24th February, 2021 – His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, has issued a resolution appointing Tawazun Economic Council (Tawazun) to manage the procurements and contracts of the UAE Armed Forces and Abu Dhabi Police. The resolution also mandates Tawazun to enforce the execution of the Tawazun Economic Programme in the defence and security sectors.
As part of its new remit, Tawazun Economic Council is responsible for managing the procurement and acquisition process of the UAE Armed Forces and Abu Dhabi Police, covering the administrative, technical, contractual, legal and financial aspects, in addition to following up and supervising their execution. The responsibilities also include approving and awarding projects and contracts, and undertaking relevant executive procedures on contracting and related matters.
Tawazun is also in charge of preparing, managing, implementing, and allocating budget for procurement, and appearing before the concerned entities on all matters related to the financial aspects of procurement.
The mandate also includes registering suppliers and reviewing their requests, as well as revising and developing legislations and policies related to organising procurement to keep pace with the latest industry developments and best practices.
Furthermore, Tawazun is tasked with carrying out quality assurance activities with the aim of continuous improvement and addressing various stakeholder needs, challenges and complaints.
Matar Salem Al Dhaheri, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Defence, said, “This resolution will help us boost our collective efforts to enhance the UAE’s defence capabilities and achieve its strategic priorities through adopting international best practices in contract and procurement management. In doing so, we aim to drive continuous innovation and improvements in our supply chain system, while realising the country’s strategic objective of building a future-focused defence sector.”
Al Dhaheri added, “To ensure that the UAE’s national defence sector is well prepared to seize the opportunities emerging in the fast-paced security landscape, the country needs to focus on the utilisation of its national capabilities and create an enabling operational environment. As part of this priority, the UAE’s Ministry of defence routinely engages with its partners and stakeholders to shape a sustainable national defence sector that can deliver cutting-edge capabilities to our armed forces, while protecting our national interests and achieving the UAE’s economic diversification objectives.”
For his part, Major General Staff Pilot Faris Khalaf Al Mazrouei, Commander-in-Chief of the Abu Dhabi Police, reiterated the importance of the resolution in stepping up the cooperation between Tawazun and the General Headquarters of Abu Dhabi Police in addressing the requirements of the police forces through building an effective contract and procurement management system. “Doing so will allow the police forces to employ the latest technologies and innovative solutions to ensure a robust security system.”
He also reiterated the keenness of Abu Dhabi Police in driving local capacity building efforts and creating a favourable environment for the growth of the security sector, saying this will allow to effectively integrate small and medium-sized companies in the UAE into its supply chain.
For his part, Tareq Abdulraheem Al Hosani, Chief Executive Officer of Tawazun Economic Council, said, “We are proud of the UAE leadership’s confidence and unwavering support to Tawazun Economic Council. Tawazun has come a long way in enabling specialized defence and security companies in the country to adopt the latest technologies, such as artificial intelligence to efficiently meet the requirements of the armed forces and the police, in addition to creating multiple job opportunities for talented Emiratis.”
Al Hosani added, “Tawazun will closely work with the Ministry of Defence, the UAE Armed Forces, and Abu Dhabi Police to build on our collective strength and give a strong boost to national defence industries to promote the culture of excellence and competitiveness within the sector. Through drawing the active participation of national companies in the defence and security supply chain, we are set to witness a paradigm shift in the UAE’s defence sector.”
With a focus on economic development, Tawazun Economic Council is a key enabler of the UAE defence and security industry, and a trusted partner of the UAE Armed Forces and Abu Dhabi Police. Since its inception in 1992, Tawazun has been a key contributor to the UAE’s economic diversification activities and in laying the foundation for a sustainable home-grown defence industry.
