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with the design to implement this national oil & gas supplier registration system. After many rounds of brainstorming with all stakeholders, the overall architecture of the registration system was finalized and the Joint Supplier Registration System (JSRS) was born. Hosted on the Business Gateways portal (www.businessgateways. com) the project went live in July 2014 and has been picking up speed and popularity ever since. Today, the JSRS is a mandatory system for suppliers to be registered and certified in order to be eligible for business opportunities from the operators. The process of inducting a company in JSRS begins through an online registration and payment of subscription fee. The supplier company is then provided with an admin login credential on the National Business Framework (Tier 1) through which they can configure and integrate their departments and users (up to 50 per company). The Tier 1 philosophy is based on providing the Supplier with a B2B connectivity platform to help them stimulate their business by connecting with other companies (national and international) for new partnerships, better supply chain and to connect with Governmental bodies as well. Companies are also given a detailed profile which can double up as their website; a feature that is critical for SMEs in Oman. On completion of Tier 1, they are taken to Tier 2 which is specifically related to the Oil & Gas Industry and a detailed online Supplier Validation Form ought to be filled up. The submittal is then validated by BGI through our internal process and on approval, the supplier is deemed registered on the JSRS with an e-certificate issued to them. There is also a Tier 3 built in the JSRS that handle the supplier approval process of Operators and we are in discussions with all stakeholders on how best to go about implementing this Tier
in an unified manner within the Operator community. The Operator’s Contract & Procurement teams using the JSRS can view the complete detail of each supplier such as their company profile, products & services,
being implemented regularly for the smooth operation of the system. We want to ensure that the system is updated in technology and features and that the supplier’s usage of the system is as productive as possible. We work
THE JOINT SUPPLIER REGISTRATION SYSTEM TODAY IS A SUCCESS STORY WITH AROUND 17 OPERATORS UTILIZING THE SYSTEM FOR THEIR PROCUREMENT REQUIREMENTS WHILST CONNECTING TO THOUSANDS OF SUPPLIERS ONLINE WHO ARE CLASSIFIED AS SME, LARGE AND INTERNATIONAL certifications, ICV performance etc. They can also identify supplier document and compliance expiry triggers live on the system. The supplier list for their procurement can be downloaded based on an extensive search engine to meet their individual requirements. The JSRS houses a powerful analytics engine that help Operators graphically drill down to slice and dice supplier data based on various metrics in order to create supplier sets for their potential procurement events. The JSRS today is a success story with around 17 operators utilizing the system for their procurement requirements whilst connecting to thousands of Suppliers online who are classified as SME, Large and International. The platform hosts more than 40,000 registered products & services of suppliers across different categories with hundreds of companies visiting the portal daily. Business Gateways in the background, proactively engages with the suppliers to understand their needs, monitor their progress and handle supplier support through a wide range of support systems in constant coordination with MOG and Operators. So, is the work done? Not at all! On the contrary, it has just started! The JSRS is a continuous workin-progress with refinements
closely with the Operators, OPAL and the Project Management Office (PMO) of MOG to find out ways and means to connect better with the supplier community. Business Gateways is also acutely aware of the fact that the JSRS must be propagated to the world community and we strive to do that through regular Roadshows, Seminars and Supplier Training programs within various regions in Oman and in other countries as well. Keeping in line with our mandate, the JSRS plans to be the vehicle to propel Omani companies to the international markets and efforts are underway to implement this. For us at Business Gateways, it has been a tremendous challenge and learning experience, not just in designing and developing a unique IT Portal of this nature but also in implementing and maintaining this powerful system. As an Omani IT company whose workforce comprises more than 70% Omanis, we owe our gratitude to the Ministry of Oil & Gas and the Operators who showed their confidence in us and constantly given us the motivation and encouragement to implement a challenging project of this nature. The JSRS is truly a success story for Oman’s Oil & Gas Industry!