Sands Procurement Academy Welcomes 8th Cohort of Local SME Suppliers

Nearly 200 local SME suppliers graduated to date

(Macao, Nov. 5, 2020) – The Sands Procurement Academy inaugurated its latest cohort of local SME suppliers into the programme Wednesday with a ceremony at The Venetian^® Macao’s Adelson Advanced Education Centre. It is the eighth group of local SME suppliers to date to take advantage of Sands China’s complimentary training initiative.

The Sands Procurement Academy is co-organised with the Macao Chamber of Commerce and the Macau Productivity and Technology Centre (CPTTM). The programme shares business knowledge and skills with local SME suppliers to promote the development of their businesses. The academy’s goal is to help SMEs gain experience and capacity for working with large-scale international corporations like Sands China, and specifically targets four types of local suppliers: small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), micro-enterprises, Macao young entrepreneurs, and “Made-in-Macao” enterprises.

Focused on delivering practical knowledge to its participating SMEs, the Sands Procurement Academy is a first-of-its-kind industry training. The programme’s graduates have consistently returned positive feedback from their participation in the academy’s courses and on the impact it has had to their businesses.

Wednesday’s inauguration group consisted of 36 suppliers, comprising a mix of Sands China suppliers and potential new suppliers. Some of them had operated complimentary booths at the Sands Shopping Carnival in August and some will be participating in the Macau Jiangmen Chamber of Commerce – Guangdong-Macao Quality Life Exhibition in December.

Since the launch of the academy in 2017, close to 200 local SME suppliers have graduated. In addition to receiving a completion certificate, graduates are given preferential procurement opportunities with Sands China under otherwise equal circumstances.

“It has been very encouraging to see the success of the Sands Procurement Academy and the successes of its participants,” said Charlie Cai, vice president of procurement and supply chain for Venetian Macau Limited. “The inauguration of this eighth cohort of local SME suppliers is proof positive of the programme’s appeal, and of its ability to help raise the capacity of local enterprises to take their operations to a higher level. We are very pleased to see increasing numbers of them working as suppliers with Sands China and with our fellow integrated resort operators in Macao. We looking forward to continuing to offer local SME suppliers our support and we welcome all to join the academy.”

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: logistics management, quality assurance, procurement contracts, procurement process and system overview, supplier code of conduct, and Macao labour law fundamentals.

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