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CrimsonLogic's trade facilitation system implementationin Saudi Arabia wins United Nations award

This system also ranked as one of the top five most commonly used e-services in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, 27 June 2010 - CrimsonLogic's trade facilitation project in Saudi Arabia, SaudiEDI, was awarded second place in the category "Improving transparency, accountability and responsiveness in the Public Service" at the annual United Nations Public Service Awards (UNPSA).

This award is given to companies that demonstrate creativity in their contributions to public service institutions, to elevate the effectiveness of public administration.

"We are honoured that our SaudiEDI implementation has received recognition from the United Nations, the leading body in international peace and security. With over 20 years of experience in providing innovative e-government solutions around the world, we have developed extensive expertise and knowledge to design, build, implement and operate e-government systems that are world-class. In the case of SaudiEDI, the vision was not only to develop a system that meets the Kingdom's current trading needs but one that encourages and broadens trade relations for the future." said Mr Leong Peng Kiong, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), CrimsonLogic.

Operational since 2005, the SaudiEDI system was commissioned by the Public Investment Fund ( PIF ), under the Saudi Arabia Ministry of Finance. The system automates and streamlines the trade documentation processes for the trading community in Saudi Arabia. The establishment of this system has forged a common electronic platform for businesses to operate in, resulting in a transparent and collaborative community. This has improved the efficiency of trade cycles with significant savings in time, money and resources for governments and businesses. On a macro level, the increased efficiency has also enhanced the Kingdom's economic competitiveness.

"We would like to thank all who have contributed towards the success of the SaudiEDI project. It is with the support from key decision makers and stakeholders, in particular, the strong partnership and support from the Public Investment Fund , as well as Saudi Customs and Saudi Ports Authority, that the project was able to cross each project milestone, and finally to be adopted successfully by the business community," added Mr Leong.

Attesting to its success, the SaudiEDI system also won other accolades. The simple and intuitive system won 4^th and 5^th most commonly used e-services out of some 400 government and private sector e-services in Saudi Arabia[1]. The wins were for the Electronic Delivery Order Management service and Electronic Import Declaration Submission service respectively. The SaudiEDI system also received an award of appreciation in the first Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) eGovernment Awards, in the category of e-economy, which is an acknowledgement of the system's use of best practice in infocomm technology, and economic contribution to the nation.

The results from the increased adoption and resulting efficiency of SaudiEDI have been encouraging. A comparison of the 2006 and 2009 Doing Business Across Borders reports from World Bank revealed that Saudi Arabia has more than halved the time needed for import and export clearances. World Bank's Trading Across Borders report also ranked Saudi Arabia #16 in 2009, up from #33 in 2007. Actual trade transaction volumes in the Kingdom have also increased dramatically by an average of 250 percent from year 2001 to 2008.

Mr. Lim Ban Hoe, International Enterprise (IE) Singapore's Regional Director for Middle East and Africa said, "Having done e-government projects for more than 20 countries, CrimsonLogic has demonstrated its ability to use its experiences in the public sector and adapt their services to their client's requirements. This win for the SaudiEDI serves as a testament of the effective and relevant services that Singapore companies are able to provide on an international level."

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About CrimsonLogic Pte Ltd
CrimsonLogic is a trusted partner to governments worldwide. For over 20 years, CrimsonLogic has worked with governments across Asia, Middle East, North America, Latin America and Africa to find innovative and sustainable solutions to collaborate more seamlessly with their citizens and ecosystem.

CrimsonLogic has continued to set industry-standards by delivering world-first eGovernment solutions to optimize workflow, increase operational efficiencies, and improve decision-making. CrimsonLogic has the unique ability to deliver end-to-end services, from designing and building eGovernment solutions, through to operating these services in order to drive substantial and lasting improvements.

About International Enterprise Singapore
International Enterprise (IE) Singapore is an agency under the Ministry of Trade and Industry spearheading the development of Singapore's external economic wing.

Our mission is to promote the overseas growth of Singapore-based enterprises and international trade. With a global network in over 30 locations and our 3C framework of assistance - Connections, Competency, Capital, we offer services to help enterprises export, develop business capabilities, find overseas partners and enter new markets. At the same time, we work to position Singapore as a base for foreign businesses to expand into the region in partnership with Singapore-based companies. Please visit www.iesingapore.gov.sg for more information.

IE Singapore has a total of five overseas centres in the Middle East, each located in Abu Dhabi, Doha, Dubai, Riyadh and Jeddah.

For more information:
Middle East Media Contacts
Mutaz Al Badri/Asia-Marie Webb
Mojo PR
Tel: +971 50 570 6785/ +971 50 468 1180
mutaz@mojo-me.com /asia@mojo-me.com

[1] National Portal of Electronic Transactions, www.saudi.gov.sa.

© Press Release 2010