Dubai, November 26, 2011: The Government Procurement Programme (GPP) at Dubai SME, the agency of the Department of Economic Development in Dubai mandated to develop the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) sector, today organised a forum to support national SMEs in procurement and contracting, at the Business Village in Dubai. The forum aimed at enabling SMEs to access contracting opportunities with government departments in the UAE.

Representatives of Dubai Municipality, du and Etihad Airways presented details about contracts and procurement procedures and the steps to be followed by national SMEs to win the contracts.

Ibtihal Naji, Director of the Government Procurement Programme, said the contribution of government departments in the procurement jobs undertaken by SMEs was remarkably high this year due to their confidence in the services provided by the Dubai SME members. “They proved to be extremely reliable in providing excellence services in line with the standards and requirements of the government departments.”

She added: "The keen interest of national institutions to interact and support Dubai SME members through contracts and procurements will help them to grow their business. The Government Procurement Programme seeks to widen the role of the government institutions supporting the vital sector.

“This is in line with the strategy of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai to develop SMEs and enable them to compete globally and to strengthen Dubai's position as a attractive growth environment for the small and medium businesses.”

Ibrahim Yaqob Ali Al Nasser, Director, Contracts and Purchase Department, Dubai Municipality said the department is keen on facilitating and supporting the members of Dubai SME. Enlightened by the directives of H.H Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Department is committed to salute innovations in the field of entrepreneurship and do believe in talented young citizens.

He also explained that the members of the Dubai SME have the preference and priority to participate in the biddings of municipal tenders and auctions, and enjoy the financial administrative facilities at all stages of dealing with Contract and Procurement Dept. Hence, the value of documentation has been reduced by 50percentage. They are also exempted from registration and renewal fees, not to mention the primary bank guarantee.
“Finally, the technical departments at Municipality are to deal with members of the organization in some categories of materials, services and engineering projects within the specific criteria to elevate the level of institutions and companies who are members of the organization. We are all hand in hand for the betterment of our dear country...” he added.
                             
He also praised Ibrahim Yaqob on the effective communication between Municipality and the institution to serve the public interest and ensure the high quality services.

Fahad Al Hassawi, Chief Human Resources and Shared Services Officer, du, said: "We are committed to support the growth of Emirati entrepreneurs. Through our participation in the forum we are looking to help members of Dubai SME to identify the opportunities we are able to offer under the Government Procurement Programme, and wanted to familiarise the entrepreneurs with our systems and processes in order to help them achieve success."

Ahmed Alrayyes, Senior Manager Commercial Sourcing, du, represented the company at the forum and shared the company’s experience of being Dubai SME’s partner in the Government Procurement Program.
Adil Al Mulla Etihad Airway’s VP, Procurement and Supply Management, said: “Etihad Airways continuously aims to forge partnerships with government and public institutions that are keen to support emerging local businesses with the aim of strengthening the economy and contributing to the country's development.
This is our first participation in the Dubai SME forum and we hope that we will be able to shed some light on Etihad Airways and clarify the procedures and new technologies that will qualify its members to participate in our tenders. “
The forum witnessed strong participation by the GPP members who provided an overview of the latest developments and trends in the domestic market. They also discussed the problems and obstacles Dubai SME members face and measures to overcome them.
Dubai SME has contributed to building relations with both the public and private sectors, and adhering to allocate at least 5percentage of their purchases and contracts to Dubai SME members. The value of such purchases and contracts was AED 1 billion AED over the nine years ago.
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