The Public Service newbie guide

Example: The submission is ready when the decision sought is clearer than the filename FINAL_v12_reallyfinal.docx.

Also heard as: paper, staff paper, submission paper, put up a paper, put up a submission

Context: Paper is the broader working term; not every paper is necessarily a formal submission. State the action or decision sought clearly.

Also heard as: clear, cleared, for clearance, For Clearance, Pls, for clearance pls

Context: Agency usage varies, so the approving authority and requested action should be stated explicitly.

Example: Seek a steer before lovingly polishing the wrong option.

Also heard as: seek a steer, get a steer, management steer

Context: The strength of a steer depends on who gives it and the forum’s authority; do not assume it replaces the required clearance or approval.

Example: A first cut may be rough; it may not be a blank page sent at 5.59pm.

Also heard as: first-cut, first cut draft, first-cut response

Context: A first cut is meant to give reviewers something concrete to react to; it should not be treated as near-final.

Official written work submitted for information, consideration, clearance, endorsement or approval, such as a paper, report or proposal.

Also heard as: sub paper

Also heard as: please see, pls refer

Also heard as: please follow up, pls f/u, please action

Also heard as: approve, approved, for approval

Also heard as: pre read, preread, pre-reading material

Example: Let’s take this offline before the meeting acquires a second agenda.

Also heard as: discuss offline, offline this, take it offline

Context: Usually means a separate follow-up, not necessarily an in-person or non-digital discussion. State who will continue it and when, or it can become a polite way to bury the issue.

The document defining a committee, workgroup or project’s purpose, scope, membership, authority, deliverables and operating arrangements.

Also heard as: terms of reference

A senior committee that provides direction, resolves escalated issues and oversees a programme, project or workstream.

Also heard as: SteerCo, Steering Com, Steer Comm, steering committee

Also heard as: action point, follow-up action, AI

Context: AI is highly ambiguous and should only be used where the meeting context is clear.

Government-style meeting minutes recording the key discussion, decisions and follow-up actions, often drafted by the meeting secretariat.

Also heard as: NOMs, Notes of Meetings, Notes of Meeting, meeting minutes

Example: The statutory board has its own Act and systems, so its leave form may not look like yours.

Also heard as: SB, stat board

Context: A statutory board is normally overseen through a parent ministry, but its powers and governance arrangements come from its constituting legislation.

A public body established by legislation to perform specified functions, with its own legal identity and employment practices.

Also heard as: statutory board, SB

Context: SB is highly ambiguous and should be interpreted using the agency context.

Example: The PS is the ministry’s administrative head, not the Minister’s permanently available secretary.

Also heard as: PS, Perm Sec

Context: A ministry may have more than one Permanent Secretary or Second Permanent Secretary, each with a stated portfolio.

Work, outcomes or arrangements that span multiple agencies and are pursued from the perspective of the Government as a whole.

Also heard as: whole of government, whole-of-govt

Example: “Please seek the CE’s approval” means the head of the statutory board, not the most senior person currently online.

Also heard as: CE, Chief Executive Officer, CEO

Context: The exact title varies by statutory board; some use Chief Executive, Chief Executive Officer or Managing Director.

The most senior civil servant heading a ministry, accountable for its administration, policy support and organisational performance. Reports to the Minister.

Also heard as: Perm Sec, PermSec, Permanent Sec, PSes, Perm Secs, Permanent Secretaries

Context: A ministry may have more than one Permanent Secretary or a Second Permanent Secretary, each with a stated portfolio. PS is also highly ambiguous outside this context.

Example: The political office-holder sets political direction; officers still have to turn it into owners, dates and a paper.

Also heard as: POH, political office holder

Context: The office-holder’s authority depends on the appointment and portfolio.

Example: Your RO reviews your work and development; it is not a live reporting dashboard.

Also heard as: RO, direct reporting officer

Context: The formal reporting and countersigning structure varies by agency.

A widely used Civil Service scheme of service covering many policy, administration and management roles.

Also heard as: MX Scheme, MXS, Management Executive

Also heard as: job posting, posted

A variable civil-service payment calibrated to economic and labour-market conditions, with mid-year and year-end amounts announced separately.

Also heard as: mid-year AVC, year-end AVC, variable bonus

An individual variable payment linked to performance under the applicable public-service compensation framework.

Also heard as: performance bonus

Context: PB is highly ambiguous and can also mean Personnel Board.

The Government financial year running from 1 April to 31 March of the following calendar year.

Also heard as: fiscal year, FY2026, FY26

Formal approval that establishes and authorises a procurement requirement.

The internal authority or governance arrangement responsible for approving specified expenditure or procurement matters within an agency.

Also heard as: internal approval authority

Context: The exact authority, committee or team depends on the agency’s delegation framework.

An internal request to start a purchase, route it for approval and, where applicable, convert it into a purchase order.

Context: The exact workflow and terminology vary by agency and procurement system.

The formal order issued to a supplier after the required procurement and expenditure approvals have been obtained.

Also heard as: purchase order

Singapore’s government electronic procurement portal for publishing opportunities and conducting procurement transactions.

Also heard as: Government e-Business, GeBIZ portal

The government procurement approach for purchases within the prevailing small-value threshold, subject to price-reasonableness requirements.

Also heard as: Small Value Purchases

A sourcing document inviting suppliers to submit quotations for a government procurement.

Also heard as: invite to quote, quotation exercise

The Singapore Government's Microsoft Teams environment for workplace messaging, meetings and collaboration.

Also heard as: SG Teams

Controls on government-issued devices that monitor or block risky transfers of sensitive data through email, uploads and other channels.

Context: This intentionally collides with Digital Learning Platform in the existing dataset.

A support or fulfilment request raised through the relevant service-management process; for example, an SIS SR may be required for whitelisting.

Also heard as: service ticket, request ticket

Context: The exact request system and workflow vary by service and agency.

The Human Resource and Payroll System used by Civil Service officers for HR, payroll, leave, claims and related employee services.

Also heard as: Human Resource and Payroll System, HR and Payroll System

The official directory for finding Singapore government organisations, public services and officers' contact details where published.

Also heard as: Government Directory, Singapore Government Directory Interactive

Example: The IM is where “because policy” should eventually point.

Also heard as: IM, Government Instruction Manual

Context: Instruction Manuals may contain mandatory requirements alongside agency-specific implementation details.

Example: A WOG solution starts when five agencies agree the problem belongs to all of them.

Also heard as: WOG, whole of government

An email or routing label indicating that the recipient is expected to take follow-up action.

Also heard as: for action, for your necessary action

Context: The required action and deadline should still be stated explicitly.

Signals that the recipient is expected to take the action needed, rather than merely note the information.

Also heard as: for necessary action

The end of the working day, commonly used to state a deadline in email or workplace instructions.

Also heard as: Closing of Business, close of business, end of business

Context: Confirm the exact time and time zone when a deadline could be ambiguous.

A status indicating that no additional follow-up is required unless circumstances change.

Also heard as: no further actions

To retain a matter for monitoring or later consideration without taking immediate action.

Also heard as: KIV first

Context: KIV should not be used as a substitute for an owner, review date or explicit decision where follow-up is required.

Normal ongoing operations, as distinct from project, crisis, pilot or transformation work.

Also heard as: business-as-usual, steady state operations

Also heard as: staffing, staff work, staffing an issue, staffing a paper

Context: The exact staff process and document format vary by agency.

Also heard as: working level, at working level, staff level, staff-level, at staff level

Context: Here, ‘staff level’ means the officers staffing the issue, not employees generally.

Also heard as: socialise the idea, socialize

Also heard as: no-surprises principle