Government procurement programme for SMEs discussed

Manama, May 7 (BNA): Industry, Commerce and Tourism Minister, Zayed bin Rashid Al-Zayani, received here today the Secretary-General of the Tender Board, Dr. Mohammed Ali Bahzad. They discussed cooperation between the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism and the Tender Board to implement the Cabinet Resolution (06-2416) on allocating 20% of government procurement and tenders to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), in addition to giving a 10% advantage in the auctions of public utilities that are held within the establishments of government departments. It is worth noting that a special system has been launched by the Industry Ministry to classify SMEs according to their size, in line with the Ministerial Edict 229/2017 on classifying micro, small and medium enterprises. SMEs will benefit from the Cabinet Resolution according to their classification. Dr. Mohammed Ali Bahzad gave a presentation in which he highlighted Tender Board’s vision on implementing Cabinet Resolution 06-2416/2017, according to the best international practices. The government procurement programme for SMEs is expected to spur SMEs’ growth and enable them to expand their work and enhance their competitiveness in the local and global markets.