Abang Johari (centre) launches Sevaa 2021. From left are Dr Abdul Rahman and Julaihi, while from right are Abdul Hamed and Sharbini. – Photo by Roystein Emmor
KUCHING (March 3): The share of Sarawak Energy Berhad (SEB) works awarded to Sarawakian Bumiputera vendors has exceeded RM2.8 billion since 2016, said SEB chairman Datuk Amar Abdul Hamed Sepawi.
He said the Bumiputera vendors, who also accounted for 40 per cent of the 500 vendors attached to the corporation, had shown outstanding performance and even surpassed non-Bumiputera vendors.
Abdul Hamed said to ensure vendors perform to the best of their abilities, SEB proactively address the barriers they face both during sourcing and contract execution.
“One of the steps taken is that we are partnering four financial institutions as part of our vendor financing programme. They are Bank Islam, RHB Bank, Ikhtiar Factoring, and SME Bank, assisting local vendors with financial challenges when they participate in SEB’s projects.
“In total, RM66.7 million has been approved and benefitted more than 10 local contractors to date – both Bumiputera and non-Bumiputera Sarawakian companies,” he added during the Sarawak Energy Vendors Appraisal and Award (Sevaa) 2021 award presentation ceremony here last night.
To strengthen vendor performance management mechanisms and foster closer ties with vendors, he said that SEB has introduced the Sevaa programme, an annual event under its procurement transformation initiatives since 2020.
According to Abdul Hamed, Sevaa recognises top performing vendors for their exceptional service to SEB and is benchmarked against the best practices of other major industry players in the region.
“It assesses overall vendor performance based on their compliance with HSSE (Health, Safety, Security and Environment), quality, delivery, responsiveness, and integrity requirements. It also allows us to identify top performers as well as vendors who require assistance in closing identified gaps,” he said.
Abang Johari presents an award to a representative of Ody Enterprise. From left are Idris, Abdul Hamed, and Julaihi. – Photo by Roystein Emmor
Abdul Hamed revealed SEB saw improved ratings for vendors in 2021, whereby almost 80 per cent of the vendors were rated A and B, which is a 9 per cent improvement compared to the previous year after the implementation of Sevaa.
He said Sevaa is therefore effective in upgrading the quality of works delivered by vendors, through data gathered by SEB.
Premier of Sarawak Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg officiated at the event where 11 vendors with outstanding performance in 2021 were recognised for excellence in contract delivery.
Ody Enterprise and Mega Electrical Engineering Services were the recipients for the ‘Best Works’ award, while Shorefield Sdn Bhd received the ‘Best Bumiputera Vendor’ award.
Faizal Engineering (FBI) Trading Limbang and Geoimpact Resources also received ‘Promising Bumiputera Vendor’ award, while the ‘Best Service Provider’ award went to Melbourne Business School in Australia, Crest Business Solution Sdn Bhd, and Niosh Certification Sdn Bhd.
Pine Contract and Supplies received the ‘Best Supplier’ award, Jurutera Azan Bersekutu received the ‘Best Local Consultant’ award, while Vriens and Partners Pte Ltd won the ‘Best International Consultant’ award.
Among those present were Minister for Utility and Telecommunication Datuk Julaihi Narawi, Deputy Minister of Utility and Telecommunication II (Utility) Datuk Dr Abdul Rahman Junaidi, SEB Bumiputera Participation Board Committee chairman Datuk Idris Buang, and SEB Group chief executive officer Datu Sharbini Suhaili.