The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) has achieved a new milestone by winning the Best Entity Award in procurement and supply in the "Best Response to Supplier Collaboration during COVID-19" criterion as part of the Charted Institute of Procurement and Supply Chain (CIPS) Awards. With this accomplishment, TRA will be the first entity to receive such award in the region.
This recognition is a reflection of the measures taken by TRA during the past period, as it was keen to bolster its cooperation with suppliers, while facilitating and accelerating supply operations. TRA has reviewed the procurement strategy, activated emergency procurement, increased strategic inventory items, and negotiated strategic contracts with suppliers. TRA has standardized contracts to access competitive prices, and was proactive in concluding long-term agreements with suppliers to stabilize prices. TRA has also strengthened the collaborative approach with suppliers through digital capabilities, including expanding the scope of the e-procurement system through smart applications. TRA has worked to provide an educational platform, the TRA Virtual Academy, through which suppliers present educational workshops to more than 250,000 users in various fields, which aims to build a sustainable strategic relationship with suppliers in procurement and supply processes.
Commenting on this milestone, H.E. Mohammad Al Kitbi, Acting Deputy Director General of the Support Services Sector, said: “The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority is keen to strengthen its relationship with suppliers with a view to ensuring the best interests of all parties and achieving optimal returns from procurements. This is to ensure that TRA provides best services in the ICT sector, and for achieving customer happiness. In the past period, the world has witnessed a major change in working methods, transactions and lifestyle, and TRA has been quick to take a number of measures ensuring a smooth flow of supply operations that help suppliers meet their obligations under the precautionary measures in place.”
He added: “TRA is actively working to reach the first place in the Telecommunications Infrastructure Index (TII), a global competitive index issued by the United Nations. To this end, TRA had to develop the procurement and supply chain system, in line with the present circumstances. TRA’s wining of this award reflects the tireless efforts of the Procurement and Contracts Team in bringing about a major transformation in TRA, understanding changes and dealing with the same. It also reflects the fruitful cooperation between TRA and specialized international organizations such as CIPS.”
The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority was quick to enable remote work operations and has worked with suppliers to develop a smartphone purchase app and a digital pass system. The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority also helped establish CIPS MENA in the telecommunications sector, which includes a group of prestigious companies as well as the Youth Committee Group in the field of procurement and supply in the world and Middle East in cooperation with CIPS. TRA is the first federal entity to establish such specialized procurement and supply groups aimed at sharing best global practices and knowledge, thereby contributing to the continuous improvement and development of procurement skills as well as sustaining flexibility and agility in procurement processes. TRA’s strategy has also focused on developing people and supporting suppliers to ensure sustainable procurement and supply management.
The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority has received the CIPS corporate ethics mark from the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (CIPS), becoming the first federal entity in the UAE to achieve such recognition. This achievement comes in light of TRA’s efforts on continuous development, contributing to achieving global leadership, excellence and developing functional competencies in procurement and supply management.