Date: May 13, 2018
As part of its continuous efforts to build the capacity of members, Zubair Small Enterprises Centre (Zubair SEC), organised a workshop on tendering, contracting and procurement function.
The aim of the workshop was to enhance the understanding of the SME owners about tendering processes and contracting strategies. The session also deliberated on the procurement function in organisations.
The workshop was conducted by Salim Al Battashi, a tendering and contract specialist who is a CIPS certified professional. Entrepreneurs, SME owners, members and non-members of Zubair SEC attended the session.
With an aim to increase knowledge base on procurement in organisations, Al Battashi explained about the procurement objectives and steps in a standard procurement cycle.
Enlightening the attendees on the principle of tendering, the specialist described types of tendering practises including open, selective, single sourcing and prequalified tendering. He also explained about the purchasing cycle, tendering process, standard tender documents and the bidding process.
Speaking on the contracting topic, he gave an overview on the standard clauses for commercial contracts and stressed on the importance of analysing contracts.
Elucidating about the workshop, Al Battashi said, “I appreciate the efforts of Zubair SECin organising this relevant workshop. This was a great opportunity for me to share knowledge on this important topic with a very imperative segment of the society. The growth of SMEs is very vital to the national economy and winning tenders can be an important source of business for SMEs. I understand the agony of many SMEs not winning the tender they bid for. SMEs must have a clearly articulated strategic plan in place. That’s why organising workshops such as this is important. It will increase their chances of winning a tender as they will be well prepared after understanding the correct procedures and criteria. It is important to build capacity and qualification of SMEs. I am glad to have got the opportunity to network with bright young minds from the SME sector in Oman.”
Ali Shaker, Advisor – Business Development & Strategic Partnerships at Zubair SEC said, “We understand the importance of this topic for start-ups and new entrepreneurs. Many members come to us struggling with how to bid for tenders. They want to know what the proper procedure is and how to increase their chances to win tenders. Recognising that this is a very important topic, we decided to organise this workshop. It was a well-attended workshop and was appreciated by attendees.”
Zubair SEC member Ali Said Al Rashdi who attended the workshop said, “Many SMEs are discouraged from tendering for major contracts because of a number of imagined or real barriers. This workshop gave us a clear-cut picture of how to go about the process. We now understand the dos and don’ts of the bidding process. This workshop organised by Zubair SEC will benefit a lot of SMEs and new businesses.”
Earlier, Zubair SEC had organised a ‘Tajribati’ session on tendering requirements with an aim create a dialogue amongst SMEs on the topic and discuss best measures towards proper bidding and procurement requirements.