The Digital Procurement Platform, by the UAE Ministry of Finance (MoF), attained three accolades at the Excellence in Procurement Awards MENA 2024, organised by the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (CIPS). The all-digital procurement system won in two categories – Best Use of Digital Technology and Best Procurement Transformation Programme – and was highly commended in the Best Public Procurement Project of the Year category.

Mariam Mohamed Al Amiri, Assistant Under-Secretary of the Financial Management Sector, and Nadia Sultan Al Ali, Director of the Digital Procurement Platform, received the awards on behalf of the UAE Ministry of Finance.

Al Amiri said, “These awards reflect the ministry’s relentless efforts and commitment to adopting innovation, as well as our pursuit of excellence in procurement practices and the integration of digital transformation into all processes, with the aim of facilitating the customers’ journey. In this era, it has become crucial to adopt a proactive approach that identifies the needs of customers and then ensures that they are met and provided for using advanced technology and far from bureaucracy. This is an essential part of creating a competitive environment that is key in today’s business world.”

She highlighted that the UAE Ministry of Finance is focused on enhancing the role of small and medium-sized enterprises, supporting the in-country value and Emiratisation, boosting strategic partnerships among federal entities, implementing digital policies and procedures, eliminating paper transactions, enhancing expenditure efficiency, improving the supplier journey, reducing the purchasing cycle timeframe, adopting electronic contracts and electronic signatures, sustainability, technological innovation, flexibility, transparency and zero bureaucracy, digital procurement catalogue and framework agreements, standard performance indicators, as well as interactive sessions and design thinking with suppliers.

The awards’ criteria required showcasing the challenge that the project was trying to resolve, the best practices and innovations applied to resolve the challenge, the expected outcomes and measurable benefits, the main challenge in the project and lessons learned, while providing proof of performance and success key performance indicators, as well as testimonials, endorsements, and coverage.

Established in the United Kingdom, the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply is the largest non-profit professional organisation specialised in procurement and supply, gathering more than 70,000 members across 180 countries. The CIPS Procurement Future Conference and Excellence in Procurement Awards MENA 2024 presents an opportunity to showcase outstanding performance in the field. The awards’ judging panel is a committee of experts in the procurement and supply sectors.