Government departments in Dubai have demonstrated their support to the small and medium enterprises sector by providing procurement contracts worth over AED40 million in the first half of 2011.
This was announced by Ibtihal Naji, director of the Government Procurement Programme at Dubai SME at the annual forum for Government Procurement Programme members organised by Dubai SME, the agency of the Department of Economic Development (DED).
The objective of the Forum was to strengthen dialogue and consultation on the latest developments related to dealing with government departments that support Dubai SME members by allocating the recommended five per cent of government purchases for small and medium enterprises in Dubai. `
Naji said: “Government departments contributed remarkably to promoting procurement through small and medium enterprises valued at AED40 million. This is a clear testament to the commitment of the public sector offices to support and drive the growth of SMEs. In turn, the SMEs have proved their reliability and dedication to providing the highest services in line with the standards set by the Government of Dubai.”
She added that seven government departments provided contracts more than the prescribed five per cent, with some of them reaching 29 per cent of the total contracts. Among the leading government departments that supported SMEs through contracts included: Dubai Government Workshop, Dubai Police, Financial Audit Department, Dubai Courts, Public Prosecutor, General Administration of Civil Defense and Statistics Center of Dubai.
The annual forum of the members of the Government Procurement Program witnessed tremendous interaction from the members who discussed the latest developments in the domestic market.
They shared ideas on boosting mutual support and the challenges they faced. The members put forth many proposals and discussed the possibility of their implementation, in accordance with local laws. Various government departments were honored for their support to Dubai SME members at the event.
Dubai SME has -provided government support for its members amounted to about one billion dirhams over the past nine years. Where government agencies have played a pivotal role in Dubai in supporting the business of Dubai SME members, where they adhere to the authorities to allocate about 5% of government procurement to Dubai SME members.
