The Ministry of Finance (MOF) partnered with NCS to modernise its Instruction Manual (IM) Portal, creating a user friendly, intelligent digital platform that enables Singapore public officers across the Whole of Government (WOG) to quickly find accurate, up to date public sector-wide policies, rules and resources. IM Portal 2.0 simplifies navigation, enhances search capabilities, and improves productivity for over 158,000 public officers across Ministries, Statutory Boards, and Organs of State.
Key takeaways
- MOF modernised its legacy IM Portal to improve usability, search accuracy, and content governance for public officers across WOG.
- A clean, intuitive interface and enhanced navigation reduced the effort required to find relevant policies and rules, with mobile-ready access allowing officers to access information on the go.
- Advanced search, AI powered summaries, and an intelligent query bot strengthened self help and improved day to day productivity.
- IM Portal 2.0 consolidated multiple portals into a single platform, serving over 158,000 public officers across ministries and agencies.
- Early traffic trends indicate steady adoption of IM Portal 2.0 following its launch.
The challenge
Over 158,000 public officers across Singapore's public service relied on IM Portal 1.0 to access public sector-wide policies, rules and resources. As the platform approached its technology refresh cycle, MOF surveys and service journey workshops revealed significant barriers to productivity.
The interface was outdated and cluttered, making navigation difficult while limited self-help features meant officers spent excessive time searching for information.
Search functionality was ineffective, often returning inaccurate results with poor filtering, and officers could not easily identify whether policies were current or cancelled - risking reliance on outdated guidance.
The portal lacked modern capabilities - no version control, document comparison, and AI-enabled features like chatbots or automated summaries to support faster, self-service information retrieval.
These gaps directly impacted the efficiency of Singapore's public service, highlighting the urgent need for a modern, user-centric solution.
The solution
Working closely with MOF, NCS designed and delivered IM Portal 2.0 - a modernised digital platform focused on usability, content quality, and intelligent access to information.
The solution was shaped by insights from MOF’s Service Journey Report, which captured user feedback and usage patterns. These insights directly shaped the portal’s design, features, and functionality.
IM Portal 2.0 is the first Magnolia Cloud implementation across WOG and consolidates multiple portals — including IM Portal 1.0 and the Finance and Procurement Portal — into a single, centralised platform. Despite an initial delivery timeline of 15 months, the solution was successfully delivered in 11 months through agile development and continuous user engagement to ensure that the solution solves the problems and creates tangible value.
Key solution highlights include:
A modern, intuitive user experience
The portal was redesigned with a clean, refreshed interface for intuitive navigation.
- Modernised homepage
- Clean mega menu and clear site structure
- Intuitive content organisation for faster access
Strong content governance and version control
IM Portal 2.0 introduces robust mechanisms to ensure users always reference the correct and latest information.
- Side by side version comparison
- Clear visibility of upcoming policy changes
- Improved content consistency and formatting
Enhanced, intelligent search
Search capabilities were significantly improved to help users find relevant content quickly and accurately.
- Autocomplete phrase search
- AI powered content summaries
- Advanced filtering by content type, domain, compliance status, agency, and validity
Intelligent query support
An interactive query bot developed by GovTech enables users to ask questions and receive responses with clear source references, further improving self help and productivity.
Mobile ready access
The portal is fully responsive and optimised across devices, allowing officers to access information on the go — anytime, anywhere.
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What users are saying
“We came across the newly launched IM Portal 2.0 and were impressed by its search functionality and overall user experience.”
“The new IM Portal feels much easier to use – the layout is cleaner and I can find what I need without clicking around too much.”
“The mobile ready IM Portal 2.0 is noteworthy and definitely stood out to us. The whole mobile experience is smooth and convenient.”
What Magnolia partner is saying
This collaboration with MOF exemplifies the power of our strategic partnership with NCS in driving transformative change at scale. Together, we have created a future-ready platform that not only serves MOF’s needs today but also unlocks new possibilities for innovation and resilience across Singapore’s Whole-of-Government ecosystem.
Snapshot of capabilities
- Magnolia Cloud CMS implementation across WOG
- User centric UI/UX design and information architecture
- Advanced search with AWS AI powered summaries
- Intelligent query bot integration
- Content governance with version tracking and comparison
- Mobile responsive, secure access for public officers
The impact
IM Portal 2.0 has transformed how officers access public service-wide polices, rules and resources.
By addressing key user pain points identified through MOF’s service journey report, the portal simplifies navigation, strengthens content governance, and introduces intelligent search and self help capabilities. This enables officers to work more efficiently and with greater confidence in the information they reference.
Early usage data indicates steady adoption across WOG. From January to April 2026, the portal recorded a consistent increase in average daily unique sessions, stabilising at approximately 3,000 daily sessions — reflecting growing familiarity and adoption following its rollout.
Users have responded positively to the improved experience with the cleaner interface, enhanced search functionality, and seamless mobile access. With a potential user base of over 158,000 public officers, IM Portal 2.0 establishes a scalable and user centric foundation for WOG digital services.
