Free State welcomes Smart Procurement World

Smart Procurement World Free State

Smart Procurement World is bringing its regional conference to the Free State.

Partnering with the Free State Department of Economic, Small Business Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs (DESTEA) has enabled Smart Procurement World to take its procurement and supply chain indaba into its fourth South African province.

Since beginning in Gauteng in 2009, Smart Procurement World has extended into the Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and, on 19 March 2019, into the Free State.

The conference will promote supply chain’s role in generating business for small, medium and micro-enterprises (SMMEs). Limited access to markets has been identified as one of the main barriers for SMMEs. State and private-sector procurement of goods and services remain an integral part of radical economic transformation.

“The conference theme – Walk the Talk; High Impact Procurement – will be a catalyst towards our primary mandate of SMME development in our province”, says Limakatso Mahasa, MEC, DESTEA.

“We welcome all partners and participants to the Free State Smart Procurement World conference and exhibition, and trust that your involvement and active participation will make this event a success.”

“The conference encourages professional development and the discussion of top-of-mind issues in supply chain management. It will look at policies and examine best practices used to implement them”, notes Mediacy Mudekwa, Head of Content, Smart Procurement World.

“How do you, for example, translate economic development policies into mainstream practice using high-impact enterprise and supplier development programmes? This will be at the heart of the discussions.”

Transformation of top leadership teams in South African companies appears to be back on the agenda, with BEE appointments reportedly up by 10% from the year before. According to Mudekwa, “this has serious ramifications for the economy”.

The Free State procurement indaba has positioned itself to assist participants and delegates with the following:
– How to do business with the Free State government and private sector
– How SMMEs can secure contracts on-site
– How to unlock networking opportunities
– How 80% of SMMEs can meet procurement buyers
– How 50% of SMMEs can arrange between one and five follow-up meetings
– How to create SMME-to-SMME links

The platform provided through this procurement indaba is a step towards sustainable SMMEs in the Free State. It is the conference organisers’ hope that this event will equip attendees to drive strategy and to deliver world-class procurement and supply chain management practices as demanded by the current climate.

Smart Procurement World Free State will be held on 19 and 20 March 2019 at the Performing Arts Centre of the Free State (PACOFS) in Bloemfontein.

Share this Post
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
WhatsApp
Email

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Latest Jobs

Leaders Profile

Movers and Shakers in Procurement

Upcoming Courses

No event found!
Scroll to Top