26 Jan 2014

Botswana economy can benefit immensely from improved productivity and customer focused quality services and products that meet international standards.

This was said by finance and development planning minister, Mr Kenneth Matambo, when officiating at the handing over ceremony of the Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Board (PPADB) BOS ISO 9001:2008 Quality Management System (QMS) certification, on January 24.

He  said creating a customer-centric mindset at all levels of the economy would boost productivity and improve Botswana’s competitiveness globally, because “the customer of today demands decent service from government, parastatal and private entities.”

The PPADB’s journey to ISO, Mr Matambo noted, began in earnest in 2012, following a strategic decision by its board to adopt a QMS in its quest to improve customer service and efficiency.

The management’s commitment towards this ISO certification, he said, was demonstrated through training of staff and internal auditors, as well as committing both financial and human resources to the initiative.

He also said ISO standards were strategic tools that drew on international expertise and experience to help businesses and other entities promote efficiency, improve productivity and enhance customer satisfaction.

Therefore, by integrating ISO standards into its mandate, he said PPADB assured the public of improved quality of services and continuous performance improvement.

“PPADB is implementing a QMS with well-established and documented processes which enable it to continually improve effectiveness in accordance with the requirements of ISO 9001:2008,” he added.

In her welcome remarks, PPADB executive chairperson, Ms Bridget John, said the certification was a clear demonstration of the hard work and commitment by the organisation’s staff.

“Achieving this certification represents a major milestone for our organization and demonstrates our full commitment to quality in all the services that we provide,” she addedMs John said PPADB was committed to be the centre of excellence in public procurement and asset disposal by 2018, “which is why we aligned ourselves with an international quality standard.”

To pursue this vision, she said PPADB would lead a devolved, efficient, cost effective public procurement and asset disposal system in Botswana.

Meanwhile  Botswana Bureau of Standards (BOBS) managing director, Ms Masego Marobela, commended PPADB for the effort and commitment that it demonstrated through the implementation of a QMS, saying the organization earned its BOS ISO 9001 certification.

This certificate, BOBS managing director said was issued in recognition of PPADB‘s quality management system, which were assessed by BOBS and found to be in conformity with the requirements of the BOS ISO 9001:2008 standards.

The certification process, she said required commitment, dedication and ownership from top management cascaded to all levels in an organization. BOBS managing director advised that to maintain its certification status, PPADB management had to ensure that there was continued satisfaction and conformance with the requirements that formed the basis of the certification.

PPADB applied for QMS certification in March 2013 and went through the rigorous audit activities involving a two stage audit process, corrective actions, implementation and a follow up audit which culminated in its certification in November 2013.

As a BOBS ISO 9001 certified organization, PPADB would now have the privilege to fly BOS ISO 9001 certification flag at its premises, as well as to use the BOBS certification logo on publicity and advertising material for promotional purposes.

With this certification, PPADB is also assured of; improved productivity and reduction in non-complying products and services as work is done according to laid down procedures, reduction in operational costs as work is done effectively, improved service delivery to stakeholders as the standard calls for customer focus and a strong basis for continual improvement. ENDS