Stage 4: The Minister approves and funds projects

Approve funding for projects that promote the purpose of the Digital Restart Fund, on recommendation of the Secretary of DCS (section 9 of the DRF Act 2020).

Obtain and have regard to advice from the Information Commissioner and Privacy Commissioner relating to access to government information and protection of personal information (section 10 of the DRF Act 2020)

Endorse funding for 'scale-funded' projects including tranche release requests.

Approves high-risk project change requests referred by DTB.

Reviews the performance of the fund annually and considers escalated projects through ICT and Digital assurance reporting.

Endorses the DRF pipeline of projects.

Recommends projects to the Minister for Customer Service and Digital Government for funding approval in line with section 9 of the DRF Act.

Delegated authority to release funds after the Minister has approved a project under section 9 of the DRF Act (and once ERC has endorsed scale projects).

Comprised of senior government officials. Responsibilities include:

Recommend funding for ‘seed projects’ up to $5 million directly to the DCS Secretary and Minister for approval.

Endorse scale projects and tranche release funding to DCS Secretary and Minister for approval, before proceeding to ERC for endorsement.

Approve contingency draw downs.

Oversee development of the DRF Guidelines (including amendments) and approve them.

Note DRF project change requests, escalating high-risk project change requests to ERC for decision.

Monitor the overall performance of the digital/ICT portfolio including DRF projects through the ICT and Digital Assurance function and reporting

Recommend corrective actions to be taken for high risk/high profile DRF projects.

Comprised of officer level representatives from Treasury, TCO and DCS. Responsibilities include:

Review prioritised funding requests (new seed and scale projects, contingency and tranche release requests) to validate business case and alignment with government priorities, the DRF purpose, and eligibility criteria, governance requirements and scope of DRF.

Review and refer material DRF project change requests to DTB.

Review and refer contingency draw down requests to DTB.

Review DRF Guidelines.

Provide advice and make recommendations for decision by DTB relating to the above matters.

DCS will administer the DRF and be responsible for its financial management including making sure that the fund keeps within budget parameters and facilitates financial adjustments to budget estimates if necessary. DCS manage the Special Deposits Account (SDA) bank account, in alignment to compliance and internal controls.

The Digital Strategy, Investment and Assurance (DSIA) team within DCS provides strategic, assurance, governance, regulatory and technical expertise in relation to ICT and Digital proposals and issues.

This includes:

Review and checks for each DRF investment proposal against the ICT Digital Assurance Framework.

Affirm project funding eligibility under the DRF Act and relevant governance frameworks, and that the project is on the prioritised pipeline, and provide this advice to the DRF Working Group.

Provide secretariat duties for DRF governance forums and oversees the day-to-day administration of the Fund.

Administer and update the DRF guidelines.

Prepare Cabinet submissions for DRF related matters.

Cyber Security NSW works together with DSIA to coordinate small agency submissions of seed business cases (investments under $5 million) against any Cyber Security reservations in the DRF.

Cyber Security NSW also reviews DRF referred projects and provides advice on alignment with scope and eligibility, feasibility, and articulation of cyber security uplift in the context of high risks or low maturity.

Each Agency/Department is responsible for participating in updating their Agency 3 year ICT and Digital plans and participating in the pipeline process.

Agencies must commit to delivering the DRF investment according to the approved objectives set out in the approved business case and provide regular updates on delivery in line with the ICT and Digital Assurance Framework (IDAF).

Agencies are responsible for developing business cases for their DRF investment proposal and ensuring that it complies with its Agency's internal governance, assurance, NSW Treasury guidelines and reporting requirements.

The CFO sign off is required for all DRF investment requests including a commitment to fund ongoing costs.

The CFO of an Agency receiving DRF funding is required to submit a Final Budget Proposal in PRIME, the NSW Government’s Financial Management System, for Treasury approval.

Established in September 2020, the Smart NSW Advisory Council (formerly the Smart Places Advisory Council) was established to support implementation of the NSW Smart Places agenda by:

Providing insights to shape delivery of the Smart NSW projects and initiatives

Advising the NSW Government, including the Minister for Customer Service.

The NSW Chief Data Scientist and Adjunct Professor at the University of Technology, Sydney, chairs the Smart Places Advisory Council. The Smart NSW Advisory Council includes representatives from industry, research and academia, local government and community or consumer advocacy organisations.

Program governance, evaluation and the development of LBC is undertaken by the NSW Smart Places team, with strategic and program-level advice sought from the Smart NSW Advisory Council as required.