The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD’s) recent report, Effectively Managing Investments in Digital Government, profiles a range of strategies that support effective, transparent, and outcomes-driven digital investment across member countries.

Several Australian Government initiatives led by the DTA are showcased in the report. This includes the Benefit Management Policy, Digital Experience Policy, and the BuyICT platform. The Investment Oversight Framework was also highlighted in the report, and you can read more about it in this here.

“We’re incredibly pleased to see this international recognition of Australia’s digital investment approach,” said Chris Fechner, CEO of the DTA. “The four initiatives highlighted reflect our continued commitment to improving how digital investments are made, delivered, and measured across government to ensure we deliver benefits for all people and businesses.”

Strengthening digital investments through benefits management

Australia’s Benefit Management Policy is highlighted as a standout example of linking digital investments to clear, measurable outcomes. Developed by the DTA, the policy supports agencies to define expected benefits early and track their realisation across the lifecycle.

The OECD recognises this as a key strength of Australia’s investment approach, helping to ensure that funding decisions are evidence-based and aligned with broader digital government priorities. By embedding benefits planning into project design, agencies are better positioned to delivery value and maintain public confidence.

“Planning for benefits that impact all people and businesses, from the beginning, means we can track impact, stay accountable and ensure digital investments deliver real value,” outlines Mr Fechner.

Under the policy, agencies define benefits in alignment with the government’s strategic objectives … These benefits are then to be incorporated into the governance arrangements for the project. This complements the assurance functions of the Digital Transformation Agency, which monitors the status of key digital and ICT investments and works with agencies to ensure the proper governance is in place, including remediation or escalation protocols where corrective action may be required.

— pg.29, Effectively Managing Investments in Digital Government, OECD 2025

User experience at the centre of service design and delivery

The report acknowledges the impact of the Digital Experience Policy, which sets consistent, measurable standards to improve how people interact with government services online.

By embedding standards of accessibility, usability, inclusion and performance benchmarks for agencies when designing services. The policy is supporting better digital experiences for individuals and businesses interacting with government.

The OECD identifies this as a strong and effective example of putting user needs at the centre of design and delivery.

Australia’s Digital Experience Policy (DX Policy) establishes a unified, whole-of-government approach to enhancing digital interactions between individuals, businesses, and government services. It sets benchmarks for digital service performance, aiming to deliver consistent, user-friendly, and inclusive experiences across various platforms.

— pg.16, Effectively Managing Investments in Digital Government, OECD 2025

Improving visibility and access to digital procurement

The DTA’s BuyICT platform is also recognised for its role in improving the efficiency, transparency and accessibility of digital procurement. The platform enables agencies to more easily source digital products and services. This simultaneously creates greater visibility and opportunity for Australian suppliers, particularly small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

“Platforms like BuyICT don’t just improve procurement,” Mr Fechner emphasises. “They foster consistency, open up opportunities for SMEs and help agencies deliver faster, smarter and more secure digital services.”

“Currently, 84% of our Digital Marketplace 2.0 is made up of SMEs. We hope to see that number continue to rise as we look for opportunities to open applications more frequently.”

The OECD highlights BuyICT as a practical example of shared digital infrastructure that supports scalable and consistent investment across the public sector. It also emphasises how BuyICT effectively reduces duplication, and the dynamic marketplace makes it easier for government buyers to engage with pre-qualified suppliers and ensure better value for money.

BuyICT is Australia’s digital platform that acts as a one-stop-shop for digital and ICT procurement. The DTA worked to consolidate its procurement arrangements onto a single, easy-to-use platform to make it simpler and faster to buy and sell digital products and services. The platform also includes guided workflows so that users can complete the entire procurement process on the platform, as well as prompts to remind users of policy considerations and good procurement behaviours.

— pg.23, Effectively Managing Investments in Digital Government, OECD 2025

Supporting better digital outcomes across government

These initiatives form part of the DTA’s broader work to improve how digital investments are planned, delivered and measured across government. From strategy and standards to platforms and assurance, we aid agencies to build the capability and confidence to deliver better outcomes for the Australian community.

This international recognition highlights the strength of Australia’s digital investment approach and supports the government’s broader digital agenda to uplift capability and modernise service delivery. 

We will continue working closely with agencies to embed these practices and deliver digital services that are accessible, efficient and designed with people at the forefront.

Explore the full OECD Effectively Managing Investments in Digital Government report.

The Digital Transformation Agency is the Australian Government's adviser for the development, delivery, and monitoring of whole-of-government strategies, policies, and standards for digital and ICT investments, including ICT procurement.