Steps Taken by Sport Singapore to Address Observations by AGO for Financial Year 2023 to 2024

Singapore, 17 July 2024 – Sport Singapore (SportSG) takes the findings of the Auditor-General's Office (AGO) seriously and is fully committed to upholding good corporate governance and accountability in ensuring prudent use of public funds.

AGO had covered areas related to revenue, procurement and payment, and grants in its audit of SportSG, and its report had included observations related to compliance with processes. There was no indication of internal fraud or ill-intention. We have reviewed and tightened our processes to address the observations highlighted in the AGO report for the financial year 2023/2024.

Tighter Controls Over Admissions to ActiveSG Pools and Gyms

Through its data analysis and checks on ActiveSG pools and gyms admission records, AGO observed that ActiveSG members had shared their special passes with others for entry. There were also instances where members had abused the ActiveSG pool/gym special or per-entry passes purchased at discounted rates, and deceased members’ accounts were used for admissions.

We acknowledge that there could be tighter controls to prevent such abuse and had made further enhancements to our ActiveSG membership system. Our refreshed web-based membership and booking platform MyActiveSG+, which has been progressively rolled out since 15 June 2024, will include safeguards such as dynamic QR codes, the use of sgID, and SingPass Data Synchronisation to prevent such instances.

As an added control measure, SportSG has put in place guides and checklists to ensure that our staff are clear on the processes where manual checks are required. SportSG will also educate the public on responsible use of the ActiveSG membership and conduct periodic checks to ensure compliance and detect unusual admission transactions.

Enhanced Procedures for Revenue Contracting

The AGO report highlighted observations related to the tender evaluation process in two vending machine contracts checked. The scoring and other factors considered should have been clearly presented to the tender approving authority (TAA) for informed decision-making.

Since May this year, SportSG has enhanced our internal procedures for revenue contracting and strengthened training for staff handling revenue contracts to reinforce compliance with established policies and processes.

Strengthened Procurement Processes

AGO highlighted observations on two tenders for procurement of manpower services and medical services. SportSG has reviewed them and established that the awarded vendors had been evaluated fairly, there was no indication of internal fraud or ill intention, and the safety of the public was not compromised in any way.

SportSG acknowledges that there is scope for our procurement processes to be strengthened. These include ensuring all scoring details are finalised before tenders close, and timely approvals from TAAs are obtained before communicating any information on tender awards. Staff will also be reminded to plan and commence procurement of goods/services earlier to provide adequate time for potential vendors to prepare for the goods/services required.

SportSG will apply these lessons learnt, as we continue to review and strengthen our processes.