Survey of 50 government officials from 13 markets conducted by Visa International

A survey of 50 government officials from 13 markets around the world, including Japan, Korea, South Africa, Thailand, United Kingdom, and the United States, found that 68 percent cite their key priority as automation and believe that there is further opportunity for improving their procure-to-pay process. The survey was conducted last week at the 7th annual Visa International Government Services Conference in Singapore, which focused on creating transparency, efficiency and stimulating growth. The survey was designed to provide firsthand insight into governments procure-to-pay processes, including which parts of the process have proven most challenging to implement and trends over the next five years. In addition, representatives were asked about how electronic payments were being used to support growth efforts. Additional survey results showed that: - 22 percent of government officials expect that improving process automation will be the most important benefit their organization will derive by implementing a commercial card program, followed by replacing cash (18 percent) and increasing procurement transparency (18 percent). - 82 percent of respondents report that their organization has implemented policies that aim to provide greater opportunities for small businesses to work with the government. Of those organizations that have not implemented a small business policy, 78 percent believe that small and medium-sized businesses will become a focus within the next five years. - 35 percent of government organizations plan to implement new technologies in the next five years, followed by outsourcing functions (31 percent) and new organization-wide processes (30 percent). Almost all government services agencies surveyed report that within the next five years they plan to implement a variety of new measures, including new technologies, such as enterprise resource planning systems, centralized processes, and outsourcing to third parties. All of these measures support e-purchasing and expense management initiatives and translate to improved efficiency and cost savings.