RBM trains businesses in tender process
CONTINUING its commitment to upskilling local communities, Richards Bay Minerals (RBM) hosted a two-day supplier development training in eSikhaleni.
Initiated last year, the programme develops Small, Medium, and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) by sharing pivotal information.
Four key outcomes of the programme are: to build capacity within the SMMEs to identify new markets and business opportunities; to thoroughly analyse tender documents; to develop proper costing for tenders; and to properly complete tender documents.
For the programme, RBM’s Rio Tinto Procurement (RTP) partnered with Zizzy SkillsTraining, a local skills development trainer.
Vash Nair, RTP Africa business partner, said the training was an important outcome of the recent engagement sessions hosted in communities by RBM’s Procurement and Community Relations teams.
One of the concerns raised during these sessions was that RBM’s procurement processes are difficult for local SMMEs looking to tender for opportunities at the mine.
‘This training speaks to our commitment to build sustainable local businesses that can benefit from opportunities, both at RBM and with other businesses in the area,’ said Nair.
‘We were encouraged by the number of business owners who participated in the training.
‘We hope the skills shared will enable these SMMEs to take advantage of future opportunities as they grow their businesses and unlock value for our local communities.’
Speaking after the training, Nokwanda Dubazane said the information shared would make it easier to submit a consolidated tender bidding document.
A certificate of attendance was issued to each of the 25 businesses that attended the two-day training programme.