The government expects to spend an additional 200 million patacas a year for the next two years to implement projects related to Macau’s smart city development, the Government Spokesperson’s Office (GPV) said in a statement on Monday.
According to The Macau Post Daily, the government early this month signed the Framework Agreement of Strategic Co-operation on Smart City Development with Alibaba Group to develop Macau into a smart city, by using Alibaba’s big data processing capabilities to enhance the quality of the city’s public services.
According to the statement, after more than six months of discussions and exchanges, the government decided to sign the agreement with Alibaba Group, specifying the main areas of cooperation and the key objectives of the partnership. The budget for each specific project to be developed under the agreement will be supported by the government’s budget for each fiscal year, the statement said.
The government did not invite bids before signing the deal.
The statement also said that the government always adheres to the Macau Basic Law and other regulations in terms of managing the city’s financial resources. In the 2017 budget, the government allocated a total of 500 million patacas to foster the development of the city’s information technology sector, the statement said.
According to preliminary estimates, the government will allocate an additional 200 million patacas annually for the next two years to implement projects related to Macau’s smart city development, the statement said.
The statement also said the government’s decision to partner with Alibaba Group – via direct contract awarding – was done in accordance with existing legislation. The absence of a tendering exercise conforms to existing regulations, as the project is considered to be of utmost importance and highly beneficial to Macau, the statement said.
