A five-day training program on Public Procurement and Contracts Management was formally inaugurated on 4th November 2024 at the Toshali Sands Resort, Puri. The event, organized by the National Productivity Council (NPC), Regional Directorate, Bhubaneswar, was graced by the esteemed presence of Chief Guest, Shri Samarendra Sahu, Advisor, KIIT-TBI.
The inaugural session began with an eloquent welcome address by Mr. Shyama Prasad, Deputy Director of NPC, Bhubaneswar, who extended a warm reception to the distinguished delegates from organizations such as RailTel, Balmer Lawrie, TRAI and Yantra India Ltd., Ordinance Factory Katni. Mr. Prasad provided an insightful overview of the program’s objectives and the schedule of activities that would unfold over the coming days.
In his keynote address, Shri Sahu shared valuable insights from his professional journey, inspiring the participants with his deep passion for the welfare of the MSME sector. He underscored the significance of knowledge-sharing and its potential to foster adoption of best practices in procurement and contracts management. He also made a special appeal to the delegates to play a catalyst role in promoting the MSME units with which they are interacting in the process of procurement of their products. He emphasized the need for supporting such units for their skill and technology upgradation and marketing support beyond the mandatory procurement requirements.
In this context, Shri Sahu proposed that the Agencies participating in the programme may consider setting up of CFCs (Common Facility Centres) on a cluster mode to provide technology support to the participating MSMEs. The CFCs can set up improved tools and machineries and quality testing facilities for better finishing and quality improvement of products of participating MSMEs.
Such CFCs can be set up through the CSR provision of the Procuring Agencies. Shri Sahu also mentioned that procuring agencies may encourage the participating MSMEs to take advantage of schemes such as MSME Competitive(Lean) Scheme, ZED and Digital MSME of Ministry of MSME to increase the competitiveness of such MSMEs. He offered that KIIT TBI, as the partner organization of both National Productivity Council (NPC) and Quality Council of India (QCI) to implement the Lean Manufacturing Scheme of Ministry of MSME, would come forward to undertake lean certification of the vendor MSMEs.
Shri Sahu also provided an in-depth discussion on the e-tendering process, the Public Procurement Policy for Micro and Small Enterprises, and the special funding opportunities available for start-ups. His remarks resonated deeply with the attendees, offering both practical insights and a vision for supporting the growth of the MSME sector.
The session concluded with Shri Sahu being felicitated by Mr. Shyama Prasad, who extended his heartfelt gratitude to all participants. The event wrapped up with a vote of thanks, acknowledging the contributions of everyone involved in making the program a success.
This training program promises to be an enriching experience for all attendees, fostering learning and collaboration in the crucial fields of public procurement and contract management.