May Chew, Chief Information Officer, Agency of Logistics and Procurement Services (ALPS), Singapore

1. How do you use technology/policy to improve citizens’ lives? Tell us about your role or organisation. 

ALPS is responsible for implementing national procurement and supply chain systems for the public healthcare entities in Singapore. We enable seamless collaboration across institutions, supporting Singapore’s healthcare ecosystem with streamlined operations, increased efficiency, and improved service levels.

As the Chief Information Officer of Agency of Logistics and Procurement Services (ALPS), I lead digital transformation strategies to enhance Singapore’s national healthcare supply chain. Working in partnership with Synapxe – our national HealthTech agency, the CIO office in ALPS is committed to driving efficiency, resilience, and innovation across public healthcare through technology and data-centric approaches.

For example, we have successfully implemented the National Procurement and Supply Chain systems and improved our last-mile medication delivery. Our deployment of Robotic Process Automation (RPA) has streamlined routine processes, enhancing productivity in logistics and procurement.

In addition, generative AI models support real-time decision-making by analysing supply chain metrics, forecasting demand, and anticipating potential disruptions. Through these technologies, ALPS not only achieves operational excellence but also strengthens its role as a resilient partner in Singapore’s healthcare transformation journey, ensuring that citizens have consistent and timely access to essential healthcare supplies.

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2. What was the most impactful project you worked on this year? 

This year, ALPS focused on advancing our national procurement system to unify procurement practices across all public healthcare entities.

By consolidating and standardising procurement activities, we’ve enhanced transparency and introduced real-time insights across every stage of the procurement lifecycle—from sourcing to contract management. This transformation allows us to streamline sourcing events, simplify requisitions, and ensures contract compliance with the highest levels of data integrity and accuracy.

The outcome? A remarkable improvement in data visibility with real-time insights spanning all our healthcare entities. We're paving the way for our healthcare providers to make more strategic sourcing decisions, anticipate supply chain needs, and respond proactively to demand changes.

By integrating data analytics into procurement, we are setting a new standard for efficiency and reliability within healthcare supply chains, ultimately improving service delivery to patients.

3. What was one unexpected learning from 2024? 

Embracing new digital technologies is essential for transforming our organisation into a connected and intelligent entity.

We recognise that high-quality data and the need for completeness, timeliness, and accuracy are vital for effective decision-making, demand forecasting, and last-mile tracking. When we embarked on data digitisation, we encountered challenges such as siloed information, data quality issues, and integration complexities.

To address these issues, we leveraged advanced data management tools and implemented a robust governance framework that enforces data accuracy and uniformity.

By fostering a culture that prioritises data quality and strategic investment in data infrastructure, ALPS ensures its digital supply chain transformation efforts are reliable and sustainable, enabling more accurate demand forecasting and enhancing last-mile delivery.

This commitment has been instrumental in making data a core asset that powers innovation, strategic decision-making, and responsiveness.

4. What’s a tool or technique you’re excited to explore in 2025? 

In 2025, we will embark on an inspiring journey to deepen our supply chain network integration with our partners and institutions. Our mission is to understand current operations fully, analyse past performance data and develop future strategies that enhance our predictive intelligence.

We are excited about the principles of quantum computing and its integration with AI technologies, which will empower us to unlock significant learning opportunities and make dynamic decisions on the fly.

This could potentially revolutionise our supply chain by providing insights into supply and demand trends in real-time, leading to highly dynamic decision-making.

Additionally, advanced predictive analytics will substantially improve accuracy for demand forecasts and optimise resource allocation, laying the groundwork for a more agile, resilient supply chain.

These advancements align with our strategic vision to remain at the forefront of healthcare logistics and deliver uninterrupted services to public healthcare facilities.

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5. Everybody’s talking about AI today – give us your hot take on AI and what it means for the public sector.

AI is not just a buzzword; it's a game-changer. It has the transformative power to enhance public sector efficiency, especially in fields like healthcare logistics, where data-driven decision-making is crucial.

AI enables predictive demand forecasting, allowing us to maintain optimal inventory levels, track supply chain activities in real-time, and pre-emptively identify potential disruptions.

Furthermore, machine learning and AI models provide valuable insights into product locations, conditions, and inventory status, which translates to better resource allocation and improved response times.

Ultimately, AI empowers us to make the healthcare supply chain more resilient, sustainable, and patient-focused.

However, integrating AI requires a commitment to responsible data governance, ensuring that algorithms enhance transparency, accuracy, and equity in decision-making processes.

6. What are your priorities for 2025? 

Our top priority for 2025 is harnessing generative AI to transform sourcing and procurement strategies within public healthcare.

Generative AI can reshape the way we acquire essential goods and services by offering intelligent sourcing recommendations, automating contract management, and we are ready to leap forward to accelerate order fulfilment as we streamline transportation planning and unleash cutting-edge AI-driven demand forecasting tools to super-charge productivity and realise more strategic, cost-effective procurement processes across the board.

By seamlessly integrating data, teams, processes, and partners, ALPS will realise a "control tower” vision in our operations.

By integrating data, systems, and teams into a central dashboard, we aim to provide real-time visibility into every facet of the supply chain, from transportation to demand forecasting.

This centralised approach will allow us to rapidly identify and address bottlenecks, ensuring that healthcare facilities have uninterrupted access to necessary resources.

7. What advice do you have for public sector innovators? 

The logistics industry worldwide is confronting intense changes rapidly.

That is why IT must move even faster, and we must be able to adapt and scale in unchartered waters to develop more integrated, nimbler, and more flexible solutions for our nation to stay resilient.

Innovators must embrace agility and continuous learning, anticipate shifts and proactively adapt strategies to maintain resilience.

They should also foster a culture that encourages responsible risk-taking and experimentation. Innovation inherently involves uncertainty, but calculated risks can lead to breakthroughs and successes that will benefit the public.

We must be willing to step into uncharted territories, learn from outcomes, and continuously refine our approaches.

8. Who inspires you today? 

I am inspired by Michelle Obama, who passionately championed empowerment and equal opportunities for young women and inspiring organisations.

Her dedication to creating pathways for women motivates me to support initiatives that encourage young women to pursue careers in technology.

Her unwavering dedication to equal opportunity echoes my values, motivating the next generation of women to boldly pursue success in male-dominated fields, such as technology.

This feature was made possible in partnership with Synapxe.