New e-government services announced

The government had launched a new Government Payment Gateway (GPG), e-IDs for organisations and a new Contracts IT site managed by the Department of Contracts.

The initiatives were launched by the Malta Government Technology Agency (MITA) and announced by IT Minister Austin Gatt.

The GPG replaces the electronic payment gateway launched in 2002 and provides a more secure and advanced payment system. It enables government departments to process online real-time electronic payments that are made through their e-government services. Last year, the payment gateway system handled 350,000 transactions, of which 250,000 were for the ADT.

Dr Gatt said that the new e-ID service enables individuals holding a personal e-ID to make use of e-government services in the name of an organisation. An e-ID registration service was introduced last year for organisations listed in the MFSA registry.

The minister said the new Contracts Site offers businesses access to timely online information without having to visit the Department of Contracts. The website www.contracts.gov.mt features information on the whole procurement process. Tender documents may be pre-viewed, purchased and downloaded online. The system also offers alerts allowing economic operators to be notified about tenders in which they may be interested.