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The Public Service newbie guide
A curated onboarding view of the main glossary, covering workplace terms and abbreviations you may encounter in the Singapore Public Service.
Learn 78 starter terms, browse 78 essentials, or search all 422. Every item is also searchable in the full glossary.
Procurement & projects
- FY Financial Year Procurement & projects
- AOR Approval of Requirement Procurement & projects
- IAA Internal Approving Authority Procurement & projects
- PR Purchase Request Procurement & projects
- PO Purchase Order Procurement & projects
- GeBIZ Government Electronic Business Procurement & projects
- SVP Small Value Purchase Procurement & projects
- ITQ Invitation to Quote Procurement & projects
- Announcement-driven development An informal criticism of committing a digital team to announced deliverables before policy owners consult designers and engineers. Procurement & projects
- AOE Approval of Expenditure Procurement & projects
- Block Budget A budgeting arrangement that gives ministries multi-year funding certainty and flexibility to reprioritise programmes within an overall spending limit. Procurement & projects
- Budget Book The annual document containing the Government's estimates of revenue and expenditure for public services in the next financial year. Procurement & projects
- Budget call The cycle in which agencies receive planning parameters and prepare expenditure, manpower or funding proposals for the coming budget. Procurement & projects
- CBA Cost-Benefit Analysis Writing a paperProcurement & projects
- COS Committee of Supply Procurement & projects
- CPAS Consultants Performance Appraisal System Procurement & projects
- DE Development Expenditure Procurement & projects
- De-risk To take steps that reduce the likelihood, impact or uncertainty of problems before committing, launching or scaling. Writing a paperProcurement & projects
- Debarment An administrative restriction preventing a supplier from receiving new government contracts for a stated period after specified default or misconduct. Procurement & projects
- ECI Early Contractor Involvement Procurement & projects
- EOI Expression of Interest Procurement & projects
- EOM Expenditure on Manpower Procurement & projects
- FCM Finance Circular Minute Procurement & projects
- Fit for purpose Suitable and good enough for its intended use and operating conditions; not necessarily the most advanced or perfect option. Writing a paperProcurement & projects
- Follow-the-dollar audit An AGO audit of a non-government entity receiving public funds, conducted under a Minister's direction. Procurement & projects
- GPA Agreement on Government Procurement Procurement & projects
- GSC GeBIZ Service Centre Procurement & projects
- GTP GeBIZ Trading Partner Procurement & projects
- Head of Expenditure A Budget Book classification presenting an organ of state, ministry or other specified expenditure for parliamentary approval. Procurement & projects
- Innovative Procurement Partnership A government sourcing method combining a pilot contract with an option to scale up the solution if testing succeeds. Procurement & projects
- ITT Invitation to Tender Procurement & projects
- IWF Integrated Workforce Procurement & projects
- Limited quotation A quotation process in which one or a few selected suppliers are invited to bid against stated requirements. Procurement & projects
- Limited tender A tender process in which one or a few selected suppliers are invited to bid against the specified requirements. Procurement & projects
- Management letter An AGO letter to an audited organisation detailing control weaknesses, operational inefficiencies and non-compliance identified during an audit. Procurement & projects
- OE Operating Expenditure Procurement & projects
- OOE Other Operating Expenditure Procurement & projects
- Open quotation A quotation process published openly on GeBIZ so interested suppliers can bid against stated requirements. Procurement & projects
- Open tender A tender published openly on GeBIZ so any interested supplier may bid against the specified requirements. Procurement & projects
- P3 Procurement Professional Programme HR & careerProcurement & projects
- PCFA Period Contract and Framework Agreement Procurement & projects
- Pilot An early-stage, limited-availability product release used to refine features through real-world agency feedback. Systems & accessProcurement & projects
- PQM Price Quality Method Procurement & projects
- Procure-to-pay The supplier journey from bidding for government opportunities on GeBIZ to invoicing and receiving payment through Vendors@Gov. Procurement & projects
- Professional scepticism An audit mindset of critically testing explanations and evidence instead of accepting them at face value or treating instinct as proof. Procurement & projects
- PSPC Public Sector Panels of Consultants Procurement & projects
- PSSCOC Public Sector Standard Conditions of Contract Procurement & projects
- PSSCOC-lite A simplified version of the Public Sector Standard Conditions of Contract intended for Tender Lite construction procurements. Procurement & projects
- Public moneys Revenue, loans, trusts, securities and other money raised or received by or on behalf of Singapore. Procurement & projects
- Public stores Movable property owned, possessed or controlled by Singapore and subject to public-finance custody, accounting and disposal requirements. Procurement & projects
- QAF Quality Assurance Framework Procurement & projects
- QEC Quotation Evaluation Committee Procurement & projects
- QFM Quality Fee Method Procurement & projects
- QFM(AC) Quality Fee Method for Accredited Checking Services Procurement & projects
- Reverse auction An online procurement exercise where qualified suppliers compete in real time by offering progressively better prices. Procurement & projects
- RF Reinvestment Fund Procurement & projects
- SCA Standard Consultancy Agreement Procurement & projects
- SCOD Standing Committee on Debarment Procurement & projects
- Selective tender A two-stage tender in which suppliers are first shortlisted through pre-qualification and only qualified suppliers are invited to bid. Procurement & projects
- SIDP Singapore Infrastructure Dispute-Management Protocol Procurement & projects
- SOD Segregation of Duties Procurement & projects
- SOW Scope of Work Procurement & projects
- Steering Committee A senior group that provides strategic direction, oversees progress and resolves escalated issues for an initiative without doing all the detailed delivery work. Attending a meetingProcurement & projects
- Subhead A lower-level classification within the Government Estimates used to organise expenditure under a vote. Procurement & projects
- Subvention A grant or transfer supporting the operations of a statutory board, aided institution or other organisation. Procurement & projects
- Sunset A product lifecycle status in which new onboarding has stopped and support is focused on transition or migration to alternatives. Systems & accessProcurement & projects
- Supplementary Estimates Estimates presented to Parliament when existing approved provision is insufficient for additional expenditure needs. Procurement & projects
- Surcharge A financial-accountability measure under which a Service Commission may impose responsibility for specified government losses on a current or former employee. Procurement & projects
- TEC Tender Evaluation Committee Procurement & projects
- Tender Lite A tender approach with streamlined conditions for eligible procurements within the prevailing value and category rules. Procurement & projects
- TER Tender Evaluation Report Procurement & projectsWriting a paper
- ToC Theory of Change Writing a paperProcurement & projects
- Two Envelope Tender A tender requiring suppliers to submit their technical and price proposals separately. Procurement & projects
- VFM Value for Money Procurement & projects
- Vote A major unit in the Government Estimates through which Parliament authorises expenditure for a ministry or organ of state. Procurement & projects
- Vote of Credit Parliamentary authority for broadly stated expenditure needed before a Supply Bill because of unusual urgency, magnitude or an indefinite service. Procurement & projects
- Vote on Account Parliamentary authority for interim government expenditure before the annual Budget is approved, covering ministries' immediate needs. Procurement & projects
- Write-off Under the Financial Procedure Act, the Minister's power to write off losses or deficiencies of public moneys and specified public stores, and to abandon claims to irrecoverable revenue, debts and overpayments. Procurement & projects