Sands China's success and the success of Macao go hand-in-hand. For more than a decade, we have been investing back into the community that we serve to help it thrive and grow, contributing to the development of local enterprises along the way.

One way we do this is through Sands China's Local Small, Medium and Micro Suppliers Support Programme. Launched in 2015, the programme seeks to increase procurement opportunities between Sands China and local SME suppliers by targeting three types of local enterprises – small and micro companies, "Made-in-Macao" companies, and Macao young entrepreneurs.

The programme is part of our company's supplier relationship management strategy, which guides our long-standing effort to support local suppliers, whom we view as our strategic partners.

Sands China's Local Supplier Support Programme is the first programme of its kind in Macao – a pioneering initiative that helped spearhead industry efforts toward supporting local SMEs and "buy local."

SME refers to an enterprise run by natural or legal commercial owners who meet all of the following requirements:
 (i) Company has been registered with the Macau Financial Services Bureau for tax purposes;
 (ii) Company has no more than 100 staff members;
 (iii) The staff members referred to in the preceding paragraph shall perform the relevant work in the Macao Special Administrative Region.
 If a corporation is run by a corporate commercial entrepreneur, more than 50% of the enterprise's capital has to be owned by a Macao resident.

The three types of targeted local enterprises are:

•   Small and micro enterprises – defined as any business which has over 50 per cent of its share capital held by Macao residents, and employs no more than 15 people who are working in the Macao Special Administrative Region.
•   "Made in Macao" company – refers to any business holding an industrial license or a temporary industrial license with over 50 per cent of its share capital held by Macao residents, and holding a certificate of origin issued by the Macao Economic Services Bureau or the Industrial Association of Macao.
•   Macao young entrepreneur – must have over 50 per cent of his or her company's share capital held by Macao residents in the case of businesses run by entrepreneur-legal persons. In the case of a natural person, the applicant must be aged 21-44 at the time of application; in the case of a legal person, the shareholder with over 50 per cent of the share capital must be aged 21-44 at the time of application.

 Sands China launched its new F.I.T. programme for local Macao SME suppliers in April 2017. The new F.I.T. programme aims to continue driving procurement between Sands China and local SME suppliers, targeted at both existing and new local Sands China suppliers. With this programme, the company seeks to increase its spend on all three aforementioned types of local suppliers.
F.I.T. is comprised of three pillars: Financial Support, Invitational Matching, and Training and Development.

• Financial Support
  

   A Sands China Young Entrepreneur Advance Payment Programme is being created to help local young entrepreneurs who have limited financial capacity to run their business. It targets Macao young entrepreneurs with a staff of 15 or below, providing them with a 30 per cent advance payment on purchase orders.
       In 2019 April, Sands China has been closely communicated with the Local Banks and successfully cooperated with six Banks to launch the special financial support programme mainly for Sands China's SME Suppliers The six Banks included: Bank of China Macau Branch; ICBC Macau Branch; Bank of Communications Macau Branch; China Construction Bank Macau Branch; OCBC Wing Hang and BNU.

• Invitational Matching
  

   Sands China is hosting targeted trade shows, inviting local SMEs to go beyond simply meeting potential Sands China buyers. These invitational matching sessions take the process a step further by providing a platform for local SMEs to present and demonstrate their products and services to potential users and buyers at Sands China properties, with the company's full support. The goal is to enhance communication between vendors and users, and to improve the procurement success rate. The first and second invitational matching sessions concluded successfully in April and November 2017.

• Training and Development
  

   The Sands China Procurement Academy, inaugurated in June 2017, aims to develop local SME suppliers by sharing business knowledge and skills, helping them gain experience and capacity for working with large-scale international customers like Sands China. The academy offers tailor-made practical training modules to local SMEs, presenting them with a certificate upon graduating from the academy. Graduating suppliers will be given preferential procurement under otherwise equal circumstances. The first two graduation ceremonies of the Sands China Procurement Academy were held in October and November 2017, respectively.