Sunday, 01 November 2026
MEDAN | INDATANEWS.COM - The North Sumatra Provincial Government is continuing to advance the digital transformation of its administration by upgrading the Simantap application (Mail and Correspondence Management Information System). The update is intended to make administrative procedures within regional government agencies and organisational units (OPD) more efficient and accelerate the handling of official correspondence. This is expected to enable development programmes for the public to be implemented more effectively.
The Head of the North Sumatra Communication and Informatics Office, Erwin Hotmansah Harahap, made the statement during an information session on the Simantap application update. The event took place on Tuesday, 27 October 2026, at the Raja Inal Siregar Hall at the North Sumatra Governor's Office on Jalan Diponegoro in Medan.
"The update covers various aspects. In general, the aim is to make administration and electronic correspondence more efficient, simpler and faster," Erwin said.
The development of Simantap forms part of the provincial government's efforts to establish a more modern, practical and responsive administrative structure. By applying digital technology to correspondence management, the government aims to remove bureaucratic obstacles, improve coordination between agencies and support more effective decision-making.
The Governor of North Sumatra, Muhammad Bobby Afif Nasution, launched Simantap on 13 January 2026 at the Raja Inal Siregar Hall at the Governor's Office. During its initial phase, the application offered only a function for managing outgoing letters, providing electronic support for administrative procedures.
As the system developed, the North Sumatra Provincial Government added several features to broaden Simantap's scope. These include the management of incoming correspondence, electronic signatures for multi-page documents, functions for processing and forwarding instructions, and dedicated administrative features.
The expanded system enables regional government agencies to manage their correspondence more comprehensively within a single platform. Employees can now send letters electronically, process incoming documents, forward instructions from their superiors and monitor the progress of administrative procedures.
Simantap also supports the provincial government's efforts to establish a more structured and better-documented correspondence management system. The application allows employees to monitor the status of letters in real time, making administrative processes more transparent and easier to track.
The application update also strengthens the provincial government's efforts to reduce reliance on conventional correspondence procedures. Electronic systems give agencies the opportunity to organise workflows more precisely and accelerate the exchange of information across the administration.
Simantap includes a notification feature that helps heads of regional government agencies identify incoming correspondence more quickly. Through these notifications, they can promptly review documents and decide on the appropriate next steps according to their respective responsibilities.
Erwin explained that the application is particularly beneficial for agency heads who are travelling outside the city on official business. They can continue to receive and review incoming correspondence through the application without having to be physically present in the office.
This capability is particularly important for maintaining smooth administrative operations when agency heads have to attend official engagements outside their respective regions. Electronic access means their absence from the office does not necessarily disrupt communication, correspondence management or policy decision-making.
"This update increasingly makes it easier for heads of regional government agencies, as decision-makers, to respond to correspondence received by their respective offices," Erwin said.
The functions for processing and forwarding instructions also connect administrative procedures with the implementation of duties within each agency. Through the system, agency heads can forward instructions to the relevant work units, while employees carry out subsequent steps in accordance with established administrative procedures.
The North Sumatra Provincial Government hopes these improvements will encourage employees to work more effectively and responsively. Faster correspondence management is also expected to improve internal coordination and ensure that government programmes are implemented in line with public needs and development priorities.
The North Sumatra Provincial Government currently uses Simantap across its regional government agencies and organisational units. The government is also expanding the application so that it can eventually be used by Regional-Owned Enterprises (BUMD) under the North Sumatra Provincial Government.
The wider adoption of Simantap represents a step towards promoting electronic administrative systems on a broader scale. These systems are intended to be used not only within government administrative structures but also by regional enterprises.
"Regional government agencies are not the only ones using this application. It has now also been developed for use by regional enterprises under the North Sumatra Provincial Government," Erwin said.
The development gives regional enterprises the opportunity to introduce more structured and efficient procedures for managing correspondence. Digital systems are expected to accelerate administrative communication, improve documentation and facilitate coordination between work units.
The continued development of Simantap also demonstrates the North Sumatra Provincial Government's commitment to strengthening technology-driven governance. By expanding its features and broadening its user base, the government aims to make administrative procedures increasingly simpler, faster and more integrated.
Through more efficient management of incoming and outgoing correspondence, the government hopes employees will be able to focus more closely on their responsibilities and public services. The digital transformation driven by Simantap is therefore expected to make an important contribution to improving administrative quality and optimising development programmes across North Sumatra. (IDNC)
REPORTER: Ahmad Zulfikar | EDITOR: Fik Sagala
