RIYADH — The Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (CIPS) announced that the Ministry of Finance has won the 2021 Best Procurement Transformation Program award, during the CIPS Excellence in Procurement Awards ceremony held on Wednesday, Sept. 22, in London.

The ceremony was attended by a number of representatives of regional and international institutions and enterprises interested in the procurement sector.

The award was received by the executive director of Government Procurement at Government Expenditure and Projects Efficiency Authority (EXPRO) Eng. Hani Mirza, who expressed his pride and joy in this new achievement that reflects the long list of financial and economic accomplishments of the Kingdom over the past few years.

He stated that CIPS judging panel includes high-profile experts in the procurement profession who based their evaluation, of this project, on the ambitious Procurement Transformation that the Saudi government procurement ecosystem has witnessed during the past three years.

This transformation rests on the best practices and the highest standards in the procurement profession that brought about a profound change across more than 500 government entities through four main themes:

• introducing the Government Tenders and Procurement Law and its regulations; embracing digitalization through automating government procurement procedures via a unified portal (Etimad Platform);

• building government procurement team that contributed to organizing procurement procedures; and introducing new tools, standards and methods to revamp operations and maximize value.

These have contributed to enhancing transparency and competitiveness, in addition to reducing sourcing cycles by 60% and costs by 20%.

Mirza added: “This achievement is a result of collaboration between the Ministry of Finance, Government Expenditure and Projects Efficiency Authority (EXPRO) and the National Center for Government Resources Systems (NCGR). The collaboration has resulted in this project receiving the 2021 Best Procurement Transformation Program Award, outperforming major private and government entities in the world.

"This transformation in government procurement comes as a key enabler to realize Saudi Vision 2030 goals and one of the Fiscal Sustainability Program, which aims to sustain and stabilize the public finances while maintaining economic growth rates and raising the efficiency of government spending."

The CIPS Excellence in Procurement Awards is an opportunity to showcase and celebrate the best work and teams in the procurement profession.

The CIPS is a United Kingdom-based global professional body serving procurement and supply with a global community of over 70,000 members. It aims to promote good practices and provide services for the benefit of procurement sector and supply chains. — SPA