Shareef, SWCC Governor, delivers a speech on behalf of Abdullah Bin Abdul Rahman Al-Hussayen, Minister of Water and Electricity, at the launch of the i-Supplier Portal in Riyadh, Tuesday. (Courtesy photo) RIYADH: The Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC) has become the first government entity in Saudi Arabia to introduce an electronic transformation program (e-TP) by unveiling the ambitious i-Supplier Portal at a function in Riyadh, Tuesday. The implementation of i-Supplier Portal at SWCC is part of Saudi Arabia's e-governance program, said Abdullah Bin Abdul Rahman Al-Hussayen, Minister of Water and Electricity, in an inaugural speech that was delivered on his behalf by Fehied Bin Fahd Al-Shareef, SWCC Governor. Muhammad Abdullah Al-Khedher, SWCC Director for e-TP and Detlev Daues, CEO V-Line, a Hanover-based company which is the largest supplier to SWCC were also present. Al-Hussayen said the i-Supplier Portal system has been developed by national teams to serve over 100 warehouses in 36 SWCC-run water plants in the west and east coast of Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia has allocated a budget of SR14.9 billion for water desalination in 2011, which the minister said was the largest such allocation in the history of the Kingdom. Al-Hussayen, who is also SWCC Board Chairman, said his ministry has been engaged in a number of projects in water desalination and the generation of electricity to be implemented during 2011. “The implementation of e-TP is a significant development which is in line with Saudi Arabia's policy of e-governance,” said the minister referring to the i-Supplier Portal that was officially launched by SWCC. Speaking on the occasion, Al-Shareef said the electronic transformation program (e-TP) started four years ago to prepare the corporation for a post-privatization era, which he said has entered its third phase “with a remarkable success.” Al-Shareef said the Electronic Transformation Program reflects the strategic decision taken by the SWCC Board to implement the latest in IT technology. “Today's launch speaks volumes about the contributions of the program to improving the quality of work, performance and productivity, and makes it a successful example for other entities to follow.” He said the overall supply volume exceeded SR9 billion in 2009, as the system automates all procurement processes, increases performance and production levels, keeping critical operational parts at certain levels, while avoiding low stocks of highly important items. The system quashes any need for paper requests, and manages discrepancy in supplies between suppliers and the geographically separated water plants inside the Kingdom. Moreover, it reduces efforts and costs improving efficiency and quality of work. The new system has enabled SWCC to easily unify various databases, and build an electronic archive that processes more than 16 million operational items in record time, and develop tools that facilitate quick internal communication between SWCC's employees, and external communications with its suppliers at national and international level. Over 2,500 employees can simultaneously access the system, he said. The number of employees is expected to reach 3,000 by the middle of this year, he said. The electronic transformation program (e-TP) at the Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC) has launched its iconic “i-Supplier Portal” which connects SWCC real-time with all its suppliers inside and outside the Kingdom. A live demonstration was presented by using the SCWW's i-Supplier Portal that connected V-Line, a German company based in Hanover through video conferencing. Al-Khedher has conducted online negotiations with officials of V-Line, SWCC's largest supplier of equipment for desalination plants. A deal was reached instantly in the presence of an audience comprised of senior company managers and IT executives from government and private sector companies. Al-Khedher said SWCC is the first government and private sector entity in the Kingdom to practically implement Oracle's i-Supplier Portal. The self-service system that SWCC implemented to serve over 10,000 employees is by far the largest in Saudi Arabia, he added.
