DW TC
E F F I C I E N C Y, P R O D U C T I V I T Y, I N N O VAT I O N
Dubai World Trade Centre
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CHANGING THE PERCEPTION OF PROCUREMENT WRITTEN BY
AMBER DONOVAN-STEVENS PRODUCED BY
ALEX BARRON NOVEMBER 2019
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DUBAI WORLD TRADE CENTRE
Jason Tranter, Contracts Director, Dubai World Trade Centre, shares the details of the digital transformation of its contracts and procurement department in order to create a truly transparent, productive function
T
he Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) has been a landmark since the construction of the iconic Sheikh Rashid Tower (SRT) in
1979. Not only was it one of the first skyscrapers in Dubai, but it also held the title of the tallest in the 04
Middle East until 1999. Following its vision to make Dubai the world’s leading destination for all major exhibitions and events, DWTC has seen significant expansion to over 121,000 square meters of event space. Operating such a substantial multi-purpose facility is a ceaseless and demanding task, requiring a dedicated and experienced team to work constantly. To clarify the way DWTC functions, Jason Tranter, Director of Contracts, shares the role that Procurement and Contracts (P&C) plays in ensuring the facility is always efficient and run an innovative manner. Tranter’s career began in construction, where he became a chartered surveyor working in the UK and the Cayman Islands before moving to Dubai in 2005. This experience saw him join DWTC in 2008 and made him the perfect candidate for Director of Contracts, a job
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The DWTC Authority is established by His Highness, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai w w w.dw tc. com
DUBAI WORLD TRADE CENTRE
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“ The Dubai World Trade Centre is essentially like having five or six companies in one” — Jason Tranter, Contracts Director, Dubai World Trade Center
CONTRACTS AT DWTC Though the DWTC is known largely for its exhibition space, there are a number of key operational focus areas, according to Tranter. He goes on to share some of the major areas of business that P&C services: Events: • Event and Exhibition Management • Experiential Event Production Venue Services Management: • Hospitality and Event Catering Services (“DWTC has one of the largest catering operations in the UAE,” adds Tranter, “with kitchen space that is second only to Emirates Airlines.”) • Wedding Services
which he started in 2014. “In the last ten years, the number of DWTC annual visi-
• Facilities Management and Engineering
tors to events has grown from around
• Housekeeping
1mn to 3.4mn in 2018,” he begins. “My
• Protocol and Security
role is to help ensure that the P&C team is able to constantly innovate
Real Estate Development and
and evolve to stay ahead to meet the
Asset Management:
demands of what is a pretty challeng-
• One Central: an award-winning,
ing, but of course exciting, working
mixed-use development fea-
environment here in Dubai.”
turing five LEED Gold-certified
CLICK TO WATCH : ‘24/7, 365 DAYS A YEAR: DUBAI WORLD TRADE CENTRE’
commercial buildings and pedestrian-friendly retail at the heart of Dubai’s Central Business District • The Apartments – Dubai World Trade Centre’s Hotel Apartments Free Zone Operations: • As a designated Free Zone the
Departments: • Corporate Strategy, Corporate Marketing, Legal etc • Corporate Support services (Finance, IT, HR) This list is not exhaustive, notes Tranter, and all of these departments
DWTC Authority offers both
require procurement to be conducted
onshore and offshore operations
by DWTC’s P&C department. “Dubai
licensing and operations across
World Trade Centre is essentially like
a wide range of industries
having five or six companies in one; we have a vast number of products
Support (Shared) Services
and services that need to be acquired w w w.dw tc. com
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DUBAI WORLD TRADE CENTRE
“The migration has been met with tremendous acceptance by our suppliers” — Jason Tranter, Contracts Director, Dubai World Trade Center
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across several different timelines
into the company, but also have a real
for a variety of clients, both in-house
impact on its bottom line. As we have
and offsite.” Despite the complexity
progressed through our digital trans-
of the operations at DWTC, Tranter
formation, this is beginning to become
emphasises that the company is con-
a reality,” says Tranter.
stantly striving for transparency and innovation in the hope of promoting a
DIGITALISATION OF PROCUREMENT
new perception of procurement, at a
There are two major projects that
time when the department can often
assisted in the digitisation of DWTC’s
be considered a “roadblock” to busi-
procurement process. The first was
ness functions. “We want to remove
the company’s migration to the Oracle
this concept of P&C being a roadblock,
ERP system in 2012 and the second
and not only become fully integrated
was the implementation of the new
e-procurement system in 2017. “The
was an extreme benefit across the
migration to Oracle ERP was seismic,”
board, for finance and HR in particu-
reflects Tranter. “It was the first major
lar,” recalls Tranter. Once the platform
move in our digital transformation.”
was embedded in the system, DWTC
Previously, the procurement division
began to focus on how procurement
had been using a variety of platforms,
could drive efficiencies, concluding
from Excel to Great Plains which was
that a personalised e-procurement
disjointed and disorganised. “Oracle
solution – now known as Tejari
E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE
Jason Tranter Jason Tranter studied Commercial Management & Quantity Surveying at the University of Manchester in the UK and has an Executive MBA from the University of Bradford. He is a member of both the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (MRICS) and The Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (MCIArb). In addition to Dubai, he has also lived and worked in both the UK and the Cayman Islands, where he has gained extensive experience in main contracting and construction cost consultancy, as well as in the procurement and management of both corporate and real estate development contracts. Working closely with the VP-P&C and the wider Executive Management Team, Jason is responsible for managing all of DWTC’s corporate procurement and contract requirements. In addition, the role includes responsibility for overseeing Supplier Relationship Management (SRM), procurement policy compliance, and supervising the Procurement and Contracts (P&C) team. Jason is also the designated management representative responsible for DWTC’s Quality Management System (QMS).
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DUBAI WORLD TRADE CENTRE
1979
Year founded
2mn+
Square foot of premium office space
1,400
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Approximate number of employees
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C O M PA N Y FACT S
• In 2008, the Dubai World Trade Centre received around 1mn visitors. Last year saw 3.4 mn attendees to 363 business events hosted at its venues. • DWTC has 5,000 suppliers registered on its e-procurement system • DWTC’s e-procurement system has reduced the sourcing cycle for high value tenders significantly by as much as 20%, and as much as 50% for higher volume procurement based items
Solutions – would be the best fit. “Though the initial integration pro-
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provides hands-on-experience, without compromising company
vided challenges, and we needed to
data.” In conjunction with the train-
customise it to suit our internal poli-
ing of staff, Tranter goes on to share
cies, we have now enjoyed a number
that they have taken a number of
of benefits, such as: reduced sourcing
actions to ease the migration to
costs; ease of access via the app to
the platform. “We implemented the
create a level of transparency not had
new system in stages: following the
before; and the completion of ten-
offline design with the developers, we
ders remotely, saving management’s
ran hypothetical scenarios within the
time.” Tranter adds that the platform
P&C department and responded to
can also be used as a training tool.
the alterations needed to better suit
“Using the e-sourcing application
the team. We moved the trial from w w w.dw tc. com
DUBAI WORLD TRADE CENTRE
“We want to remove this concept of P&C being a roadblock” — Jason Tranter, Contracts Director, Dubai World Trade Center
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department to department, build-
drive to change the perception of
ing upon feedback from each team.”
procurement. As a result, “the migra-
Externally, there were measures put in
tion has been met with tremendous
place, particularly to assist with smaller
acceptance by our suppliers and the
companies who were not familiar with
positive feedback has only continued
Oracle and Tejari Solutions in general.
to grow, both internally and externally.”
DWTC provided a 24-hour helpline to support the 5,000 suppliers registered
THE NEXT LEVEL
on the platform. Tranter enthuses
As the e-procurement platform con-
that this is based on the motto of ‘here
tinues to set down roots at DWTC,
to help’, as a part of the department’s
Tranter trusts that relationships with
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suppliers will evolve based on the
is a 40-year-old government-related
core values shared, values that have
entity, and we have a responsibility
been made transparent through the
to contribute to the growth of Dubai.
centralisation of the platform. “We are
Through technology and innovation
now also beginning to build historical
we will continue to do this.�
data into the system, which will enable us to enhance spend analysis, in depth reporting, planning capabilities and contract management. Creating a dashboard from this will truly take us to the next level,� he says. DWTC w w w.dw tc. com
Dubai World Trade Centre PO BOX 9292 Dubai United Arab Emirates T +800DWTC (8003982) www.dwtc.com/en