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extended to over 600 SMEs through “The Entrepreneurial Nation’ project, and
the launch of the ‘Future100’ initiative aimed at supporting the UAE’s vision to
develop a knowledge-based economy.

During his participation in the forum, H.E. Bin Touq conducted an inspection
tour of the venue reviewing tenders and contracts offered by federal entities
and national companies. In addition, H.E. held a meeting with the event
partners that include participating entities.

“The forum represents a significant opportunity to raise federal entities and
national companies’ awareness on the importance of procurements in driving
the growth of the national economy. Additionally, it helps facilitate participation
of owners of national SMEs in government tenders slated to be released this
year. Furthermore, the event facilitates direct communication between
contract-awarding bodies and Emirati entrepreneurs in order to identify
challenges faced by both parties and address them. It also enhances dialogue
with financing bodies to leverage their product offerings to support
government procurement efforts,” said H.E. Abdullah Ahmed Al Saleh,
Undersecretary of the Ministry of Economy.

The Undersecretary added: “The forum enhances the Government
Procurements for Local SMEs performance indicator launched by the Ministry
of Economy and the Ministry of Finance in June of last year to gauge the level
of commitment by federal entities to allocate a specific percentage as
mandated by Federal Law no. 2 of 2014 on SMEs. It stipulates that 10 per
cent of the total value of contracts and tenders must be allocated for members
of the National Program for SMEs. The limit is five percent for government
companies where the federal government holds 25% or more of the shares.”

In his speech at the forum, H.E. urged Emirati entrepreneurs to join the
National Program for SMEs and benefit from the advantages it offers. H.E.
noted that this move would contribute to the growth of their businesses and
enhance their participation in government procurement.

The forum showcased contracts and tenders from over 30 federal entities and
national companies, totaling more than AED 2.3 billion in value, available for
small and medium enterprises. These entities utilized digital platforms to
present the terms of the tenders and contracts directly to Emirati
entrepreneurs and forum attendees, offering them guidance and support.
Additionally, various initiatives supporting Emirati SME-owners were
introduced during the event. The forum also featured seven diverse dialogue
sessions with a total of 26 speakers participating in discussions.

https://mid-east.info/ministry-of-economy-organizes-national-forum-for-smes-government-
procurement-forum-to-help-maximize-emirati-entrepreneurs-benefit-from-government-tenders/