Use of funds: Spring explains

Source : Sunday Times – 19 Jul 2009

In the Auditor-General’s report released last week, the Standards, Productivity and Innovation Board (Spring) was said to have made ‘uneconomical use of public funds on office space’.

The AG took issue with Spring’s spending of $2 million on renovating and renting office space at both its Bukit Merah building and one-north between 2007 and next year, when the lease runs out.

But the chairman’s new office was unoccupied since April 2007 as Mr Philip Yeo was based in his old office in Biopolis in one-north, where he had previously been chairman of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*Star).

When contacted by The Sunday Times, a Spring spokesman said the renovations in Bukit Merah in early 2007 were to update the management floor and locate all its group directors on the same floor.

The spokesman said that Spring had rented one floor of office space in the new Fusionopolis, also in one-north, last June for two reasons. First, Spring needed to work more closely with A*star on programmes like the Growing Enterprise Technology-Upgrading programme, which provides SMEs with access to A*star’s expertise and resources.

Second, as senior adviser for science and technology to the Minister for Trade and Industry, Mr Yeo has to work closely with A*Star.

Spring decided to move its Technology Innovation Division and chairman’s office to Fusionopolis last September as there were additional office space, meeting rooms and a boardroom in Fusionopolis to cater for future expansion and high-level visitors that Mr Yeo has to host in his various official appointments. Spring now has 24 officers based in Fusionopolis compared to the 14 last September.

On the $1.8 million spent on renovation and rental costs, the spokesman said the amount was for the whole floor in Fusionopolis and not just Mr Yeo’s office.

The office space in Bukit Merah was also reconfigured to fit more officers, hence freeing up office space on other floors for rental.

The spokesman added that an additional rental income of $2.7 million was generated from April 2007 to March this year in Bukit Merah, which exceeded the expenditure on Fusionopolis’ rental and renovations.