As the second day of Smart Procurement World conference unfolds, more than 1000 visitors have come through to equip themselves with knowledge about procurement, supply chain, enterprise development and how to support Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMME).

“Google can give you so much, but by attending this conference, I am hoping to find relevant suppliers, particularly black-owned female companies. We want our company to be in line with the B-BEEE Codes and thank goodness for this platform where one can source active and relevant suppliers,” said Tamsyn Louw, procurement professional attending the conference.

The Treasury is rethinking the draft preferential procurement regulations it published in June, and there is a possibility the revised version could claw back some of the more generous provisions for enhanced black economic empowerment.

“The latest revision of the regulations is expected to be submitted to Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan in September and could be ready for promulgation in October” said Schalk Human, Acting Chief Procurement Officer, National Treasury.

The procurement function is at an inflection point. At many leading companies, the role of procurement has been transformed in profound ways that make the procurement organization a linchpin of enterprise strategy. Meanwhile, many procurement groups continue to struggle for influence – in large part because they remain trapped by paradigms that, while still prevalent, are decades out of date.

To adapt to a future that is already upon us, the procurement function needs to reinvent itself, Jonathan Hughes, Strategic Sourcing & Supply Chain Management Practice Leader at Vantage Partners, tells SmartProcurement.

Online trading platfrom, the Business World, is listing more than 100 business contracts a day.

Aimed at developing small suppliers and linking them with business opportunities, Business World has vetted and registered more than 10 000 companies.

“Registrer on the portal at no cost until the end of 2016,” says Petra Rees, Managing Director of Lean Enterprise Acceleration Programmes (LEAP), which owns and manages the portal.

This month SmartProcurement profiles Sandile Ngcobo, from eThekwini Municipality.

Full name: Sandile Ngcobo

Position: Deputy Head: Supply Chain Operations

Your organisation's procurement expenditure: ± R14-billion a year

Who does P & SM report to: Deputy City Manager: Finance

Eskom failed to follow its own supply chain policies, the PFMA and Section 217 of the Constitution when making pre-payments to the Gupta’s Tegeta exploration and resources to secure coal supply, said Corruption Watch in a statement.

“We are concerned about the nature and scale of procurement irregularities at Eskom,” said Corruption Watch’s executive director, David Lewis.

Gauteng Provincial Treasury will assist suppliers and small businesses to register on the Central Supplier Database (CSD) next week at SmartProcurementWorld.

On 14 September 2016, Treasury will be available at The Absa Enterprise Supplier Development Expo Open Day, co-hosted at Smart Procurement World.

 A key feature of the CSD is that government procurement officials will be able to identify local suppliers throughout the country.

Absa bank, in partnership with the Department of Economic Development and Tourism, launched a business skills programme in June 2016 to equip small suppliers with the necessary skills and knowledge to grow and sustain their businesses.

The two-day programme aims to reach at least 1 000 small suppliers and, will run across the province until December 2016, says Doug Walker, Managing Executive for Absa Western Cape.