The UAE Ministry of Economy and Tourism honoured 11 federal entities and national companies during the second edition of the National Forum for SMEs - Government Procurement, in recognition of their efforts in supporting Emirati small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and enabling their access to government contracts and tenders in 2025.

The recognitions strengthen the government procurement ecosystem and the national entrepreneurship.

The ceremony witnessed the awarding of the Government Procurement Awards to several national entities and companies, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, the Ministry of Health and Prevention, the Federal Tax Authority, Emirates Health Services, Etihad Airways, e&, Higher Colleges of Technology, and United Arab Emirates University (UAEU).

Abdullah Al Saleh, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Economy and Tourism, affirmed that this recognition reflects the Ministry’s vision to motivate federal entities and national companies to facilitate Emirati SMEs’ access to available contracting opportunities and enable their participation in government procurement tenders.

The five award categories were Best Government Procurement Awarding Entity; Best Entity for Growth in Contract Value Awarded; Best Entity for Number of Benefiting SMEs; Best Entity for Achieving the 10 per cent Target in Awarding Contracts to SMEs; and Best Procurement Manager.

Five entities win the Best Government Procurement Awarding Entities award

Five federal entities and national companies, namely the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Interior, Emirates Health Services, Etihad Airways, and e& won the Best Government Procurement Granting Entities award.

Two entities win the Best Entity in Growth of Contract Value Awarded award

The Ministry of Justice and United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) shared the Best Entity in Growth of Contract Value Awarded award, having achieved robust growth results in government procurement contracts awarded to SMEs in 2025.

Two entities win the Best Entity in Achieving the 10 Per cent Target for Awarding Contracts to SMEs award

Additionally, the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment and the Federal Tax Authority received the award for Best Entity in Achieving the 10 per cent Target for Awarding Contracts to SMEs.

Best Entity in Number of Benefiting SMEs award

The Ministry of Health and Prevention was recognized as the best entity in terms of the number of benefiting SMEs for increasing the number of national SMEs benefiting from its procurement contracts and tenders.

Best Procurement Managers award

Under the Best Procurement Managers category, the award was granted to Brigadier Abdulla Suhail Al Afari, Director of the Purchase and Stores Department at the Ministry of Interior; Shahad Hamad Abdullah, Head of Procurement and Contracts Section at the Federal Tax Authority; Dr. Mubarak Al Hammadi, Director of the Procurement and Contracts Department at Emirates Health Services; Saeed Al Zarooni, the Group Chief Procurement Officer at e&; and Mohammed Samak, Director of the Procurement and Contracts Department at Higher Colleges of Technology.

Criteria for Government Procurement Awards

The Ministry of Economy and Tourism selected the winning government entities, national companies, and individuals based on a set of approved criteria under the SME Support Indicator in the government procurement ecosystem, ensuring the highest levels of transparency and fairness in measuring performance and impact across the country.

The Ministry explained that the criteria for government entities are based on four key pillars, including the percentage of contracts awarded to SMEs out of total number of tenders issued; the annual growth rate in the value of awarded tenders or contracts; awareness initiatives and the level of cooperation by the entity’s procurement department; and the number of SMEs benefiting from these contracts.

In honouring government procurement managers, the winners were selected based on four key factors, including innovation in solutions or practices supporting SME engagement; the level of cooperation with other entities and stakeholders in the procurement ecosystem; active participation in the National Programme for SMEs and relevant initiatives and knowledge exchange; and contributions to enhancing integration and coordination among entities involved in government procurement.

The Ministry of Economy and Tourism, in collaboration with the Ministry of Finance, launched the SME Support Indicator in Government Procurement to measure the compliance levels of federal entities with the percentages outlined under Federal Law No. (2) of 2014. It mandates the allocation of 10 per cent of the total value of government contracts and tenders to National Programme members, and five per cent of the total value of contracts and tenders of public companies in which the federal government holds 25 per cent or more of its capital.-TradeArabia News Service