Business & Money | Thursday 26 July, 2018 1:50 am |

The Ministry of Finance’s digital portal Etimad, to streamline services for the public and private sector, has gone online. 

Etimad allows government entities and private sector contractors to make use of the digital services for procurement, budget management, vendor selection, and contract and payments management. 

Ahmed Al-Suwayan, deputy minister of technology and development for the Ministry of Finance, said: “The platform will ensure effective communication between the ministry and public and private sector contractors. 

“It will also boost transparency, improve performance efficiency, and minimize the administrative and procedural delays between the Ministry of Finance and the beneficiaries in many areas.” 

For private sector contractors, the thinking is that the new online platform will break down many obstacles for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), opening up new opportunities.

Entrepreneur Ahmed Aljbreen, co-founder and managing director at Smaat Co., said: “The Etimad platform will enable an easy access for all SMEs to government tenders, which will ensure fair competition, increased transparency, and greater opportunities.”