies. To date, the DSF has criteria such as commercial relevance, scalability, and helped to identify 20 digital building blocks with alignment with sustainability frameworks to prioritize the potential to deliver significant savings if they and implement ICT building blocks across government are applied by all ministries in KSA. The DSF is entities. detailed in its dimensions and objectives and has three aims: (i) optimize ICT resources through the The Conclusion highlights Saudi Arabia’s ongoing development of reusable digital components, (ii) journey toward digital sustainability, emphasizing the promote collaboration among government agencies shift toward a more integrated whole-of-government to induce the abandonment of siloed management of approach despite existing obstacles. The government’s IT resources, and (iii) leverage a whole-of-government digitalization initiatives align with international approach to enhance service delivery to citizens in an standards and have yielded positive results, as innovative and sustainable fashion. The investment in evidenced by improved rankings in various indices these 20 digital building blocks, covering core services and assessments. The Digital Government Authority like payment solutions, personal identification, (DGA) leads by example, aiming to encourage other 7 DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORK: EXPERIENCES FROM KSA’S DIGITAL GOVERNMENT TRANSFORMATION EXECUTIVE SUMMARY government agencies to adopt the Digital Sustainability PHASE 2: Framework (DSF). These efforts, supported by the NEA ESTABLISH THE TECHNICAL FOUNDATION (National Enterprise Architecture) initiative, mark a This phase is focused on creating the tools required crucial phase towards sustainable ICT governance for digital sustainability. The initial activities will across the government. The focus is on making include building the core digital building blocks that digital investments more sustainable and prioritizing are foundational enablers of digital sustainability: technologies that maximize return on investment digital IDs, certified signatures, digital payments, and citizen satisfaction. The journey toward digital citizen bank accounts, and certified communication. sustainability is ongoing, with the DSF facilitating If it is not already in place, public agencies need to the identification and implementation of sustainable migrate to a shared cloud infrastructure and physical digital investment opportunities. servers need to be moved to the cloud and/or closed. A companion paper focused on Saudi Arabia’s Cloud For KSA and other countries that want to pursue the First Policy offers additional information on this positive outcomes promised by digital sustainability, topic. Training will be a key aspect of this phase as the journey is likely to last multiple years. The it is important to start building the digital skills of steadfast application of the framework and the related public employees, which will help them understand governance is essential for improving, and eventually the importance of this transition and create the achieving digital sustainability. capabilities within government that will be needed to sustain the change process. In this phase it will also Assuming a departure point of siloed government, be possible to map the priority use cases to common where public agencies are independently responsible workflows, with the goal of leveraging the foundational for the delivery of digital services to citizens, a multi- building blocks mentioned above to deliver actual year roadmap for a developing country to move services to the public. In this way, the first real value towards a fully implemented whole-of-government from digital sustainability will be harvested. Note approach and digital sustainability could present the that technology solutions, including AI tools, can be following four macro phases: leveraged to identify the core digital building blocks. PHASE 1: PHASE 3: ESTABLISH THE GOVERNANCE FOUNDATION DRIVE ADOPTION AND USE OF SHARED DIGITAL The journey starts with the preparation of a solid INFRASTRUCTURE vision and strategy for digital transformation. This In this phase, governments truly harvest the results of vision needs to be aligned with the specific country’s digital sustainability at scale. In this phase many more SDGs and development priorities. Based on this vision, building blocks have been added to the foundational the governance structure that will enable the whole- building blocks, based on prioritization of services of-government approach needs to be established (to people, businesses, or government institutions). and start working with an empowered team. This Countries can count on integrating dozens (if not governance entity would be responsible for setting hundreds) of building blocks into fresh solutions with priorities and beginning the process of mapping the minimal effort. Usage of digital services can be tracked existing setup for the delivery of digital services. easily and compared across the digital ecosystem while DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORK: EXPERIENCES FROM KSA’S DIGITAL GOVERNMENT TRANSFORMATION 8 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY their alignment with the NEA guidelines can be assessed as well. Governments can start to promote a thriving ecosystem of local digital innovation and service delivery built on top of the public digital infrastructure. PHASE 4: REALIZE THE BENEFITS FURTHER AFIELD In this phase, governments support the extension of the digital infrastructure beyond the government and beyond borders. With a mature, component- based digital infrastructure, development can be opened to external partners. Those will naturally need to be certified but they can contribute to both the creation of new building blocks and the creation of new services assembled from existing building blocks. The achievement of SDGs can be accelerated at scale. Governments can create a market for digital components and services to support each other across borders. The key is to take a phased, iterative approach— first strengthening the enabling environment and foundational infrastructure, then focusing on reuse and integration, and finally driving impact at scale. Strong leadership, governance, and capacity building are critical to the successful navigation of this journey. 9 DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORK: EXPERIENCES FROM KSA’S DIGITAL GOVERNMENT TRANSFORMATION 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 CONTEXT In the near term, achieving sustainability is one of humanity’s most vital objectives. For sustainability to become a mindset and not merely a goal, it needs to encompass all fields, including digital.1 This white paper elaborates on the steps the Saudi Government has taken toward digital sustainability. The paper will first present the concept and mechanisms of digital sustainability and then, in depth, the digital sustainability framework and the Saudi Government’s implementation process to move toward digital sustainability. Cognizant of the fact that the path toward digital sustainability is complex, the Saudi Government wishes to engage with the global community through knowledge exchange and research, jointly with the World Bank, one of its valued knowledge partners. The1Saudi Government’s Vision 2030 is grounded in transactions.4 The rise of these and other breakthrough the realization that Information and Communications technologies means that they will play an increasingly Technologies (ICT) has become an established means to important role in organizing the digital economy in improve the lives of all citizens—private and business— the future. They will dramatically increase demand for and the Government is pursuing this objective at an the public system to deliver services digitally, not only accelerating pace. Automation and robotics are already in terms of volume but also in terms of quality and beginning to solve mundane and repetitive tasks in sophistication. That said, while digital technologies collaboration with a more efficient work force.2 Artificial have the potential to deliver significant benefits to intelligence can influence decisions ranging from all constituencies in any country, 5 they do not, by where to shop online to large investment choices. 3 themselves, improve either population wellbeing or the Blockchain builds trust by ensuring healthcare data sustainability agenda. While there is a clear potential security and the integrity of day-to-day financial to use digital technologies to improve the conditions of 1 Kotlarsky, J., Oshri, I., and Sekulic, N. 2023. ”Digital Sustainability in Information Systems Research: Conceptual Foundations and Future Directions.” Journal of the Association for Information Systems, 24(4), 936-952. 2 Sowa, K., Przegalinska, A., and Ciechanowski, L. 2021. “Cobots in knowledge work: Human–AI collaboration in managerial professions.” Journal of Business Research, 125, 135-142. 3 Rodgers, W., Hudson, R., and Economou, F. 2023. “Modelling credit and investment decisions based on AI algorithmic behavioral pathways.” Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 191, 122471. 4 Hasselgren, A., Hanssen Rensaa, J. A., Kralevska, K., Gligoroski, D., and Faxvaag, A. 2021. ”Blockchain for increased trust in virtual health care: Proof-of- concept study.” Journal of Medical Internet Research, 23(7), e28496. 5 SDG Digital Investment Framework - A whole-of-government Approach to Investing in Digital Technologies to Achieve the SDGs - https://www.itu.int/ dms_pub/itu-d/opb/str/D-STR-DIGITAL.02-2019-PDF-E.pdf. DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORK: EXPERIENCES FROM KSA’S DIGITAL GOVERNMENT TRANSFORMATION 10 1. INTRODUCTION civil society at large, this potential must be purposefully defined above, developed its own Digital Sustainability mobilized through the structuring of the public system Framework (DSF) to support the government’s digital and through specific policies.6 To face growing—and transformation strategy. From this perspective, digital evolving—demand, consolidating services to optimize sustainability for KSA is interpreted as the creation returns on infrastructure investments is key; there is of ICT building blocks that are reusable in multiple growing support and evidence that governments that workflows and public services (use cases). In its take a whole-of-government approach when investing current form, the focus of the DSF is not on green IT, in digital solutions and infrastructure can positively although this objective may become dominant in the impact both citizen wellbeing and achievement of future. sustainability goals.7 The white paper’s objective is to present the DSF and a set of practices for investing in digital technologies that are inspired by sustainability principles. The white 1.2 DEFINITION paper aims to share the experiences of KSA with public Digital sustainability is a recent concept that refers entities in developing countries so that they can build to a vision of ICT adoption that follows the same on these experiences to operationalize the Digital principles of environmental sustainability, such as Sustainability Framework in their own local context. reuse, recycling, and lean use of resources. Digital sustainability can be narrowly defined as the The report acknowledges that the integration preservation and reuse of digital investments8 or of a digital transformation agenda and a digital broadly as the use of digital tools for the achievement sustainability agenda at the level of an entire country of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including is a major undertaking. KSA is moving in this direction addressing climate change, protecting biodiversity and has started to collect experiences while dealing and human rights, and upholding health equity and with legacy ways of doing business that are rooted digital ethics.9 Either way, digital sustainability is an in culture, structure, and traditions. Therefore, these imperative that, taken seriously, can profoundly affect experiences represent the beginning of the process, decision making about ICT investment at both local not the end result. By sharing these experiences and and global levels (see details in Vignette 1 on the collecting new ones from other countries, the hope is following page and Vignette 2 on page 18). to enable a stable integration of sustainable goals in the digital development agenda across the globe, to This white paper presents the initial efforts and the benefit of people and society. experiences of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia that, inspired by the concept of digital sustainability 6 George, G., Merrill, R. K., and Schillebeeckx, S. J. 2021. “Digital sustainability and entrepreneurship: How digital innovations are helping tackle climate change and sustainable development.” Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 45(5), 999-1027. 7 Ojo, A., Janowski, T., and Estevez, E. 2011. “Whole-of-government approach to information technology strategy management: Building a sustainable collaborative technology environment in government.” Information Polity, 16(3), 243-260. 8 Bradley, K. 2007. “Defining Digital Sustainability.” Library Trends, 56(1), 148-163. 9 Castro, G. D. R., Fernandez, M. C. G., and Colsa, A. U. 2021. “Unleashing the convergence amid digitalization and sustainability towards pursuing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): A holistic review.” Journal of Cleaner Production, 280, 122204. 11 DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORK: EXPERIENCES FROM KSA’S DIGITAL GOVERNMENT TRANSFORMATION 1. INTRODUCTION VIGNETTE 1: What is Digital Sustainability? According to the United Nations, digital sustainability refers to the responsible and ethical use of digital resources, technologies, and practices to minimize waste and their negative environmental, social, and economic impacts while maximizing their positive contributions to society. Key factors for digital sustainability include: ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT: This aspect focuses on (i) the reuse of componentized digital technologies that require less development resources and less operational resources; and (ii) reducing the environmental footprint of digital technologies by minimizing energy consumption, using renewable energy sources, and responsibly managing electronic waste. A positive environmental impact is an outcome of applying the Digital Sustainability Framework to future ICT investments. RESOURCE EFFICIENCY: Digital sustainability aims to optimize resource use in the production and the operation of digital technologies. ECONOMIC VIABILITY: This aspect emphasizes the importance of creating a sustainable business model based on the reuse of componentized digital technologies that lead to long-term profitability, fair labor practices, and economic stability. SOCIAL EQUITY AND INCLUSION: Digital sustainability seeks to ensure that the benefits of technology are accessible to all, regardless of socioeconomic status, geographical location, or other demographic factors. It also promotes diversity and inclusion in the tech industry. DATA PRIVACY AND SECURITY: Protecting individuals' privacy rights and securing sensitive information are crucial components of digital sustainability. This includes adhering to regulations and industry standards for data access, privacy, and protection. INNOVATION AND EDUCATION: Encouraging innovation in sustainable technologies and practices is essential for long-term progress. Additionally, providing education and training on digital skills and literacy, as well as responsible technology use, helps build a more sustainable digital society. POLICY AND REGULATION: Governments, organizations, and industry stakeholders play a vital role in shaping the policies and regulations that promote digital sustainability. This starts with a whole-of- government approach that aligns the different agencies toward the reuse of digital components and sets the standards for interoperability, energy efficiency, data protection, and access to technology. TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY: Open communication about the environmental and social impacts of digital technologies, as well as accountability for any negative consequences, are critical aspects of digital sustainability. Examples of digital sustainability initiatives include the establishment of a shared cloud infrastructure, a library of reusable digital components that power multiple use cases, and a governance model that monitors adherence to the digital sustainability principles and measures the results obtained. Overall, digital sustainability is about recognizing that the digital revolution can and must respect the same sustainability standards of any other government endeavor and contribute to a responsible use of the planet's resources. DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORK: EXPERIENCES FROM KSA’S DIGITAL GOVERNMENT TRANSFORMATION 12 1. INTRODUCTION 1.3 TARGET AUDIENCE This documented case study is targeting practionners and leaders in governments and international organizations, such as: z CIOs of government entities in KSA can use the document to understand the advantages of applying the digital sustainability concept, the need for a whole-of-government approach, and how they can support its implementation from within their respective entities. z Government CIOs around the world can use the document to understand the Kingdom’s approach to enhancing its digital sustainability, providing them with a reference and source of inspiration that they can tailor and apply in their own government entities. z International organizations can use the document to gain visibility on the digital sustainability journey in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; it will act as a foundation and accelerator to help other nations follow in the Kingdom’s footsteps. z The World Bank can share this experience with several of its clients as part of the accelerating digital transformation Global Challenge Program. 13 DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORK: EXPERIENCES FROM KSA’S DIGITAL GOVERNMENT TRANSFORMATION KSA’S DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY JOURNEY: 2 CHALLENGES AND EFFORTS The Saudi Government has encountered challenges in its digital sustainability journey due to culturally and structurally engrained practices of government. Government agencies are accustomed to a certain level of independence that leads to siloed efforts and individual digitalization initiatives distributed across the government ecosystem. While this approach leads to flexibility and speed, it also redundancies, duplications, and misalignments which leads to duplication of IT investments and challenges led to the need to deploy the Digital Sustainability in the integration and coordination of IT solutions. Framework addressing these challenges from a whole- The challenges identified are shown in Figure 1. From of-government perspective. a technical perspective, these behaviors have created FIGURE 1: Current Challenges in the Digital Government Landscape Misplaced ICT investments Large number of resulting in significant duplications and fragmentation and redundancies of IT duplication of e orts capabilities across government entities Lack of orchestration and Diversity of standards and misalignment of initiatives lack of harmonization across between government entities the government ecosystem Limited adoption of digital Lack of strategic services and low satisfaction partnerships wth partners in rates among citizens the private sector DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORK: EXPERIENCES FROM KSA’S DIGITAL GOVERNMENT TRANSFORMATION 14 2. KSA’S DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY JOURNEY: CHALLENGES AND EFFORTS Partly to overcome these challenges, the Kingdom By defining the standards for services, applications, of Saudi Arabia, established the Digital Government data, and technology, the NEA creates the foundation Authority in 2021 to guide the digital transformation for the Digital Sustainability Framework. The DSF, in the Kingdom focusing on 14 key mandate items which will be discussed in detail below, represents aimed at encouraging government entities to provide a concretization of the NEA for the planning of ICT high-quality digital government services to all investments over time. The ICT enablement process constituencies. One of the DGA’s key activities has been accompanies the DSF to guide the process of selection to establish a National Enterprise Architecture (NEA) of the ICT investments. Currently, in view of the existing defining technical standards, policies, and guidelines silo structure in government agencies, the level of NEA for a coordinated government digital transformation maturity in Saudi Arabia is still quite low (according to model. These guiding principles outline the major the classification of enterprise architecture maturity enterprise architecture domains, to guide entities as by Ross et al.)10 and efforts are currently underway to they define their business, application, technology, and increase the maturity level to take advantage of the data architectures. Under the NEA, the DGA established shared standards. Likewise, both the DSF and the ICT the National Overall Reference Architecture (NORA) enablement process are quite novel; some practices framework to accelerate the realization of digital are currently under evaluation while others are still government transformation, promote standardization pending (e.g., establishing the responsibility of the ICT of Enterprise Architecture processes and frameworks, building blocks, see section 4.1.1). It is anticipated that reduce risk, increase future proofing, and enhance the experiences and practices of the NEA, the DSF, and collaboration among government entities. NORA’s the ICT enablement process will create a virtuous cycle, guidelines aim to increase the digital maturity of the where maturing in one area will help other areas evolve government agencies. Compliance with the NEA is more quickly toward the aspired maturity level. enforced by the DGA. The DGA oversees the NEA program at the national level and ensures that government entities adhere to its standards and practices. Specifically, the DGA works with each government entity to establish an Enterprise Architecture Office that follows the NEA methodology and standards. These offices are responsible for implementing NEA practices within their respective organizations, while the DGA provides oversight and guidance at the national level to ensure consistency and compliance. Overall, the DGA’s mission as the Digital Government Regulator is reflected in its organisation chart, with clear roles and responsibilities between Legal and Regulatory, Coordination and Collaboration, Technology, Products and Services; a well as User Experience. 10 Ross, J. W., Weill, P., & Robertson, D. (2006). Enterprise architecture as strategy: Creating a foundation for business execution. Harvard business press. 15 DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORK: EXPERIENCES FROM KSA’S DIGITAL GOVERNMENT TRANSFORMATION 2. KSA’S DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY JOURNEY: CHALLENGES AND EFFORTS FIGURE 2: DGA’s Organization Chart as of June 2024 Board of Directors BoD General Secretariat Nomination and Remuneration Executive Committee Committee Governor Strategic Committee Audit Committee Internal Audit Governor's O ce Executive O ce Legal A airs Innovation and Emerging Technologies Administrative Shared Human Financial Procurement A airs Services Resources A airs and Facilities Technology Implementation Data and Technology & Technology Products & Infrastructure and Enablement Business Solutions Architecture Services and Operations (IT PMO) Intelligence Strategy and Partnerships & Strategy & Projects & Indicators and Institutional International Partnerships Initiatives Competitiveness Performance Cooperation Marketing & Beneficiaries Digital Communication Marketing Communication Engagement Media Channels Risks & Data Business Business Governance Risks Cybersecurity Governance Continuity Continuity O ce Regulation & Maturity and Digital Trust Regulatory Regulation Licenses Digital Trust Compliance and ID Consultations Investment & Information Government Investment Financial Digital Government Government & Reporting Cloud O ce Planning Procurement Excellence Excellence Business User Business & Products and Products and Products and Architecture Experience Government Digital Solutions Solutions Solutions - Relations and Service and Quality Transformation -Government -Business Individuals Design Management Sector Center General Department Department Source: DGA DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORK: EXPERIENCES FROM KSA’S DIGITAL GOVERNMENT TRANSFORMATION 16 DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY: 3 FRAMEWORKS INSPIRING THE DSF IN KSA To support governments in their pursuit of the comprehensive agenda of digital sustainability, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU)11 and the Digital Impact Alliance (DIAL) have developed the Digital Investment Framework12 (DIF), while the United Nations has developed the Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) concept. These11two12efforts are based on the same core the SDGs). The DIF (see Vignette 2 on the following concept: that the general sustainability principles of page) is based on use cases in relevant public sectors reuse and resource optimization can be adopted in (e.g., agriculture, education, and health). Using a multi- the development of digital services. Both DIF and DPI layer approach, the DIF decomposes the UN Digital rely on (i) dematerialization of IT infrastructure and SDGs13 into a first layer of use cases, a second layer of transition to the cloud; (ii) creation of a depository of workflows, and a third layer of reusable ICT building reusable digital components that can be combined blocks. In other literature (e.g., Ross et al.),14 these to create advanced services; (iii) standards to ensure ICT building blocks are often referred to as “shared the interoperability of these digital components; and services.” For example, some building blocks relate (iv) a governance structure that insure adherence to identification, messaging, and payment systems, to the standards and benefits for all layers and all of which can be reused across multiple workflows constituencies in society; this is typically a localized within any new use case that may emerge in various variation of the whole-of-government approach. These vertical sectors such as health, education, or transport.15 two approaches are similar—KSA adopted the DIF The DIF guides stakeholders and ICT investment elaborated by ITU & DIAL, which was selected for its decision makers to adopt a whole-of-government practicality. The KSA’s main goal was to find a practical strategy for implementing integrated digital services solution for the problem of different government that effectively support the digital sustainability entities making important but uncoordinated agenda; this kind of approach is a must to leverage investments in ICT, leading to a scattered ICT the advantages of reusable ICT building blocks. The infrastructure and duplicated costs. whole-of-government concept entails a comprehensive approach by governments to strategically allocate and The DIF identifies the digital technologies that are most reuse resources toward a common ICT infrastructure, salient to achieve digital sustainability (and, by proxy, considering various sectors and organizations in an 11 https://www.itu.int/en/about/Pages/default.aspx 12 https://dial.global/the-digital-impact-alliance-and-itu-release-new-digital-investment-framework-to-achieve-the-sdgs/ 13 https://sdgs.un.org/goals 14 Ross, J. W., Beath, C. M., & Mocker, M. (2019). Designed for digital: How to architect your business for sustained success. Mit Press 15 Blinowski, G., Ojdowska, A., and Przybyłek, A. 2022. “Monolithic vs. microservice architecture: A performance and scalability evaluation.” IEEE Access, 10, 20357-20374. 17 DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORK: EXPERIENCES FROM KSA’S DIGITAL GOVERNMENT TRANSFORMATION 3. DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY: FRAMEWORKS INSPIRING THE DSF IN KSA VIGNETTE 2: Digital Investment Framework17 The Digital Investment Framework helps governments SDG take a whole-of-government Targets FINANCE, approach to investments in and AGRICULTURE HEALTH EDUCATION HUMANITA shared digital infrastructure and RIAN AID,... Sectors optimize the reuse of IT resources. The Framework accomplishes this by defining Remote four interrelated layers: High Market Rural Prenatal Teacher Educati SDG Targets: Define high-level impact Linkage Advisory Care Postnatal Pathway on & Use Cases Service Training objectives toward which Care governments align their development goals. Use Cases: Define the steps necessary to achieve a business objective contributing to one or more of the SDG targets. Workflows Workflows: Generic business processes, such as "procurement,” that support the delivery of a use case. ICT Building Blocks: Reusable ICT so tware components that Building enable workflows and use cases Blocks and can be reused across multiple sectors. integrated and coordinated manner.16 Adopting a that are responsible for the integration of new ICT in comprehensive perspective, the whole-of-government the digital landscape of any country.17 approach enables countries to achieve economies of scale that are unattainable through the fragmented, There are multiple advantages to a multi-layer approach silo-based implementation of ICT. DIAL and ITU have based on reusable ICT building blocks:18,19 put forth concrete recommendations for governments, z DECREASED EFFORT: With reusable building funders, and technology implementers to adopt this blocks, less effort needs to be dedicated to the strategy. The ultimate objective of the DIF for digital (re) development of functionalities that have sustainability is for it to be integrated into the day-to- already been created day practices of all decision makers and stakeholders 16 Christensen, T., and Lægreid, P. 2007. “The whole‐of‐government approach to public sector reform.” Public administration review, 67(6), 1059-1066. 17 Source: https://www.ungm.org/Shared/KnowledgeCenter/Pages/URL_SDG visited 20-9-2023) 18 Lichtenthaler, U. 2020. “Building blocks of successful digital transformation: Complementing technology and market issues.” International Journal of Innovation and Technology Management, 17(01), 2050004. 19 Fonstad, N., and Mocker, M. 2020. “Munich Re: Building a foundation for innovating digital offerings.” No. 445. MIT Center for Information Systems Research. DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORK: EXPERIENCES FROM KSA’S DIGITAL GOVERNMENT TRANSFORMATION 18 3. DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY: FRAMEWORKS INSPIRING THE DSF IN KSA z INCREASED SPEED: With reusable building of the building blocks, and promotes agility, innovation, blocks, new use cases can be supported by and replicability. creating only the missing building blocks. Over time, the number of ICT building blocks will be such that workflows could be created without 3.1 THE DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY the need for new development. FRAMEWORK IN KSA: PROGRESS z COST REDUCTION: The reuse of the ICT building SINCE 2021 blocks will also require less work and therefore lower development costs. The KSA Digital Government Authority (DGA) developed z AUTOMATIC IMPROVEMENTS: The multi- the first version of the Digital Sustainability Framework layered approach makes it possible to (DSF) in 2021 following the model of the Digital maintain and improve the ICT building blocks Investment Framework (DIF) created by ITU-DIAL. without changing the workflows of the level DGA’s vision is for the Digital Sustainability Framework above. 20 For example, according to the case to strengthen cross-sectoral digital transformation used in Vignette 2, the building block of by helping all government entities establish a digital identification can become more secure methodological and structured approach to investing in or more robust and, as this happens, the shared ICT resources. In this vision, a truly sustainable workflows will inherit the improvements in a future leverages sustainable ICT initiatives to create completely transparent manner. economically inclusive opportunities and enable the achievement of collective progress toward shared goals. Overall, the combination of a multi-layered approach with reusable ICT building blocks is a very effective The Digital Sustainability Framework extends beyond way to bring sustainability to the digital domain. This the principles of the Digital Investment Framework is possible thanks to the intrinsic qualities of digital developed by ITU-DIAL by including critical digital technologies: they can be replicated and moved at sustainability dimensions and the indicators needed zero cost, combined with other digital technologies to monitor these dimensions, as well as examples of to achieve new goals, and scaled to meet growing opportunities to be seized by the Kingdom. The DSF demand. The concept is based on object-oriented framework aims to achieve the following results: software development principles, under which software functions are designed in a modular way, similar to what z Enable the objectives of Vision 2030, with key makes the interlocking, reusable plastic blocks of the focus on enhancing the lives of citizens. LEGO Group (Lego.com) such a popular toy. z Maximize the return on investments through efficient use of digital assets and improved The whole-of-government approach is not only reusability of ICT resources. necessary to achieve digital sustainability but also to ensure that ICT is advancing the good of the population. z Enable the digital economy by fostering This approach avoids replication of work, ensures collaboration between government agencies that standards for reusability are followed, ensures and businesses by adopting an open but secure government support for the continuous development data-sharing practice. 20 Millard, J. 2013). “ICT-enabled public sector innovation: trends and prospects.” In Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Theory and Practice of Electronic Governance. pp. 77-86. 19 DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORK: EXPERIENCES FROM KSA’S DIGITAL GOVERNMENT TRANSFORMATION 3. DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY: FRAMEWORKS INSPIRING THE DSF IN KSA FIGURE 3: Digital Sustainability Journey to Achieve Vision 2030’s Aspirations and Beyond 2018: 2000: ITU and DIAL 2022: Millenium developed guiding The ICT enablement Development principles to build the process is added to Goals (MDGs) 2015: Digital Investment as Digital Sustainability released following SDGs developed a whole-of-goverment Framework to guide Millenium Summit to succeed approach to invest in ICT components at the United MDGs to guide digital technologies to decision in the Nations development achieve the SDGs Kingdom 2009: 2016: 2021: 2030: UNICEF DIAL becomes steward KSA’s Digital Goal for SDGs on launches their of Digital Principles and Sustainability achievements Innovation begins endorsement Framework Principles campaign to encourage was developed participation The DGA purposefully developed the DSF to guide the The road toward the definition of the current version digital investments in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia of the DSF and enablement process has been long (a toward digital sustainability. Following the creation fact also reported in recent literature, e.g., Sparviero of the DSF, the Digital Government Authority also and Ragnedda, 2021). The milestones along the way established an ICT enablement process to support the are shown in Figure 3, beginning from the initial implementation of the Framework according to locally definition of the Millennium Development Goals in accepted practices. The DSF focuses on defining digital the year 2000, to the definition of the SDGs in 2015, to sustainability dimensions and indicators to monitor the establishment of the ITU-DIAL Digital Investment these dimensions, whereas the ICT enablement Framework in 2018. The KSA’s Digital Sustainability process provides a detailed methodology to identify Framework represents the localization of these and prioritize the best consolidation opportunities to initiatives in the Kingdom as of 2021. invest in—at the levels of building blocks, workflows, and use cases. This process is intended to move forward through the consolidation and rationalization of ICT resources across the Kingdom. DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORK: EXPERIENCES FROM KSA’S DIGITAL GOVERNMENT TRANSFORMATION 20 3. DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY: FRAMEWORKS INSPIRING THE DSF IN KSA The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is pushing for cross- identification, government-issued email, bank accounts, sectoral and cross-organizational digital transformation and payments, can achieve numerous benefits for to support the ambitions of Vision 2030 for digital the public ecosystem. Currently, the benefits are not government. The rapid pace of digitalization within a specifically connected to environmental or social gains, silo-oriented culture (i.e., the opposite of whole-of- but rather to economic and business gains such as cost government) was likely to jeopardize the achievement savings or resource optimization. However, since these of digital sustainability and long-term digital goals services are available to all registered residents, they in Saudi Arabia. Therefore, the DSF initiative was guarantee that everybody can be digitally identified, planned in parallel with the establishment of a can securely login to public and private services, can whole-of-government program and an explicit digital receive communications, and can make and receive sustainability agenda. payments from public agencies. Therefore, these digital building blocks, by being available to everyone, create The Digital Sustainability Framework defines the equitable access to services. digital sustainability pillars and dimensions, and the measuring indicators to track the progress of each dimension. On the other side, the ICT 3.2 COUNTRY EXAMPLES: DENMARK enablement process is used to identify the right AND SINGAPORE investment opportunities through IT rationalization and consolidation to achieve the objectives of the Denmark and Singapore, two countries at the top Framework, which would help the Kingdom improve of the UN E-Government Development Index (EGDI) its digital sustainability and make progress toward the ranking for many years, are very advanced in their use achievement of the UN SDGs. of digital sustainability concepts. Both countries have developed foundational building blocks (identification, The DSF follows the established approach of ITU-DIAL signature, payments, etc.) and reaped both economic to pursue digital sustainability through the creation results and environmental results, showing that digital of an ecosystem-oriented ICT enterprise architecture, sustainability is indeed a valuable philosophy. common digital building blocks, and consolidated and rationalized ICT resources to harness the value of Examples of the economic results achieved by the shared resources. Currently 21.7% of total government Danish Government include: spend in the KSA is dedicated to ICT (IMF. 2022. article IV, Consultation Report). The Digital Sustainability z COMPREHENSIVE SUITE OF DIGITAL SERVICES: Framework aims to provide both cost rationalization 2 to 3.75 times cheaper in providing online and optimization across the government ecosystem services to citizens as compared to other while ensuring that government spend on ICT is focused channels (2013). 22 on reusable/sustainable digital investments.21 Other DIGITAL POST (GOVERNMENT ISSUED EMAIL governments around the world have achieved several z ADDRESS): €400 million saved due to efficient benefits by consolidating their ICT resources. The Danish digital communication with citizens and government case, for example, shows how consolidated businesses (2013). This is also accompanied by ICT building blocks (or shared services) such as digital the elimination of transport services related to 21 Cricelli, L., and Strazzullo, S. 2021. “The economic aspect of digital sustainability: A systematic review.” Sustainability, 13(15), 8241. 22 https://studylib.net/doc/5567625/what-is-borger.dk%3F 21 DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORK: EXPERIENCES FROM KSA’S DIGITAL GOVERNMENT TRANSFORMATION 3. DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY: FRAMEWORKS INSPIRING THE DSF IN KSA physical mail.1 Paper-based communication to Singapore provides another example. Singapore and from public agencies has been eliminated. has committed to achieving net-zero emissions by Saved costs on physical posts worth €21 2045. The Government believes that the public sector million (in 2014-2015). 23 must take the lead in environmental sustainability z SERVER CONSOLIDATION, VIRTUALIZATION, efforts. Under the GreenGov.SG initiative,26 the public AND HOUSING: Deliverd a 5% reduction in costs sector leads the effort to transition from peak carbon (from 2014). 24 emissions (expected to be reached around 2025) to achieve net zero emissions around 2045, five years z NEMKONTO: This government-issued, ahead of the national target of “Net Zero” by 2050.27 A mandatory, and free bank account for all Public Sector Sustainability Plan 2017–202028 outlines residents enables a digital payment system the Government’s efforts. Every agency aligns its that eliminates operational costs previously sustainability plan with GreenGov.SG, including the incurred by disbursing payments via physical appointment of a sustainability officer to oversee cash or cheques. 25 its green government efforts. Emission targets for buildings, ICT, transport, and solar deployment are set to 23 https://www.borger.dk/internet-og-sikkerhed/Digital-Post/Post. 24 https://www.oecd.org/gov/budgeting/D2-AM%20-%20Session%205%20-%20N.%20Gotfredsen%20-%20Denmark.pdf. 25 https://www.nemkonto.dk/Servicemenu/Engelsk#:~:text=A%20NemKonto%20is%20a%20normal,or%20social%20welfare%20payments%20ect. 26 NEA. Energy Efficiency. https://www.nea.gov.sg/our-services/climate-change-energy-efficiency/energy-efficiency/public-sector. 27 World Bank, Greening ICT: A case study on Singapore”, Dec 2023. 28 NCCS. Public Sector Sustainability Plan 2017-2020. DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORK: EXPERIENCES FROM KSA’S DIGITAL GOVERNMENT TRANSFORMATION 22 3. DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY: FRAMEWORKS INSPIRING THE DSF IN KSA FIGURE 4: Overview of Singapore’s GovTech’s Sustainability Framework SG Green Sustainable City in Nature Energy Reset Green Economy Resilient Future Plan (WHY) Living Sustainable Sustainable Digital Innovation for Organisation Digitilisation Sustainability Key Pillars (WHAT) Green GovTech Green Digitilisation Green Outcomes Operating Culture Practices for WOG Enabled for WOG People Practices Partnership 1 3 5 Key Green Workplaces Green Supply Chain Innovations & Ops-Tech Enablers 2 4 6 Education & Outreach Architecture Standards Ecosystem Partnerships (HOW) & Best Practices Measure & Optimise Digitally Enabled Monitoring And Reporting Platform Govern Sustainability Committee & Workgroups Source: GovTech Singapore) be more ambitious than national targets.29 For example, countries are taking important steps toward the the GovTech Agency in Singapore has developed a integration of digital sustainability and the SDGs in sustainability framework on how, as a government their ICT investment decision process. These practices agency, it can be a sustainable organization. The can be used as sources of inspiration but need to be GovTech’s Sustainability Framework30 (see Figure 4) localized in the specific country context. In KSA, the focuses on (i) optimizing operations through deliberate DSF and the accompanying ICT enablement process considerations of environment factors – Reduce, Reuse represent a first step to position the government to and Recycle, (ii) incorporating sustainable practices pursue economic and environmental benefits like those across the value chain to reduce emissions, and (iii) the realized by the leading digital countries, while adapting innovative use of digital tech for sustainable outcomes. the effort to a socio-cultural context that is still moving toward pervasive and coordinated digital services. The DGA recognizes that the most advanced digital 29 The aim is to reduce energy and water use by 10 percent from the baseline of 2018-2020. The amount of waste disposed of by the public sector will also be reduced by 30 percent from the FY2022 baseline. 30 Govtech Singapore, Henry Chang, Sustainable Digitalization – opportunities and challenges https://www.tech.gov.sg/files/media/corporate- publications/IB2023-Sustainable-Digitalisation-Opportunities-and-Challenges.pdf. 23 DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORK: EXPERIENCES FROM KSA’S DIGITAL GOVERNMENT TRANSFORMATION DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORK: 4 BUILDING BLOCKS AND SERVICES This section presents the Digital Sustainability Framework (DSF) as designed and used in the KSA. It describes the dimensions of the DSF and how each one serves the sustainability agenda. Finally, it provides details about each component of the framework, its objectives, and how beneficiaries can get the most from the DSF. that of other developed countries, such as Denmark and 4.1 DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY Singapore. It is important to note that the Saudi context FRAMEWORK is characterized by highly independent ministries A widely accepted definition of sustainable development and agencies with their own IT budgets and legacy IT is “development that meets the needs of the present systems. Inevitably, this leads to duplication of efforts, without compromising the ability of future generations entrenchment in the status quo, and a tendency to to meet their own needs.”31 For the Kingdom of Saudi defend the accrued freedom to invest as the agency Arabia, sustainability in digital initiatives means the wishes. Therefore, while for countries like Singapore and efficient re-utilization and cross-utilization of common Denmark, digital sustainability sustains the tradition of ICT resources and ensuring greater collaboration a lean, whole-of-government approach to IT, in Saudi across government agencies to eliminate duplication, Arabia, the Digital Sustainability Framework has been optimize resources, create synergies among agencies, designed to create the conditions to achieve these and deliver seamless services to citizens. This ideal objectives. Figure 5 on the following page, shows the outcome for ICT development and use is aligned with internal and external objectives of the DSF. 31 Source: The World Commission on Environment and Development’s 1987 Brundtland report DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORK: EXPERIENCES FROM KSA’S DIGITAL GOVERNMENT TRANSFORMATION 24 4. DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORK: BUILDING BLOCKS AND SERVICES FIGURE 5: The Objectives of the Digital Sustainability Framework Identify investment opportunities Reduce duplications by in sustainable digital technologies unifying common platforms and prioritize ICT investment to working in silo and maximize ROI consolidating ICT infrastructure Improve collaboration between government entities Digital Unified & innovative and with the private sector to Sustainability standards providing durable, cost e cient and flexible increase value of services Framework infrastructure solutions delivered to citizens Enhance the entity's internal and Strategic partnership with the external customer satisfaction private sector to minimize the through the implementation of risks of supply and focus on shared services sustainability and innovation The main tenet of digital sustainability is that expected savings and the impact and contribution digital investments can be reused multiple times to to the SDGs. These 20 building blocks were reused create innovative solutions, without repeating the on average by 53% of the government entities in the same investment. Applying the Digital Sustainability Kingdom. The Framework helped generate a detailed Framework within the Saudi context enabled the blueprint and an implementation plan to roll out the identification of a first batch of 20 sustainable digital consolidated solutions across 70 government entities. investment opportunities (ICT building blocks) that could benefit digital government beneficiaries across It is estimated that implementing these consolidated multiple use cases. This first batch of reusable building solutions in the identified government entities can blocks, 16 applications, 2 infrastructure components, deliver potential savings of 15 billion SAR ($4.5 billion) and 2 processes, were identified, using the framework, over the next 10 years, which represents on average as potential consolidation opportunities across 750 million SAR ($205 million) per building block. This government entities in the Kingdom. Each of these 20 calculation is based on real data from government building blocks was thoroughly assessed to determine entities on their actual ICT spend; the savings are the most appropriate consolidation model, with the calculated as a percentage of actual spend forecasted potential benefits of consolidation including the for 10 years. 25 DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORK: EXPERIENCES FROM KSA’S DIGITAL GOVERNMENT TRANSFORMATION 4. DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORK: BUILDING BLOCKS AND SERVICES FIGURE 6: Building Blocks (in white) Identified for Potential Consolidation by Applying the Digital Sustainability Framework Beneficiary Facing Fund Mgmt. Gov. Sector Specific Post Email Kiosk Social Security & Grant Mgmt. Social Media SMS Telephony Payment Toolbox Transport Revenue & Logistics Web Portal Collection Education Beneficiary Management Health care Case Beneficiary Marketing Transaction Management journey Campaign Data Mgmt. enablement Mgmt. Back O ce Property Finance Payrol and Risk & Cognitive Legal & Document & Management Management Pensions Compliance Productivity Insurance Record Mgmt. People Mobile Project/Task Management Management Procurement Application Dev. Platform End User Computing VDI MDM Client Appl Desktop/ Laptops Collaboration Services Infrastructure Services Security Firewalls Intrusion Controls Identity Access Management In order to motivate and control the adoption of the Figure 6 above shows a blueprint excerpt of the building blocks of the DSF—a non-trivial process in building block universe across different functions a traditionally silo-oriented government—several and highlights the 20 building blocks identified as teams within the DGA are being deployed to ensure the potential consolidation opportunities based on the correct adoption of DSF by government entities. These Digital Sustainability Framework. The assessment of teams follow up and report back to the leadership of these consolidation opportunities is in its final stages. the government entities. Furthermore, several controls In some cases, implementation has already begun. are added to the digital maturity assessment (“Qiyas”) that measures government entities’ compliance with DSF and publishes public results. DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORK: EXPERIENCES FROM KSA’S DIGITAL GOVERNMENT TRANSFORMATION 26 4. DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORK: BUILDING BLOCKS AND SERVICES and beyond traditional educational institutions). The 4.1.1 DIGITAL BUILDING BLOCKS Education building block, for example, is funded and The table below presents the 20 initial building blocks. maintained by the National E-Learning Center (https:// The building blocks are not all at the same level of nelc.gov.sa/en). Other building blocks, like “Risk and maturity. For example, the building block “Payment” has Compliance Management,” have been identified a well-defined funding and maintenance team behind it. as potentially valuable but they are not yet fully Likewise, the building block “Education” is a well-defined implemented. The identification of the funding agency group of applications such as a Learning Management and maintenance body for these building blocks is still System (LMS) that can be used across the Kingdom by underway. all agencies that need an LMS application (including TABLE 1: The ICT building blocks (or shared services) Deployed in Saudi Government Building Type of Building block function block name building block Consolidate all payments solutions by leveraging an existing payment platform in KSA, “Tahseel.” Integrate this platform with the services that require payment as a step and improve and upgrade it with additional capabilities such as international payments, payment method expansions (Ali Pay, Google Pay, etc.), identity and access management (IAM) integration, automated request management, a mobile interface, reporting Application & Payment capabilities, integration and onboarding automation, refined service level agreements Data (SLAs), and defined training and knowledge transfer processes post integration. Funded and maintained by: The National Center for Government Resources, NCGR (https://www.ncgr.gov.sa/en/Pages/partners.aspx) Consolidate the IAM platform and processes to standardize the definition and management of roles and access privileges. It will be utilized by entities to manage Identity user privileges, user IDs, tokens, digital signatures, and public key infrastructure (PKI) and Access certificates. Infrastructure Management (IAM) Funded and maintained by: The National Information Center (https://sdaia.gov.sa/ar/default.aspx) Consolidate the SMS gateways to standardize the authentication and communication and interactions with citizens, employees, business partners and government-to-government Short (G2G) entities via SMS and text messages. Establish analytics capability for SMS-based Messaging Application & interactions and integrate SMS services with payment and notifications services. Services Data (SMS) Funded and maintained by: The Digital Government Authority (https://dga.gov.sa/en) Consolidate the web portals that act as primary touchpoints for digital services provided to end users (G2G, G2C, G2B) into a single portal. Entities would use the portal to manage content, allow the sharing of data information, and expose digital services to users Application & Web Portal (G2C, G2G, G2B). It will be a key channel for citizens to communicate with all government Data entities. Funded and maintained by: The Digital Government Authority (https://dga.gov.sa/en) 27 DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORK: EXPERIENCES FROM KSA’S DIGITAL GOVERNMENT TRANSFORMATION 4. DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORK: BUILDING BLOCKS AND SERVICES TABLE 1: Continued Consolidate the LMS on the existing unified platform, “FutureX,” and roll it out for remaining entities. Develop Student Information System (SIS) on the existing unified platform and roll out SIS services to all the educational institutes. Application & Education Data Funded and maintained by: The National E-Learning Center (https://nelc.gov.sa/en) Consolidate the system development processes to standardize software application designing, testing, and implementation. Consolidate the code repository with version control, reporting, and requirement management to increase code sharing across System People & entities. Automate build and release management and testing capability across entities. Development Process Funded and maintained by: The Digital Government Authority (https://dga.gov.sa/en) Identified building blocks where the determination of the funding agency and maintenance body is still underway: Consolidate the Document and Record Management System (DRMS) platform across Document entities. Entities would leverage this centralized platform and extend the existing Application & and Record DRMs to include document storage and retrieval systems, document collaboration, and Data Management document archiving and workflows for the documents. Consolidate the Health Information Systems (HIS) and build a centralized platform that Application & Healthcare can be used to maintain the electronic health records of citizens, including standardized Data operating models and policies for all entities. IT Consolidate IT Service Management (ITSM) to provide a uniform platform, streamlined Performance process, defined operating model to entities. Private partnership would be leveraged People & Management to manage the entire IT service lifecycle. The private partner would charge back for the Process (part of ITSM) provisioned services. Consolidate the directory services (centralized multi-tenant environment) across entities Directory for employee authentication. It will standardize user authentication across entities, Infrastructure Services reduce duplication of data, and help improve security. Security provisions such as multi- factor authentication & geographic restrictions can be implemented at scale. Consolidate IT infrastructure resources such as computers, storage, networking, and IT virtualization for business users across entities via infrastructure and Infrastructure as Infrastructure a Service (IaaS) or Platform as a Service (PaaS) offerings. Adopt infrastructure as a code Infrastructure Services service for all entities. This will enable entities to have flexible capacity management, robust security, high resilience, and superior IT architectures. Mobile Consolidate the mobile app development platforms for all entities. Assess the existing Application services available through mobile apps and identify key applications that can be Application & Development consolidated to create a sector-specific super app. Develop the guidelines, design Data Platform principles, and best practices for developing the mobile application. Consolidate the risk and compliance platforms that manage the risk lifecycle, from Risk and identification to risk assessment to mitigation. It will be used by entities to monitor Application & Compliance and assess systems to ensure they comply with industry and security standards, and Data Management corporate and regulatory policies and requirements. DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORK: EXPERIENCES FROM KSA’S DIGITAL GOVERNMENT TRANSFORMATION 28 4. DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORK: BUILDING BLOCKS AND SERVICES TABLE 1: Continued Identified building blocks where the determination of the funding agency and maintenance body is still underway: Consolidate marketing campaign solutions to manage events, marketing activities and Marketing campaign data. Leverage shared software model to consolidate the solution. It will Application & Campaign be used by entities to plan, track, analyze, and execute all campaigns (marketing or Data Management government well-being campaigns). Create a shared data repository for all entities to consolidate data on citizens, suppliers/ Transaction partners, services, financial data, and geographic information system (GIS) data. Develop Application & Data models to facilitate analysis of data (e.g., 360º view of citizens or national geospatial Data Management data layers related to planning and development for social, health, educational, agricultural environment, etc.). Consolidate ITSM to provide a uniform platform, streamlined process, and defined Property operating model to entities. Private partnership would be leveraged to manage the Application & Management entire IT service lifecycle. The private partner would charge back for the provisioned Data (part of ITSM) services. Consolidate Project/Task Management building blocks to create a single centralized Project/Task tool that can be leveraged for project, activity, and task management. It will be used Application & Management by entities to communicate within the entity and with collaboration partners to ensure Data timely completion of business-critical projects. Consolidate Social Media (SM) toolbox, including standardized engagement guidelines, Social Media operating model, and platform. This ensures a standardized engagement approach Application & Toolbox across entities on social media channels and better visibility into citizens’ feedback and Data concerns. Social Consolidate social security grant management platform with shared functionality on Security management of beneficiaries, welfare schemes, program data, donation channels, grant Application & and Grant data, scholarships, and merit records. The existing “Eshaan” platform can be leveraged Data Management and enhanced to create a consolidated building block. Consolidate the transport and logistics services designed to be available on the web Transport Application & and a mobile app. It will be used by entities to transport passengers, transport goods, and Logistics Data manage warehouse and store goods, and manage logistics. So far, in 2024, six building blocks have been defined, financed, and maintained. The remaining 14 building 4.1.2 AN EXAMPLE OF USE CASES blocks are only defined, with financing, development, INVOLVING PAYMENTS and maintenance still under way. On the one side, it is It is well-established that digitalization of payments to be expected that some building blocks like payments brings advantages to both citizens and governments and digital identification are more foundational than (Ojha et al., 2011). Therefore, the first use cases that others and need to be implemented first. On the other, could be implemented using the DSF would be those this gap between identified and implemented building related to payments. These could be (see Figure 7): blocks is also a sign that the actual implementation of payments of traffic violations, payment of electricity the principles of digital sustainability is not simple. It is bills, and payments of taxes and custom duties. These a challenging journey that every country needs to travel use cases are based on various workflows such as according to the local structures and culture. pay a bill, transfer funds, receive funds, and trace 29 DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORK: EXPERIENCES FROM KSA’S DIGITAL GOVERNMENT TRANSFORMATION 4. DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORK: BUILDING BLOCKS AND SERVICES FIGURE 7: Example Using the Payment and Identity Management Building Blocks Target Architecture Example of Description of Example of Example of ICT of Payment as Applications Use Cases Workflows Building Blocks Building Blocks Online payment to settle tra c violation fines Web Portal issued by the Pay a bill SADAD Ministry of Internal A airs Transfer Identity & funds to Acces Mgmt. Online payment beneficiary of electricity bills issued by the Saudi Electricity TAHSEEL Company Payment Receive funds Online payment of Zakat Track Short payment to the payment Messaging Zakat, Tax and HYPER PAY status Service Customs Authority fund transfers. In turn, these workflows are based on three questions: (i) Which building blocks do we already combinations of ICT building blocks including identity have that can be used to solve this use case? (ii) What management, messaging management, payment functionalities are we missing? and (iii) How can we management, and web portals. encapsulate these missing functionalities in new building blocks? Then the development starts with only The payment example illustrates how reusable building the resources needed to develop the missing building blocks can enable digital sustainability. Combining blocks. The advantage is double: on one hand, new the payment building block with the identification building blocks are developed, diminishing the need for building block and a communication building block building new blocks in the future. On the other hand, the can easily enable several other workflows that can be use case is produced faster, more cheaply, and with less combined to deliver more use cases. This is the key idea demand for human resources. The citizens experience a of digital sustainability. Use cases are not developed better service, and the realized savings can be applied as monoliths. If they were, it would be possible to elsewhere. deliver digital services to the citizens, but every new development would start from nothing with full need of resources (human, budget, time). With a building blocks mindset, every new development starts with DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORK: EXPERIENCES FROM KSA’S DIGITAL GOVERNMENT TRANSFORMATION 30 4. DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORK: BUILDING BLOCKS AND SERVICES their gender, ethnicity, or capabilities. There will also be 4.2 THE BENEFITS OF THE DIGITAL benefits for government entities in terms of increases in SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORK their digital maturity and enhanced collaboration with As exemplified by the payment use cases, there are other entities and with the private sector. Businesses several benefits from following the DSF. The most will benefit from cross-entity collaboration and improve obvious are benefits in streamlining government- their service delivery, enhancing citizen satisfaction. related services. First, the citizen can complete a All these dimensions contribute toward building a digital process without having to physically travel to sustainable digital economy that benefits all the the government entity’s premises, a bank, or a postal beneficiaries and increases the country’s contribution office to request a service. Second, the process is toward the Sustainable Development Goals. completely digitized, therefore, data about the process can be collected, analyzed, and used for process Figure 8, below, summarizes the key dimensions improvement after transaction completion. There are of the DSF and their positive impacts for different other advantages. For example, the citizen does not stakeholders. On the left side of the figure, it is need to physically travel to execute his request. There highlighted that digital sustainability is the result will be less need for manual controls, enabling the of a sustainability agenda, a progressive maturity allocation of employees to more valuable tasks. People in digital government, a focus on the satisfaction of will experience more equal treatment irrespective of the citizens in digital services offered by the public FIGURE 8: Value of the Digital Sustainability Framework for Different Stakeholders Participate to build a sustainable Sustainability digital economy Digital Support the government entities Maturity in their digital transformation journey Digital Citizen Improve the overall quality of life Sustainability Satisfaction of citizens Ease collaboration with other government Collaboration entities and the private sector Service Enable operational e ciencies through Delivery shared services and solutions Impact on Impact on Impact on Government Citizens Business 31 DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORK: EXPERIENCES FROM KSA’S DIGITAL GOVERNMENT TRANSFORMATION 4. DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORK: BUILDING BLOCKS AND SERVICES sector, collaboration between public agencies, service “How do we ensure the services delivered are inclusive?” delivery thanks to the operational excellence accrued It also considers using ICT building blocks for economies with the multi-tier approach of the DSF, and a focus on of scale and maximum return on investment. simplifying business procedures. Collectively, these key dimensions produce digital sustainability and, thanks The framework mimics the multi-layer approach of the to the processes explained above, deliver advantages DIF described in Section 2, with three concentric circles for all stakeholders. that show the impact of the DSF on SDGs. The Digital Sustainability Framework, shown in detail in Figure 9, is composed of concentric circles: at the core there is the use case, the workflows, and the ICT building blocks (see 4.3 THE COMPONENTS OF the digital building blocks presented in section 4.1.1 and THE DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY 4.1.2). These are called Core Pillars in the DSF. The Core FRAMEWORK Pillars are intended to support the second level, the The Digital Sustainability Framework encompasses a set Digital Sustainability Dimensions. These are domain- of principles, rules, and examples of opportunities for specific areas like legal, security, or citizen welfare the Kingdom that would stem from adopting the whole- that are serviced by the ICT building blocks, workflows, of-government approach. The DSF helps government and use cases. The Digital Sustainability Dimensions agencies address key strategic investment questions, influence the next level of the framework, namely the choose effective scalable technology-based solutions, Accelerated SDGs. For example, the citizen welfare and address important questions such as: “Which digital dimension maps on and contributes to the following technologies matter the most?,” “Where do we invest SDGs: health and wellbeing, education, and gender first?,” “How do we ensure data privacy?,” “How should equality. Outside the circles, we find the measuring we manage legacy information systems?,” ”Which digital and monitoring Indicators. These are the KPIs that have services improve well-being and quality of life?,” “How been developed to monitor the closure of achievement do we reach the maximum number of citizens?,” and gaps toward specific SDGs. DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORK: EXPERIENCES FROM KSA’S DIGITAL GOVERNMENT TRANSFORMATION 32 4. DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORK: BUILDING BLOCKS AND SERVICES FIGURE 9: The Five Layers of the Digital Sustainability Framework Core Digital Pillars Sustainability Dimensions Use of emerging tech Governance Citizen and Legal Welfare Framework ICT Building Workflows Innovation Vision Blocs enablement and Collaboration Use Cases Digital Enable Infrastructure Digital Economy Data Governance and Security Accellerated Sustainable Development The Digital Sustainability Framework is entity’s digital capability that can form the basis of an investment decision. composed of five (5) layers detailed below: 2. Workflow: Generic business process that LAYER 1: supports the delivery of use cases. CORE PILLARS 3. Use Case: Defines the necessary steps to At the core of the DSF are the three elements identified achieve a business objective. in ITU-DIAL’s original Digital Investment Framework. These are the three Core Pillars that identify the LAYER 2: Sustainable Digital Investments at the whole-of- DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY’S EIGHT DIMENSIONS government level: 1. Use of Emerging Technologies: The success 1. Building Block: A reusable component of an in sustainable digital transformation can be 33 DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORK: EXPERIENCES FROM KSA’S DIGITAL GOVERNMENT TRANSFORMATION 4. DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORK: BUILDING BLOCKS AND SERVICES determined by the approach of governments workflows across multiple sectors, such as and their ability to recognize the impact of registration or verification workflows. various emerging technologies and adopt them 7. Vision Enablement: The government’s vision early to achieve their objectives. is to establish the Kingdom’s position on a 2. Governance & Legal Framework: A full legal global scale and offer services with agility and framework that supports the whole-of- efficiency by augmenting and fostering the government approach by enforcing efficient usage of digital technologies. mechanisms and legal principles to enable 8. Citizen Welfare: Citizens are the major digital transformation in a sustainable way. consumers of the services offered by the 3. Promotion of Innovation & Collaboration: government and their opinions matter the most Acts as catalyst to enable the application of to drive the development of new services using the other main dimensions, use of emerging DSF. technologies, enablement of digital economy, and data sharing and security. LAYER 3: 4. Enabling Digital Economy: Using common ACCELERATED SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT digital platforms shared via an Application GOALS (SDGS) Programming Interface (API) enables data In the example of the payment use cases (see Section exchange and reuse, achieving sustainability. 3.1.2), it was shown how the enablement of multiple use cases from the same ICT building blocks is not 5. Data Governance & Security: Data management only an efficient way for the government to develop is mining citizen interactions for high-quality, new services, but also a valuable addition to society usable data, while managing the privacy and in terms of equality, ecology, and justice. The DSF security of data at all levels by defining clear is designed to accelerate the achievement of eight governance structures and standardization. specific goals out of the 17 UN SDGs. This is done 6. Digital Infrastructure: Integrated architecture through the digital sustainability dimensions and and management offer enterprise-ready, the opportunities that these dimensions afford in reusable software components that provide the Kingdom. The eight specific accelerated SDGs are key functionality to facilitate reuse of generic presented in Figure 10 below. FIGURE 10: Accelerated GOOD HEALTH QUALITY GENDER DECENT WORK AND AND WELL BEING EDUCATION EQUALITY ECONOMIC GROWTH SDGs INDUSTRY, SUSTAINABLE PEACE, JUSTICE, PARTNERSHIPS INNOVATION AND CITIES AND AND STRONG FOR THE GOALS INFRASTRUCTURE COMMUNITIES INSTITUTIONS DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORK: EXPERIENCES FROM KSA’S DIGITAL GOVERNMENT TRANSFORMATION 34 4. DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORK: BUILDING BLOCKS AND SERVICES Dimension 8 “Citizen Welfare” Dimension 4 “Enabling Digital Economy” and enables SDGs 3, 4, and 5: Dimension 5 “Data Governance & Security“ SDGs 3, 4, and 5 are accelerated and impacted by the support SDG 17: Citizen Welfare dimension and the initiatives that create SDG 17 is accelerated and impacted by the Enabling equal opportunities, promote collaboration and diversity, Digital Economy and Data Governance & Security increase the access to government services and ensure dimensions and the initiatives that create platforms participation and work-life balance among citizens. and ecosystems that foster growth, enable ease of doing business, accelerate digital interactions and experiences for different sectors, investors, Dimension 4 “Enabling Digital Economy” and governments, implement data governance, and enables SDG 8: promote data sharing. SDG 8 is accelerated and impacted by the Enabling Digital Economy dimension and the initiatives that LAYER 4: create platforms and ecosystems that foster growth, MEASURING AND MONITORING INDICATORS enable ease of doing business, and accelerate digital Measuring and monitoring indicators and KPIs that interactions and experiences for different sectors, track the progress of the eight Digital Sustainability investors, and governments. Dimensions in a tangible way. Indicators to measure the first two dimensions are listed below as an example: Annually, these KPIs are collected by the Digital Dimension 1 “Use of Emerging Technologies,” Government Authority following the implementation Dimension 3 “Promotion of Innovation & of the different consolidation opportunities in the Collaboration,” and Dimension 6 government ecosystem. “Digital Infrastructure” enable SDGs 9 and 11: 1. Use of emerging technologies to enhance digital SDGs 9 and 11 are accelerated and impacted using sustainability Emerging Technologies, Promotion of Innovation & A. Level of cooperation between universities and Collaboration, and Digital Infrastructure dimensions private sector and the initiatives that focus on investing in human B. Number of awareness sessions around capital, increasing research and development of emerging technologies that enhance digital emerging technologies, creating collaboration and sustainability innovation platforms, and encouraging institutions to efficiently manage their ICT infrastructure and assets. C. Number of training certificates issued related to emerging technologies that enhance digital sustainability Dimension 7 “Vision Enablement” D. Number of released concrete innovations (like and Dimension 2 “Governance & Legal Framework” mobile apps) and research publications enable SDG 16: E. Number of published policies related to SDG 16 is accelerated and impacted by the Vision emerging technologies that enhance digital Enablement and Governance & Legal Framework sustainability dimensions and the initiatives that support Vision 2030 and its objectives, contribute towards different SDGs, F. Participation in global tech forums that implement data governance, and promote data sharing. promote digital sustainability 35 DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORK: EXPERIENCES FROM KSA’S DIGITAL GOVERNMENT TRANSFORMATION 4. DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORK: BUILDING BLOCKS AND SERVICES G. Number of Public and Private Partnerships LAYER 5: (PPP) created around emerging technologies OPPORTUNITIES that enhance digital sustainability to start harvesting the benefits of the Digital H. Public spending on emerging technologies that Sustainability Framework and achieve Vision 2030’s enhance digital sustainability R&D objectives will also improve the governance of and legal framework for technology use in the public sector in the 2. Governance & Legal Framework Kingdom. Indeed, the DSF is based on the principles of the whole-of-government approach. For example, A. Level of cooperation and transparency the reutilization of the ICT building blocks is only between government agencies possible if the different public agencies agree to use B. Level of ease and simplicity of using this opportunity. However, the DSF also incentivizes government assets the agreements since the agencies—ceteris paribus— C. Agility and quality of service delivery will incur fewer expenses and reap faster development by adhering to the DSF. So, opportunities can emerge D. Level of standardization and harmonization in to develop policies, principles, and a governance the government ecosystem framework to enhance cooperation between E. Level of progress achieved in KSA’s Tailored government agencies, leading to the development of Sustainability Framework national standards to guide the consolidation of IT F. Level of adoption of the mandated resources, further decreasing IT costs. consolidated building blocks This can be done by raising awareness on digital sustainability across government entities; for example, through workshops and training sessions that encourage the government entities to apply the framework within their mandate to reduce duplications and redundancies in their IT resources. Furthermore, government entities can be further incentivized to adopt and use consolidated building blocks rather than investing in and developing innovative solutions. DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORK: EXPERIENCES FROM KSA’S DIGITAL GOVERNMENT TRANSFORMATION 36 5 THE ICT ENABLEMENT PROCESS The ICT enablement process provides a practical, reusable, and actionable methodology to enable the Digital Sustainability Framework and achieve progress towards the Digital Sustainability Dimensions. This process allows the identification and implementation of sustainable digital investments at the national and entity levels. At the national level, this process has been applied to identify a first batch of ICT building blocks that will be consolidated in the Kingdom and can be reused to support other opportunities. At the entity level, each government entity can follow a similar approach to rationalize and consolidate their digital capabilities; this approach can then be expanded to the sector level. Whether it is applied at the entity, sector, or national z Contribution to SDGs: Measuring the potential level, the ICT enablement process aims to support, in impact of consolidation on each of the practice, the adoption and diffusion of the DSF. This is Sustainable Development Goals and prioritizing done with four objectives in mind: the consolidation of building blocks with the highest potential contribution to the eight z IT Resources Consolidation: Identifying SDGs discussed above. opportunities to merge government IT resources and develop a set of common The ICT enablement process suggests a six-phase principles for the reuse of the ICT building approach that starts from a large set of potential blocks to reduce duplications and building blocks and narrows it down in each phase redundancies. to systematically identify the ICT building blocks that should be prioritized for implementation in the z Cost Rationalization: Analyzing the potential Kingdom and that government entities can reuse fiscal impact of merging government to improve their digital sustainability. CIOs and IT resources on the costs of delivering technology leaders from government entities are government applications based on reusable ICT involved in the shortlisting process as shown in the building blocks (hence providing opportunities lower part of Figure 11 on the following page. This for savings). helps to create visibility with the process, engenders z Efficiency Improvement: Assessing the buy-in by agencies, and contributes to creating the economic impacts and societal benefits of opportunities discussed above. applying the principles of the DSF. 37 DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORK: EXPERIENCES FROM KSA’S DIGITAL GOVERNMENT TRANSFORMATION 5. THE ICT ENABLEMENT PROCESS By applying this iterative process, a first batch of 20 building blocks have been prioritized and are being consolidated across the Kingdom. However, the process can be continuously reapplied to identify and consolidate new batches of building blocks. The six phases of the ICT enablement process are described below. FIGURE 11: The ICT Enablement Process Building Block Building Block Feasibility Deep Dive Consolidation Universe Definition Shortlisting Assessment Analysis Implementation Building Blocks Building Block Universal Set of Shortlisted Final List of Implementation Implementation Definition Building Blocks Building Blocks Building Blocks Blueprint Roadmap Govt. Entities Shortlisting Govt. Entities Overall Govt. Shortlisted Govt. Entities Entities PHASE 1: BUILDING BLOCK UNIVERSE DEFINITION This phase defines the concept of a building block, the distinct categories each building block falls into (infrastructure, application & data, people & process), and lists potential consolidation candidates under each category. FIGURE 12: Phase 1: Building Block Universe Definition Building Block Building Block Feasibility Deep Dive Consolidation Universe Definition Shortlisting Assessment Analysis Implementation Building Blocks Building Block Universal Set of Shortlisted Final List of Implementation Implementation Definition Building Blocks Building Blocks Building Blocks Blueprint Roadmap DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORK: EXPERIENCES FROM KSA’S DIGITAL GOVERNMENT TRANSFORMATION 38 5. THE ICT ENABLEMENT PROCESS PHASE 2: GOVERNMENT ENTITIES SHORTLISTING FIGURE 13: Phase 2: Government Entities Shortlisting Govt. Entities Shortlisting Govt. Entities Overall Govt. Shortlisted Govt. Entities Entities This phase applies a set of shortlisting criteria to score and prioritize a group of entities for a feasibility assessment of shortlisted building blocks. The entity shortlisting criteria are described below. 1. Annual ICT Budget/ Spend: Determine the ICT spending of the entity across relevant building blocks which, enabling the classification of entities by their amount of yearly ICT spend. 2. Entity Size: Determine the size of the entities based on their revenue and number of employees. 3. Digital Maturity: Determine the digital maturity of the entity based on Qiyas and Marsad data. 4. Digital Sustainability: Determine the entity’s potential contribution toward SDGs and its impact on enhancing digital sustainability in the Kingdom. 5. Citizen Impact: Determine the impact of the entity on the quality of life of citizens and citizen journeys. 6. Sectoral Representation: Determine the entity’s sector to ensure representation of all sectors. 7. DGA Input: Determine the DGA’s priorities and ensure that entity shortlisting, and selection is aligned to the DGA’s input. 8. Technical Landscape Complexity: Determine the entity’s as-is technical architecture landscape complexity. Each entity is assessed and scored against each of the shortlisting criteria, then an overall score is obtained and compared to the scores of the other entities to prioritize and shortlist the entities for feasibility assessment. These shortlisted entities will help in gathering enough information to assess the shortlisted building blocks and select the first batch of consolidation opportunities. However, the implementation of the consolidated building blocks will be applicable to all government entities. 39 DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORK: EXPERIENCES FROM KSA’S DIGITAL GOVERNMENT TRANSFORMATION 5. THE ICT ENABLEMENT PROCESS PHASE 3: BUILDING BLOCKS SHORTLISTING FIGURE 14: Phase 3: Building Blocks Shortlisting Building Block Building Block Feasibility Deep Dive Consolidation Universe Definition Shortlisting Assessment Analysis Implementation Building Blocks Building Block Universal Set of Shortlisted Final List of Implementation Implementation Definition Building Blocks Building Blocks Building Blocks Blueprint Roadmap This phase applies a set of shortlisting criteria to score and prioritize a set of building blocks that will be analyzed during feasibility assessment. The building blocks shortlisting criteria are described as follows: 1. Commercial Relevance: Determine the ICT spending on this building block by all the relevant entities to understand the commercial relevance of the building block. 2. Entity Coverage: Determine how common the landscape is for the building block across relevant entities to understand the coverage level of building block. 3. Collaboration Enhancement: Determine the impact of the building block on G2G, G2B or G2C collaboration across the Kingdom. 4. UN SDG DIF Alignment: Determine the alignment of the building block with the UN SDG Digital Investment Framework and its potential to contribute toward the different SDGs. 5. DSF Dimensions Alignment: Determine the alignment of the building block with the Digital Sustainability Framework and its potential to contribute toward its digital sustainability dimensions. 6. Level of Standardization: Determine the landscape of the building block to understand the level of standardization across the different entities. 7. National Frameworks & Initiatives: Determine the alignment of the building block with NEA’s national reference models and its potential to adopt open-source software from the national operations support systems (OSS) hub. 8. Ongoing Initiatives / Efforts: Determine if there are any ongoing or planned transformation/ consolidation initiatives in the Kingdom for each of the building blocks. Each building block is assessed and scored against each of the shortlisting criteria, then an overall score is obtained and compared to the scores of the other building blocks to prioritize and shortlist the building blocks for the Feasibility Assessment, as shown in Figure 15 below. In Figure 15, the prioritization is based on the comparison of ICT building blocks according to the sum of weighted criteria. The weight of the criteria is decided by two main factors: the feasibility and the impact of consolidating the building block. The score of the building block for that criterion is decided by evaluating the data collected for each building block from various DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORK: EXPERIENCES FROM KSA’S DIGITAL GOVERNMENT TRANSFORMATION 40 5. THE ICT ENABLEMENT PROCESS sources such as surveys conducted with the different government entities and the evidence submitted by each government entity for Qiyas (a yearly digital maturity assessment conducted by the Digital Government Authority in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia). FIGURE 15: Building Blocks Scoring & Prioritization Mechanism National On-going Commercial Collaboration UN SDG DIF DSF Dimensions Level of Entity Coverage Frameworks & Initiatives/ Relevance Enhancement Alignment Alignment Standardization CUMULATIVE Initiatives E orts SCORE Weight 8 1 7 2 6 5 3 4 BB #1 9*8 7 *1 9*7 5 *2 6*6 8*5 9*3 3 *4 281 BB #2 3 *8 5 *1 4*7 7 *2 5 *6 8*5 9*3 3 *4 190 BB #3 2 *8 5 *1 6*7 9*2 8*6 3 *5 5 *3 8*4 182 BB #4 3 *8 4*1 7 *7 5 *2 9*6 5 *5 7 *3 5 *4 207 BB #n 2 *8 1 *1 2 *7 1 *2 2 *6 1 *5 2 *3 1 *4 61 Top 30 scoring building blocks selected for feasibility assessment PHASE 4: FEASIBILITY ASSESSMENT FIGURE 16: Phase 4: Feasibility Assessment Building Block Building Block Feasibility Deep Dive Consolidation Universe Definition Shortlisting Assessment Analysis Implementation Building Blocks Building Block Universal Set of Shortlisted Final List of Implementation Implementation Definition Building Blocks Building Blocks Building Blocks Blueprint Roadmap This phase assesses the feasibility of consolidating the shortlisted ICT building blocks across three dimensions: 1) Technical feasibility assessment; 2) Digital Sustainability Benefits Assessment; 3) High Level Financial Assessment. These three assessments provide input to create the final list of ICT building blocks, as described in more detail below. TECHNICAL FEASIBILITY ASSESSMENT: Each building block is analyzed to determine the feasibility of replacing the existing capability of entities with a consolidated ICT building block. The feasibility criteria that were used to score each building block are described as follows: z Level of Standardization: Assesses how standardized the building block is across the government ecosystem from a platform and technology perspective. The higher the level of standardization, the higher the opportunity for consolidation. 41 DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORK: EXPERIENCES FROM KSA’S DIGITAL GOVERNMENT TRANSFORMATION 5. THE ICT ENABLEMENT PROCESS z Implementation Time: Assesses the time needed to consolidate the building block across the government ecosystem. The lower the level of implementation time, the higher the opportunity for consolidation. z Scalability: Assesses the readiness of the consolidated building block to manage the growing number of users across the government ecosystem. The higher the scalability, the higher the opportunity for consolidation. z Ease of Adoption: Assesses the user adoption rate when it comes to the consolidated building block across the government ecosystem. The easier to adopt, the higher the opportunity for consolidation. z User Base: Assesses the number of users that will be utilizing the consolidated building block and the frequency of usage. The higher the user base, the difficulty for consolidation is increased and therefore represents a lower opportunity for consolidation. DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY BENEFITS ASSESSMENT: Each building block is analyzed and scored to determine the impact of its consolidation on enhancing digital sustainability. The digital sustainability benefits that were used to score each building block are described as follows: z Economic Impact, Societal Benefits, Sustainability: Refers to the relative potential for the building block consolidation to support economic development, productivity, and positive societal benefits, particularly contribution to Vision 2030 objectives. z Volume & Category of Service Demand: Refers to the relative scale of demand for the building block, as well as the criticality of the services it delivers for citizens, businesses, and government. z Service Quality Improvements: Refers to the relative potential for the building block consolidation to improve the quality of services provided to citizens, businesses, and government. z Indirect Efficiencies: Refers to the efficiencies obtained that are not direct cost savings associated with the building block; for example, broader benefits to government efficiency such as more efficient administration or logistics. z Security: Refers to the relative potential for the building block consolidation to improve the information security provided to citizens, businesses, and government. HIGH-LEVEL FINANCIAL ASSESSMENT: Each building block is analyzed from a financial aspect to determine potential savings of consolidation. The approach to assess the high-level financial impact of the building block is described as follows: z Identify Benchmarks: For each of the building blocks which have been consolidated, indicators are identified, and the underlying data is used where possible to support the financial evaluation. z Understand Financial Metrics: Relevant financial data is found to analyze the fiscal impact of the consolidated building block. z Capture Subject Matter Expert Input: Subject matter experts are engaged to discuss savings range that can support the fiscal impact data. z Develop Savings Range: Based on input from subject matter experts, savings ranges are developed and used for the fiscal impact analysis. DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORK: EXPERIENCES FROM KSA’S DIGITAL GOVERNMENT TRANSFORMATION 42 5. THE ICT ENABLEMENT PROCESS PHASE 5: DEEP DIVE ANALYSIS FIGURE 17: Phase 5: Deep Dive Analysis Building Block Building Block Feasibility Deep Dive Consolidation Universe Definition Shortlisting Assessment Analysis Implementation Building Blocks Building Block Universal Set of Shortlisted Final List of Implementation Implementation Definition Building Blocks Building Blocks Building Blocks Blueprint Roadmap This phase is considered critical since it provides input on how the prioritized ICT building blocks can be combined in workflows and use cases in the different agencies. Eight areas have been identified to provide input to this phase. The results are the consolidation blueprints that the different agencies can use to plan the development of the applications that will use the ICT building blocks. The eight areas are as follows: z Current State Assessment: Assesses the application landscape, processes, and technologies across a set of entities to understand business purpose and objectives, architecture, and operating model. z Enhancing Digital Government: Assesses non-financial benefits such as economic and societal impact, security and service quality improvements and evaluates the impact on various national and global frameworks and strategies. z Consolidation Models: Refines the observations made on the suggested consolidation model during the feasibility assessment and further elaborates the target operating model based on recommended consolidation models. z Target Architecture: Defines the target conceptual architecture for the consolidated building block by assessing the key components across different layers. z Enabling Environment: Defines the enabling environment for the target architecture to effectively organize, execute and deliver on the consolidation. z Commercial Delivery Vehicle: Assesses the diverse options to fund and implement the consolidation opportunity and recommends the most suitable. z Financial Impact: Validates the savings potential by analyzing cost drivers and identifying savings opportunities by using benchmarking data as reference. z Risk Assessment: Identifies key risks associated with the execution of the consolidation exercise and recommends mitigation strategies. 43 DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORK: EXPERIENCES FROM KSA’S DIGITAL GOVERNMENT TRANSFORMATION 5. THE ICT ENABLEMENT PROCESS PHASE 6: CONSOLIDATION IMPLEMENTATION FIGURE 18: Phase 6: Consolidation Implementation Building Block Building Block Feasibility Deep Dive Consolidation Universe Definition Shortlisting Assessment Analysis Implementation Building Blocks Building Block Universal Set of Shortlisted Final List of Implementation Implementation Definition Building Blocks Building Blocks Building Blocks Blueprint Roadmap This phase consolidates the results of the deep dive analysis to create the implementation blueprint and roadmap and identifies owners for each ICT building block, to trigger the implementation and rollout of the consolidated solutions across the government entities. It includes three steps: z Owner Identification: Identifies the most relevant government entity to own the implementation of the building blocks and the key stakeholders that will support the owning entity in the implementation of the building blocks. This is based on entity readiness, willingness, and presence of existing capability. z Implementation Blueprint: Highlights the holistic view of the target consolidation and interaction models, as well as the detailed implementation blueprint for each building block. z Implementation Plan: Defines the roadmap for implementing each consolidation initiative, including the implementation timeline, key activities, dependencies, risks, budget, expected outcomes, and key success factors. DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORK: EXPERIENCES FROM KSA’S DIGITAL GOVERNMENT TRANSFORMATION 44 TAKEAWAYS AND ROADMAP TOWARD DIGITAL 6 SUSTAINABILITY Governments embarking on the digital sustainability journey are likely to face great challenges. These challenges do not exist because the advantages of digital sustainability are unclear, but rather because of historical structures that are anchored in silo thinking and segregation of practices. The greatest challenges faced by any government are in overcoming this historical structure and creating an effectively functioning whole-of-government setup. The experiences of KSA as well of other countries PHASE 1: mentioned in this white paper, Denmark, and ESTABLISH THE GOVERNANCE FOUNDATION Singapore, tell a story of many years of dedication The journey starts with the preparation of a solid and careful orchestration of governance principles, vision and strategy for digital transformation. In structures, and culture. Enabling instruments are the first phase, the focus should be on laying a solid typically a strong vision leading to budget allocations foundation for the digital transformation journey and enterprise architecture principles leading toward ahead. Important activities in this first phase would be: the achievement of the vision. z Develop a compelling national digital transformation strategy and vision for digital For decision makers in countries that are interested in government that is closely aligned with the starting this journey, this report provides a roadmap country’s sustainable development goals based on the experiences of KSA as well as the results (SDGs) and overall development priorities. This shown by Denmark and Singapore. It is a four-phase vision should be inspired by the possibilities journey, as described below. granted by digital technology at large 45 DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORK: EXPERIENCES FROM KSA’S DIGITAL GOVERNMENT TRANSFORMATION 6. TAKEAWAYS AND ROADMAP TOWARD DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY (connectivity, data availability, analytics) z Define priority sectors, use cases, and user and articulate a clear vision for how digital needs that will guide investment planning, technologies will be leveraged to accelerate the based on development impact, feasibility, and achievement of the vision. quick wins. Engage citizens and businesses in z Establish empowered governance structures this process. and coordination mechanisms to drive the z Using the SDG Digital Investment Framework, digital agenda across the multiple agencies map out priority use cases to common business and ministries in the government. This could processes (workflows) and reusable software include a high-level digital transformation building blocks (ICT building blocks). steering committee chaired, for example, by z Identify opportunities for reuse across sectors. the head of state, as well as technical working Develop, deploy, and scale up the identified groups. reusable software components, APIs, and z Conduct a comprehensive assessment of shared services based on open standards and the current state of the digital ecosystem, interoperable architectures. Provide them including mapping existing systems, data as “public goods” that can be integrated into flows, and ICT investments across government. sector-specific applications. Identify gaps, inefficiencies, duplication of z Establish policies, standards, and governance efforts, and opportunities for reuse and frameworks to enable trusted data sharing integration. and interoperability between systems, while z Start building out key enablers of a digital safeguarding data privacy and security. public infrastructure, such as digital identity, z Strengthen the capacity of government ICT digital payments, data exchange platforms and workforce to design, develop and manage the shared services. Develop policies, standards, reusable digital building blocks. and governance frameworks to support their implementation. PHASE 3: DRIVE ADOPTION AND USE OF SHARED PHASE 2: DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE ESTABLISH THE TECHNICAL FOUNDATION With the core digital public infrastructure in place, With the governance foundation in place, this phase is the focus shifts to integrating it into sector-specific focused on creating the tools for digital sustainability. applications and services and driving their adoption This phase focuses on developing reusable software and use. This phase is about harvesting the results of components and services that can power digital digital sustainability at scale. Important activities in applications across sectors. Important activities in this third phase would be: this second phase would be: z Integrate the reusable digital building blocks z Establish mechanisms for an effective whole- (e.g., digital ID, payments, data exchange, of-government approach that leverage the etc.) into flagship sector-specific applications digital sustainability principles. and e-services in areas such as agriculture, education, health, etc. DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORK: EXPERIENCES FROM KSA’S DIGITAL GOVERNMENT TRANSFORMATION 46 6. TAKEAWAYS AND ROADMAP TOWARD DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY z Roll out the integrated digital services to flows and data-driven decision making. citizens and businesses, with a focus on user- Establish a government-wide API gateway and centric design, accessibility, and inclusion. data marketplace. Raise awareness and provide training on how z Continuously evolve and expand the digital to use them and support for digitally impaired public infrastructure to leverage emerging citizens (e.g., the elderly population). technologies such as AI, IoT, blockchain, etc. z Continuously monitor the usage and impact of and respond to changing needs. the digital services, gather user feedback, and z Collaborate with other countries to share and rapidly improve them in agile, iterative cycles. reuse digital assets. Forge partnerships with Measure efficiency gains and cost savings from the private sector and developer community reuse of the shared infrastructure. to tap into their expertise and innovation z Foster a thriving ecosystem of local digital capabilities. innovations, applications and services built on z Measure and communicate the impact of the top of the shared digital public infrastructure. digital transformation in terms of efficiency Provide open APIs, standards, tools, and gains, cost savings, improved service support to local developers and entrepreneurs. delivery, and accelerated achievement of the SDGs. Establish the country as a leader and knowledge hub for digital government. PHASE 4: This phased approach enables countries to progressively REALIZE THE BENEFITS FURTHER AFIELD build out a robust, inclusive, and sustainable digital Having established the core digital public infrastructure public infrastructure that can underpin the digital and demonstrated its benefits in flagship applications, transformation of government and accelerate the the final phase focuses on realizing the full potential achievement of the SDGs. Strong leadership, clear and impact at a national scale. Important activities in governance, and multi-stakeholder partnerships will be this fourth phase would be: key to successfully navigate this journey, which is likely z Scale up and institutionalize the use of shared to take 8-10 years. digital building blocks across the whole of government. Mandate their use in all new These phases can also represent maturity stages for a ICT investments to maximize reuse and government approaching or already pursuing digital interoperability. Deepen the integration and sustainability. A questionnaire to gauge the digital interoperability of systems and data exchanges sustainability maturity stage is presented in Appendix B. across government, enabling real-time data 47 DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORK: EXPERIENCES FROM KSA’S DIGITAL GOVERNMENT TRANSFORMATION 7 CONCLUSION It is hoped this overview with background, definitions, and deep dives has documented for readers the Kingdom’s ongoing journey towards digital sustainability. It is worth noting that despite some of the obstacles described (siloed government structures), the DGA is changing its culture towards a more integrated whole-of-government approach. This is already showing strong results. KSA’s In a world where emerging technologies are digitalization initiatives are aligned with international continuously evolving and becoming an integral standards and guided by internationally recognized part of citizens’ daily lives, the digital sustainability indices, where KSA has obtained positive results in journey is an on-going process that enables the last few years. The Kingdom increased its ranking investment in the right technologies in a sustainable on the UN E-Government Development Index from 43 way. By applying the Digital Sustainability Framework, in 2020 to 31 in 2022, improved its GovTech Maturity a first batch of 20 common building blocks or shared Index from B in 2020 to A in 202232 (positioning it services have been identified across different agencies among GovTech Leaders), and made considerable across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This is a first step progress towards the objectives of the UN SDGs and towards a sustainable ICT infrastructure at the level Vision 2030. KSA also ranked first in the 2022 and 2023 of the entire government. The journey, however, does UN ESCWA GEMS assessment. not stop here. The framework is redesigned through practice and needs to be continuously improved for Leading by example, the DGA aims to motivate the all public sector digitalization programs. All involved different government agencies to embrace the DSF advisors, vendors, and consultants should fully adopt and mutualize its benefits. The DSF program, led by and implement the DSF principles. the NEA and the international indices team at the DGA, is seen as a first and necessary phase toward The roadmap presented in this white paper is more sustainable ICT governance at the level of the designed to guide government decision makers in entire government. Digital investments will become their journey towards digitalization. It is hoped it may more sustainable if they follow the right technologies, be of inspiration and help to many decision makers standards, workflows, and simplification process worldwide. established through the DSF. 32 https://cdn.www.gob.pe/uploads/document/file/4078650/GovTech%20Maturity%20Index.pdf. DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORK: EXPERIENCES FROM KSA’S DIGITAL GOVERNMENT TRANSFORMATION 48 ACADEMIC REFERENCES 1. Blinowski, G., Ojdowska, A., and Przybyłek, A. 2022. “Monolithic vs. microservice architecture: A performance and scalability evaluation.” IEEE Access, 10, 20357-20374. 2. Bradley, K. 2007. “Defining Digital Sustainability.” Library Trends, 56(1), 148-163. 3. Castro, G. D. R., Fernandez, M. C. G., and Colsa, A. U. 2021. “Unleashing the convergence amid digitalization and sustainability towards pursuing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): A holistic review.” Journal of Cleaner Production, 280, 122204. 4. Cricelli, L., and Strazzullo, S. 2021. “The economic aspect of digital sustainability: A systematic review.” Sustainability, 13(15), 8241. 5. Christensen, T., and Lægreid, P. 2007. “The whole‐of‐government approach to public sector reform.” Public administration review, 67(6), 1059-1066. 6. Fonstad, N., and Mocker, M. 2020. “Munich Re: Building a foundation for innovating digital offerings.” No. 445. MIT Center for Information Systems Research. 7. George, G., Merrill, R. K., and Schillebeeckx, S. J. 2021. “Digital sustainability and entrepreneurship: How digital innovations are helping tackle climate change and sustainable development.” Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 45(5), 999-1027. 8. Hasselgren, A., Hanssen Rensaa, J. A., Kralevska, K., Gligoroski, D., and Faxvaag, A. 2021. ”Blockchain for increased trust in virtual health care: Proof-of-concept study.” Journal of Medical Internet Research, 23(7), e28496. 9. Kotlarsky, J., Oshri, I., and Sekulic, N. 2023. ”Digital Sustainability in Information Systems Research: Conceptual Foundations and Future Directions.” Journal of the Association for Information Systems, 24(4), 936-952. 10. Lichtenthaler, U. 2020. “Building blocks of successful digital transformation: Complementing technology and market issues.” International Journal of Innovation and Technology Management, 17(01), 2050004. 11. Millard, J. 2013). “ICT-enabled public sector innovation: trends and prospects.” In Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Theory and Practice of Electronic Governance. pp. 77-86. 12. Ojha, A., Sahu, G. P., and Gupta, M. P. 2011. “Citizens’ adoption of pay-to-use e-government services: an empirical study.” International Journal of Electronic Government Research (IJEGR), 7(2), 15-35. 13. Ojo, A., Janowski, T., and Estevez, E. 2011. “Whole-of-government approach to information technology strategy management: Building a sustainable collaborative technology environment in government.” Information Polity, 16(3), 243-260. 14. Rodgers, W., Hudson, R., and Economou, F. 2023. “Modelling credit and investment decisions based on AI algorithmic behavioral pathways.” Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 191, 122471. 15. Sowa, K., Przegalinska, A., and Ciechanowski, L. 2021. “Cobots in knowledge work: Human–AI collaboration in managerial professions.” Journal of Business Research, 125, 135-142. 16. Sparviero, S., and Ragnedda, M. 2021. “Towards digital sustainability: the long journey to the sustainable development goals 2030.” Digital Policy, Regulation and Governance, 23(3), 216-228. 49 DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORK: EXPERIENCES FROM KSA’S DIGITAL GOVERNMENT TRANSFORMATION ONLINE RESOURCES AND PRACTITIONERS’ REPORTS 1. International Telecommunication Union (ITU) https://www.itu.int/en/about/Pages/default.aspx 2. Digital Impact Alliance (DIAL) https://dial.global/the-digital-impact-alliance-and-itu-release-new-digital-investment-framework-to- achieve-the-sdgs/ 3. UN-DESA - E-Government Survey 2020 & 2022: https://publicadministration.un.org/egovkb/en-us/Reports/UN-E-Government-Survey-2022 4. SDG Digital Investment Framework A whole-of-government Approach to Investing in Digital Technologies. https://sdghelpdesk.unescap.org/e-library/whole-government-approach-initial-lessons-concerning- national-coordinating-structures 5. GTMI Reports 2020 & 2022 6. DGA website www.dga.sa : Assessment of Sustainable Development Goals in Saudi Arabia - February 2021 and Qiyas Reports 7. International Monetary Fund - 2022 article IV consultation 8. Life in Denmark (The official site for newcomers to Denmark offering public information and self-service) https://international.au.dk/life/lifeindenmark 9. Blinowski, Ojdowska, & Przybyłek. 2022. Monolithic vs. microservice architecture: A performance and scalability evaluation. IEEE Access, 10, 20357-20374. 10. Bradley. 2007. Defining Digital Sustainability. Library Trends, 56, 148-163. 11. Castro, Fernandez, & Colsa. 2021. Unleashing the convergence amid digitalization and sustainability towards pursuing the Sustainable Development Goals: A holistic review. Journal of Cleaner Production, 280, 122204. 12. Christensen & Lægreid. 2007. The whole-of-government approach to public sector reform. Public administration review, 67, 1059-1066. 13. Cricelli & Strazzullo. 2021. The economic aspect of digital sustainability: A systematic review. Sustainability, 13, 8241. DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORK: EXPERIENCES FROM KSA’S DIGITAL GOVERNMENT TRANSFORMATION 50 ONLINE RESOURCES AND PRACTITIONERS’ REPORTS (CONTINUED) 14. Digital Impact Alliance. The Digital Impact Alliance and ITU release new digital investment framework to achieve the SDGs. Retrieved from dial.global (Note: This citation retrieves the organization itself, not the specific article mentioned) 15. Hasselgren, Hanssen Rensaa, Kralevska, Gligoroski, & Faxvaag. 2021. Blockchain for increased trust in virtual health care: Proof-of-concept study. Policy Research Working Paper No. 447. Washington, DC: World Bank. 16. International Monetary Fund. 2022. 2022 Article IV Consultations. Retrieved from https://www.imf.org/en/ Publications 17. International Telecommunication Union. About ITU. Retrieved from https://www.itu.int/ 18. Kotlarsky, Oshri, & Sekulic. 2023. Digital Sustainability in Information Systems Research: Conceptual Foundations and Future Directions. Policy Research Working Paper No. 448. Washington, DC: World Bank. 19. Lichtenthaler. 2020. Building blocks of successful digital transformation: Complementing technology and market issues. Policy Research Working Paper No. 449. Washington, DC: World Bank. 20. Millard. 2013. ICT-enabled public sector innovation: trends and prospects. Policy Research Working Paper No. 450. Washington, DC: World Bank. 21. Ojha, Sahu, & Gupta. 2011. Citizens’ adoption of pay-to-use e-government services: an empirical study. Policy Research Working Paper No. 451. Washington, DC: World Bank. 22. Ojo, Janowski, & Estevez. 2011. Whole-of-government approach to information technology strategy management: Building a sustainable collaborative technology environment in government. Policy Research Working Paper No. 452. Washington, DC: World Bank. 23. Rodgers, Hudson, & Economou. 2023. Modelling credit and investment decisions based on AI algorithmic behavioral pathways. Policy Research Working Paper No. 453. Washington, DC: World Bank. 24. SDG digital investment framework: A whole-of-government approach to investing in digital technologies to achieve the SDGs. Retrieved from http://handle.itu.int/11.1002/pub/812df924-en 25. Sowa, Przegalinska, & Ciechanowski. 2021. Cobots in knowledge work: Human–AI collaboration in managerial professions. Policy Research Working Paper No. 454. Washington, DC: World Bank. 26. Sparviero & Ragnedda. 2021. Towards digital sustainability: the long journey to the sustainable development goals 2030. Policy Research Working Paper No. 455. Washington, DC: World Bank. 27. United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. E-Government Survey. Retrieved from https:// publicadministration.un.org/egovkb/en-us/Reports/UN-E-Government-Survey-2022. 51 DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORK: EXPERIENCES FROM KSA’S DIGITAL GOVERNMENT TRANSFORMATION APPENDIX A: DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE FOR AGENCIES STAGE 1: ESTABLISHING THE GOVERNANCE FOUNDATION. 1. To what extent has your government developed a national digital strategy and/vision aligned with the SDGs? (1 - Not at all, 2 - To a small extent, 3 - To a moderate extent, 4 - to a satisfactory extent - 5 - Fully implemented) 2. How well can relevant decision makers describe the key elements of the national digital strategy/vision? (1 - Not at all, 2 - To a small extent, 3 - To a moderate extent, 4 - To a satisfactory extent, 5 - Comprehensively) 3. To what degree has your government set up governance structures for cross-government coordination on digital initiatives? (1 - Not at all, 2 - Initial steps taken, 3 - Partially implemented, 4 - Largely implemented, 5 - Fully implemented) 4. How well relevant decision makers understand and comply with the roles and responsibilities of the digital governance structures? (1 - Not at all, 2 - To a small extent, 3 - To a moderate extent, 4 - To a great extent, 5 - Comprehensively) 5. To what extent has your government assessed the current digital ecosystem to identify gaps and opportunities? (1 - Not at all, 2 - Initial assessment, 3 - Moderate assessment, 4 - Thorough assessment, 5 - Comprehensive assessment) 6. How aware are the relevant decision makers of their role in the creation of the digital ecosystem? (1 - Not at all, 2 - To a small extent, 3 - To a moderate extent, 4 - To a great extent, 5 - Comprehensively) 7. To what degree has your government defined priority sectors, use cases and user needs to guide digital investments? (1 - Not at all, 2 - Initial priorities defined, 3 - Moderate prioritization, 4 - Extensive prioritization, 5 - Comprehensive prioritization) 8. How well can relevant decision makers articulate the use cases and user needs for digital investment? (1 - Not at all, 2 - To a small extent, 3 - To a moderate extent, 4 - To a great extent, 5 - Comprehensively) 9. To what extent has your government built the foundational components like digital ID, payment platforms, data exchange? (1 - Not at all, 2 - Early stage, 3 - Moderate progress, 4 - Advanced implementation, 5 - Fully implemented) 10. How well can relevant decision makers explain the benefits of the foundational digital components? (1 - Not at all, 2 - To a small extent, 3 - To a moderate extent, 4 - To a great extent, 5 - Comprehensively) STAGE 1 COMPLETION - TOTAL: __ X 2 = __ % DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORK: EXPERIENCES FROM KSA’S DIGITAL GOVERNMENT TRANSFORMATION 52 APPENDIX A: DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE FOR AGENCIES(CONTINUED) STAGE 2: ESTABLISH THE TECHNICAL FOUNDATION 11. To what degree has your government mapped priority use cases to common workflows and reusable ICT components? (1 - Not at all, 2 - Initial mapping, 3 - Moderate mapping, 4 - Extensive mapping, 5 - Comprehensive mapping) 12. To what extent has your government developed and deployed reusable software components and services? (1 - Not at all, 2 - Early stage, 3 - Moderate deployment, 4 - Extensive deployment, 5 - Comprehensive deployment) 13. How well can relevant decision makers explain the functionalities and benefits of the reusable software components? (1 - Not at all, 2 - To a small extent, 3 - To a moderate extent, 4 - To a great extent, 5 - Comprehensively) 14. To what degree has your government established standards and frameworks for integration and data sharing? (1 - Not at all, 2 - Initial development, 3 - Moderate implementation, 4 - Advanced implementation, 5 - Fully implemented) 15. How well can relevant decision makers articulate the key elements of the integration and data sharing frameworks? (1 - Not at all, 2 - To a small extent, 3 - To a moderate extent, 4 - To a great extent, 5 - Comprehensively) 16. To what extent has your government insured the provision of digital skills (technical training) to develop and maintain reusable digital components? (1 - Not at all, 2 - Limited training, 3 - Moderate capacity building, 4 - Extensive upskilling, 5 - Comprehensive capacity) 17. To what extent has your government insured the provision of digital skills (managerial training) to leverage reusable digital components in digital services to the public? (1 - Not at all, 2 - Limited training, 3 - Moderate capacity building, 4 - Extensive upskilling, 5 - Comprehensive capacity) STAGE 2 COMPLETION - TOTAL: __ X 3 = __ % STAGE 3: DRIVE ADOPTION AND USE OF SHARED DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE 18. To what degree has your government integrated reusable digital components into sector-specific use cases? (1 - Not at all, 2 - Few applications, 3 - Some key applications, 4 - Most applications, 5 - All applications) 19. To what extent has your government rolled out integrated digital services to citizens? (1 - Not at all, 2 - Limited rollout, 3 - Moderate rollout, 4 - Extensive rollout, 5 - Comprehensive rollout) 53 DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORK: EXPERIENCES FROM KSA’S DIGITAL GOVERNMENT TRANSFORMATION APPENDIX A: DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE FOR AGENCIES(CONTINUED) 20. To what degree does your government continuously improve and expand the shared digital infrastructure e.g., increase the library of digital building blocks? (1 - Not at all, 2 - Ad hoc improvements, 3 - Regular enhancements, 4 - Structured expansion, 5 - Proactive evolution) 21. How well can relevant decision makers articulate the process for improving and expanding the shared digital infrastructure? (1 - Not at all, 2 - To a small extent, 3 - To a moderate extent, 4 - To a great extent, 5 - Comprehensively) 22. To what extent does your government promote an ecosystem of innovation on top of public digital infrastructure? (1 - Not at all, 2 - Limited promotion, 3 - Moderate ecosystem, 4 - Vibrant ecosystem, 5 - Thriving ecosystem 23. How well can relevant decision makers describe the initiatives to foster innovation using public digital infrastructure? (1 - Not at all, 2 - To a small extent, 3 - To a moderate extent, 4 - To a great extent, 5 - Comprehensively) STAGE 3 COMPLETION - TOTAL: __ X 3,3 = __ % STAGE 4: REALIZING BENEFITS BEYOND LOCAL IMPACT. 24. To what degree has your government achieved cost savings and efficiency gains from reuse of digital components across government? (1 - Not at all, 2 - Limited savings, 3 - Moderate savings, 4 - Significant savings, 5 - Transformational savings) 25. How well can relevant decision makers quantify the cost savings and efficiency gains from reuse of digital building blocks? (1 - Not at all, 2 - To a small extent, 3 - To a moderate extent, 4 - To a great extent, 5 - Comprehensively) 26. To what extent has your government accelerated progress towards SDG targets enabled by digital services? (1 - Not at all, 2 - Limited impact, 3 - Moderate acceleration, 4 - Significant acceleration, 5 - Transformational impact) 27. How well can relevant decision makers articulate the impact of digital services on SDG targets? (1 - Not at all, 2 - To a small extent, 3 - To a moderate extent, 4 - To a great extent, 5 - Comprehensively) 28. To what degree has your government established itself as a leader in digital government transformation? (1 - Not at all, 2 - Limited recognition, 3 - Growing influence, 4 - Recognized leader, 5 - Global benchmark) 29. How well can relevant decision makers describe your country’s leadership and best practices in digital government? (1 - Not at all, 2 - To a small extent, 3 - To a moderate extent, 4 - To a great extent, 5 - Comprehensively) DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORK: EXPERIENCES FROM KSA’S DIGITAL GOVERNMENT TRANSFORMATION 54 APPENDIX A: DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE FOR AGENCIES(CONTINUED) 30. To what extent does your government continuously evolve its digital infrastructure to leverage emerging technologies? (1 - Not at all, 2 - Ad hoc adoption, 3 - Selective upgrades, 4 - Proactive innovation, 5 - Cutting-edge infrastructure) 31. How well can relevant decision makers explain the roadmap for leveraging emerging technologies in digital infrastructure? (1 - Not at all, 2 - To a small extent, 3 - To a moderate extent, 4 - To a great extent, 5 - Comprehensively) STAGE 4 COMPLETION - TOTAL: __ X 2.5 = __ %   55 DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORK: EXPERIENCES FROM KSA’S DIGITAL GOVERNMENT TRANSFORMATION APPENDIX B: ICT ENABLEMENT PROCESS – PHASE 5 This appendix specifies the evaluation components of phase 5 of the ICT enablement process and the set of underlying principles and policies supporting it. 1. Current State Assessment: Assesses current application landscape, processes & technologies across a set of entities to understand business purpose and objectives, architecture, and operating model. A. Building Block Overview: Understand the current business purpose, strategic objectives, and challenges with the application. B. Current Architecture: Understand the current technical architecture for the application, software leveraged & key userbase. C. Current Operating Model: Understand the people. Process & technology required to help in efficient functioning of the application. 2. Enhancing Digital Government: Assesses non-financial benefits such as economic and societal impact, security and service quality improvements and evaluates the impact on various national and global frameworks and strategies. A. DGA Mandate: Each building block is analyzed through the lens of the DGA mandate to develop an understanding of its potential contribution to the DGA’s mandate. B. Vision 2030: Each building block is analyzed through a macro lens of the Vision 2030 realization National Transformation Program. C. UN SDG Digital Investment Framework: Each building block is analyzed against the different SDGs and potential use cases that can contribute towards these SDGs are identified. D. Digital Sustainability Framework: Each building block is analyzed against the dimensions of the Digital Sustainability Framework. E. EGDI: Each building block is assessed at infrastructure and educational levels, to reflect how the kingdom is using IT to promote access and inclusion of its people. DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORK: EXPERIENCES FROM KSA’S DIGITAL GOVERNMENT TRANSFORMATION 56 APPENDIX B: ICT ENABLEMENT PROCESS – PHASE 5 3. Consolidation Models: Refines the observations made on the suggested consolidation model during the feasibility assessment and further elaborates the target operating model based on recommended consolidation models. A. Shared Standard: Centralized policies, standards, and frameworks are set forth. The remaining aspects are managed by each of the entities. B. Shared Facility: Physical space is shared (e.g., sharing data center space; or sharing call center spaces), but the entities are accountable for their operations. C. Shared Infrastructure: Infrastructure is centralized, and the entities are responsible for the remaining elements of the service. D. Shared Platform: Common or shared platform is used by all entities, and the entities are responsible for the remaining elements. E. Shared Software/ Solution: Shared/ centralized software used by all the entities, but the entities are responsible for the remaining elements of the service. F. Shared Service: People, process and/ or technology are centralized. 4. Target Architecture: Defines the target conceptual architecture for the consolidated building block by assessing the key components across different layers. A. Alignment with NEA National Reference Models: The building block is assessed to determine its alignment with the National Business Reference Model and the National Application Reference Model developed by the National Enterprise Architecture team in the DGA. B. Architecture Design Principles: Architecture design principles for each domain are developed to guide the target architecture of the consolidated building block. C. Target Conceptual Architecture: The target conceptual architecture is designed depending on the building block category, prioritizing the use of Open-Source Software from the OSS hub whenever possible. 57 DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORK: EXPERIENCES FROM KSA’S DIGITAL GOVERNMENT TRANSFORMATION APPENDIX B: ICT ENABLEMENT PROCESS – PHASE 5 5. Enabling Environment: for the target architecture to effectively organize, execute and deliver on the consolidation. A. Process: The processes required for the consolidated building block are defined under distinct categories: planning & governance process, delivery process, infrastructure support, operations support. B. People: The organization structure, required skillsets, and main vendors needed to operate the consolidated building block are defined. C. Technology: The underlying technology such as infrastructure, network, and security, on which the consolidated building block will be built are defined. 6. Commercial Delivery Vehicle: Assesses the diverse options to fund and implement the consolidation opportunity and recommends the most suitable. A. Insourced: Leverage skills within entities to develop, execute, operate, and maintain the building block and the consolidation model. B. Outsourced / Managed Service: Specialized external organization providing optimized service tailored to the entities business need. The service ranges from consultation to application/ infrastructure/ business process outsourcing. C. Public Private Partnerships: A contractual means to deliver private capital financing of the projects for any assets or services. D. Government 2 Government: A government entity owns the development and maintenance of a service offered to another government entity. The service could be outsourced. 7. Financial Impact: Validates the savings potential by analyzing cost drivers and identifying savings opportunities by using benchmarking data as reference. A. Baseline Spend: Capture current costs for each building block across a set of entities. B. Benchmarks: Identify saving range percentages through benchmarks. C. Cost of Change: Calculate and apply cost of change for each consolidation model. D. Saving Potentials: Extrapolate results for all entities and calculate potential savings over the next 5 years. DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORK: EXPERIENCES FROM KSA’S DIGITAL GOVERNMENT TRANSFORMATION 58 APPENDIX B: ICT ENABLEMENT PROCESS – PHASE 5 8. Risk Assessment: Identifies key risks associated with the execution of the consolidation exercise and recommends mitigation strategies. A. Complexity of Consolidation: The risks related to the complexity of consolidating the building block are assessed and mitigation strategies are recommended. B. Cost of Consolidation: The risks related to the cost of consolidating the building block are assessed and mitigation strategies are recommended. C. Change Management: The risks related to change management while consolidating the building block are assessed and mitigation strategies are recommended. D. Single Solution Limitation: The risks related to having a single solution for the consolidated building block are assessed and mitigation strategies are recommended. E. Data Privacy and Security: The risks related to data privacy and security while consolidating the building block are assessed and mitigation strategies are recommended. F. Financial Impact: The risks related to the financial impact of consolidating the building block are assessed and mitigation strategies are recommended. 59 DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORK: EXPERIENCES FROM KSA’S DIGITAL GOVERNMENT TRANSFORMATION DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORK: EXPERIENCES FROM KSA’S DIGITAL GOVERNMENT TRANSFORMATION 60 61 DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORK: EXPERIENCES FROM KSA’S DIGITAL GOVERNMENT TRANSFORMATION