MeRLIN, has been shortlisted by the Department of Finance (DoF), Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) to digitalise its public procurement systems for enhanced efficiency, accountability, and transparency across all operations.

The collaboration is well-aligned with the UAE leadership’s ongoing efforts to maximise efficiencies across public and private sector industries through digitalization.

Mohammed Hassan Alnoman, Chairman of RheinBrücke Middle East, and Yousuf Ali Mohammed, Director General of Department of Finance, Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) signed the project charter agreement for POC in the presence of senior representatives of the two entities.

Digitalisation and a shift in consumer preferences during the pandemic has disrupted the industry across the Middle East and this trend appears poised to grow.

According to the International Data Corporation, the Middle East, Turkey and Africa (META) region is expected to spend $20 billion on digital transformation initiatives this year and up to $40 billion by 2022.

Under the terms of the POC project charter, Department of Finance, Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) will leverage MeRLIN, a strategic sourcing solution that offers seamlessly integrated sourcing process automation.

In addition, MeRLIN is mandated to assist the department with supplier relationship management and planning and offer advanced analytics support in its digital transformation journey. MeRLIN is also set to enable the department to meet its national development objectives of enhancing the efficiency and delivery of public service, developing human capital, and boosting the private sector’s contribution to the national GDP.    

His Excellency Mohammed Hassan Alnoman, said: “We are pleased to partner with Department of Finance, Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) in its digital transformation efforts that will significantly optimise process and system efficiencies to ultimately ensure it surpasses customer expectations.

“RheinBrücke’s MeRLIN is at the forefront in enabling entities to improve business processes and maximise human potential through increasing employee productivity and lowering operational costs. Our team expertise lies in finding innovative products to solve our partners’ most complex business challenges.”

He added: “Through implementing MeRLIN, Department of Finance, Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) will see its teams become more flexible and agile and stay two steps ahead in today’s highly competitive business environment. The digital roadmap for end-to-end automation of sourcing and procurement will significantly enhance the department’s ability to reach out to smaller suppliers and prospective customers.

The RheinBrücke team will work with Executives of Department of Finance and will work very closely with Executives of Electronic Government Authority (EGA) taking their guidance to ensure the solution meets the stringent security and integration requirements of EGA “

Yousuf Ali Mohammed, said: “As part of our efforts to enhance our digital infrastructure and capabilities across all operations, this project will enable us to introduce the most advanced practices that comply with the highest standards in the country’s government sector. We are committed to continuously enhancing the financial planning process, budgeting and public procurement to achieve greater financial control, transparency and efficiency. Our vision is to shape a competitive ecosystem that keeps pace with the changes taking place in our industry. We aspire to lead the way in scaling up efficiencies of the financial, accounting and public procurement function in government departments. Through this synergy with RheinBrücke’, we seek to create a world-class digital Public Procurement ecosystem in Ras Al Khaimah.”

Department of Finance, Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) and RheinBrücke have commenced POC of the strategic partnership to digitally transform the procurement experience. The MeRLIN solution is in current phase focusing on five processes related to the procurement cycle of the government, including vendor management and registration, tendering, auction management, supplier invoice management and spend management.

MeRLIN is modular, flexible, configurable and easy to deploy platform that is will be globally available on Microsoft Azure. In the UAE, it has partnered with Moro Hub (www.morohub.com) and is poised to become the go-to solution for the strategic sourcing needs of public sector enterprises and other non-public sector enterprise sourcing organisations.

The 2021 Arab Aviation Summit (AAS), region’s leading aviation and tourism industry event, held at Al Hamra International Exhibition & Conference Centre in Ras Al Khaimah (RAK).

The eighth edition of the two-day summit brings together experts to discuss the impact of the pandemic on the industry, the aftermath, and the road to recovery for a stronger future, under the theme, ‘Arab Aviation in the New Normal.’