The Department of Economic Development (DED) in Abu Dhabi organized a workshop in its headquarters to introduce the private sector companies that specialize in fulfilling transactions to a project that focuses on outsourcing the economic licenses services in return for a fee of 100 AED for each service. This includes the advertisement permits services, the renewal of the “commercial, tourism and industrial” license, and the payment of tickets and inquiry.
His Excellency Mohmaed Munif Al Mansouri, CEO of Abu Dhabi Business Center, said that the project of outsourcing the economic licenses services to the private sector will enable the Center to focus on providing high quality services to businessmen and investors, such as the business support services and the information and consultancy services related to all economic licenses transactions.
He explained that outsourcing the services to the private sector is a first-of-its-kind step by the DED in the Emirate. This step will help reinforce partnership between the governmental bodies and the private sector across Abu Dhabi, and will also support the efforts that aim to activate the role of the private sector as a strategic partner in the achievement of economic development in the Emirate.
Moreover, AL Mansouri explained that the digital transformation of all the economic licenses transactions has significantly contributed to the implementation of the outsourcing project of the economic licenses services. This will help support the national competencies in the private sector considering that the services outsourcing companies are required to appoint a certain number of nationals and enable them to contribute to the business sector by contracting with them (as a service provider) to provide economic licenses services to the customers through its affiliated centers.
Furthermore, His Excellency Al Mansouri emphasized that the DED aims through this project to develop the channels through which its services are provided by introducing a new, first-of-its-kind approach to service fulfillment in the Emirate through an institutional partnership with the private sector that allows it to have the right to provide services on its behalf as per the excellent service standards.
He also pointed out that the DED is currently working on implementing the second phase of the economic licenses services outsourcing project in the three regions of the Emirate (Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, Al Thafra) where other services will be added to the services that were outsourced during the first phase and gradually until all the economic licenses services are outsourced during this phase.
Over 30 representatives of the companies specialized in transactions fulfillment through “Tasheel” system of the Ministry of Human Resources and Nationalization participated in the workshop. In the workshop, the participants talked about the service scope that needs to be implemented by the companies to be contracted with for one renewable year for a total of four services.
The DED stated that these services include all kinds of permits services, the renewal of economic licenses, the payment of the economic licenses tickets, and the economic activities inquiry services. It also explained all the technical specifications and requirements and the operational standards of the outsourcing centers within the economic licenses services outsourcing document.
Moreover, the workshop explained all the steps that the DED will implement to complete the outsourcing project during the coming phase beginning this month. This includes receiving the applications, signing the service level agreements, training the staff, and launching the service to the people.
The DED had devised a plan to outsource the “commercial, industrial and tourism” economic licenses services that it commenced with one of the private sector’s companies last year in which it relied on the gradual principle through several stages. In the first experimental stage, it focused on the less risky and less complicated services in terms of the technical, organizational, administrative and other requirements, as well as the outsourcing of its services through the centers affiliated with the companies in Musaffah Area to check the success of the service provision to meet the customers’ needs.