Sands China Inaugurates 7th Cohort of Local SME Suppliers Into Sands Procurement Academy

Nearly 180 local SME suppliers have completed the programme to date

(Macao, Sept. 23, 2020) – Sands China Ltd. inaugurated the latest cohort of local SME suppliers into the Sands Procurement Academy Wednesday, at a ceremony at The Venetian^® Macao’s Adelson Advanced Education Centre. It is the seventh group of local SME suppliers to enrol in the complimentary training initiative to date.

Co-organised with the Macao Chamber of Commerce and the Macau Productivity and Technology Centre (CPTTM), the Sands Procurement Academy promotes the development of local SME suppliers by sharing business knowledge and skills. The academy’s goal is to help the SMEs gain experience and capacity for working with large-scale international corporations like Sands China, targeted at four categories of local suppliers: small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), micro-enterprises, Macao young entrepreneurs, and “Made-in-Macao” enterprises. administrative departments.

The Sands Procurement Academy is a first-of-its-kind industry training concentrating on practical knowledge for participating SMEs; graduates of the programme have given very positive feedback on the impact to their businesses.

Wednesday’s latest group of 25 suppliers comprise a mix of Sands China suppliers and those that are potential new suppliers. Among them, 19 had run complimentary booths at the Sands Shopping Carnival in August. The three-day event provided a free business platform for local SMEs to present and demonstrate their products and services amid the pandemic period, and attracted more than 100,000 visits.

They are only the second group to take the academy’s newest course, Macao labour law fundamentals, conducted by Sands China’s human resources department.

Close to 180 local SME suppliers have graduated from the academy to date. Graduating suppliers receive a certificate and are given preferential procurement opportunities under otherwise equal circumstances.

“Sands China remains committed to raising the capacity of local SME suppliers to be able to work with any multinational corporation like Sands China,” said Charlie Cai, vice president of procurement and supply chain for Venetian Macau Limited. “We have seen very encouraging results with the suppliers that have already graduated, many of whom have seen measurable growth since completing our training programme. We look forward to serving this newest group of local SMEs and wish them much success.”

The Sands Procurement Academy supports the third pillar of the company’s F.I.T. programme, which offers Financial Support, Invitational Matching, and Training and Development. F.I.T. targets both existing and new local Sands China suppliers as part of Sands China’s Local Small, Medium and Micro Suppliers Support Programme. It seeks to continually increase and strengthen procurement between Sands China and local SME suppliers by enhancing their capabilities.

The academy’s participating local SME suppliers learn through tailor-made practical training modules, presented by lecturers with diverse areas of expertise. The programme’s modules comprise six topics: quality assurance, Macao labour law fundamentals, logistics management, supplier code of conduct, procurement contract basics, and procurement process and system overview.

Sands China’s Local Small, Medium and Micro Suppliers Support Programme is in line with the Macao government’s initiative to “buy local” and demonstrates Sands China’s commitment to supporting local enterprises as part of the company’s corporate social responsibility efforts. It is part of Sands China’s supplier relationship management strategy, which guides the company’s long-standing effort to support local suppliers, whom it views as its strategic partners.

Photo caption: Sands China inaugurates a group of 25 local SME suppliers into the Sands Procurement Academy Wednesday at The Venetian Macao’s Adelson Advanced Education Centre. Since 2017, the ongoing training initiative has helped local suppliers gain experience and capacity for working with large-scale enterprises like Sands China Ltd.