محمد زعيتر

Specialized Procurement Categories:
- Construction projects’ procurement
- Facilities Management, maintenance and fit-out projects’ procurement
- Business support functions’ procurement such as HR, IT, Admin, etc...

Key Responsibilities:
- Establish the strategy for the section in line with Union Coop priorities and strategies.
- Prepare and manage the annual budget for the section in conjunction with the organization budget and secure subsequent approval, track expenditure and ensure adherence to the budget.
- Forecast the workforce requirements for the section and develop workforce plan accordingly, in discussion with the Chief Business Support Officer.
- Participate with Compliance & Risk section for identifying any risk that may affect area of business activities and hinder the organization from achieving its objectives.
- Manage procurement activities, including sourcing vendors, negotiating contracts, and purchasing goods and services.
- Coordinate with Tender Committee and follow up on Tenders/Auction Procedures.
- Prepare reports on PO, maintain records of PO and review previous PO for decision making.
- Manage supplier database including the supplier registration/prequalification forms.
- Monitor and track procurement budgets, expenditures, and cost-saving opportunities.
- Ensure compliance with procurement policies, regulations and ethical standards.
- Lead and supervise the procurement team; providing guidance, training, and performance evaluations.
- Collaborate with other departments to assess their procurement needs and provide support/guidance where required.
- Streamline procurement processes and implement best practices to improve efficiency and effectiveness.
- Stay informed about industry trends, market conditions, and new procurement technologies to drive invocation and improvement.
- Prepare reports on procurement activities, performance metrics, and cost-saving initiatives for management.
- Continuously evaluate and optimize the procurement strategy to align with organizational goals and objectives.
- Ensure compliance to Union Coop Tender procedures.
- Supervision, coordination, and management of all Union Coop administrative contracts.
- Define goals and key performance indicators for section and direct reports.
- Develop talent within the team by providing guidance and support to achieve the targets.
- Ensure capability development of the employees by diving training and development initiatives in the section.
- Ensure objective periodic administration of the performance appraisal process followed by monitoring of feedback implementation for the team.

Specialized Procurement Categories:
- Construction & infrastructure projects’ procurement - Developer (DHCC Phase 2 - Al Jaddaf)
- Facilities Management, maintenance and fit-out projects’ procurement - Developer (DHCC Phase 1 - Oud Metha)

Key Responsibilities:
- Provided input in pre-contract development, supported in the preparation of tender documents and reviewed procurement related proposals to ensure tendering/procurement processes are conducted in the most efficient manner.
- Collaborated with internal stakeholders to develop Request for Proposals (RFPs) and ensured their requirements are well defined in line with the procurement governing policies and organizational guidelines.
- Served as the point-of-contact for providing contractual advice and guidance across the organization and led the development of purchasing expertise to meet the needs of various internal departments/stakeholders.
- Undertook administration of the existing agreements and addressed any issues with the vendors on behalf of the organization.
- Carried out full procurement cycle including tender process for FM services as well as major fit-out and infrastructure projects.
- Drafted and issued contracts, Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs), Letters of Acceptance (LOA) and established long-term agreements with key suppliers in line with internal budgets.
- Supported in building long term relationships with key suppliers in order to facilitate critical procurement transactions.
- Obtained compliant offers from vendors, reviews commercially, negotiated rates, finalized contract conditions and provided recommendations for award.
- Managed vendors’ contracts including but not limited to valuation of variations, managing disputes, review payment applications and closing projects commercially.
- Prepared payment certificates, various reports and documents as requested by the senior management.

In November 2020, I decided to take a career break to pursue personal goals such as starting my business “Scent Up Perfumes Trading LLC” whilst taking responsibility of my own professional development during this period.

Overall Responsibilities:
- Establishing the procurement policies/procedures of the company.
- Working with other business partners on the financial models.
- Establishing the procurement related forms to be used moving forward with the business RFQs, evaluation and award.
- Exploring local and international markets to identify potential sources of supply.
- Leading the negotiations with vendors and legal consultants.

In June 2020, Meraas procurement was merged with Tecom procurement. As part of the of restructuring process, my position title was changed to Manager - Sourcing within Tecom.


Designation Chronology:
- June 2020 - November 2020: Manager - Sourcing at Tecom
- February 2018 - May 2020: Manager - Procurement at Meraas
- January 2016 - January 2018: Assistant Manager - Procurement at Meraas
- August 2014 - December 2015: Senior Officer - Procurement at Meraas

Joined the organization as Senior Officer - Procurement and moved up the career hierarchy meriting 2 promotions to the position of Manager - Procurement ultimately through exceptional performance.

Specialized Procurement Category:
Community Management, FM, maintenance and fit-out projects’ procurement - Developer

Key Projects to Credit:
- Retail Malls: City Walk, The Beach, Box Park
- Residential: Bluewaters Residences, City Walk Residences, Bvlgari Residences, Nikki Beach Residences, Discovery Garden Buildings, Umm Al Shief Villas, Bayti Villa Compounds, Umm Suqeim Villas, Dunes Village
- Commercial: Jebel Ali Warehouses, Jebel Ali Labor Accommodations, Lehbab Business Center
- Islands: Jumeira Bay, Pearl Jumeirah, La Mer, Bluewaters

Highlights:
Successfully handled tenders to the tune of 500 Million Dirham approximately while generating savings of more than 15% against budget.

Key Responsibilities:
- Managed all the procurement activities of Meraas Group other than construction related procurement across all business units as per the approved budget allocation.
- Contributed to the development of procurement, tendering and contract management policies and procedures.
- Managed all the requisitions of supply of goods and services through a centralized ERP system (Oracle).
- Took part of a cohesive procurement strategy that aligns with the organizational standards and ensures that the goods and services purchased are of supreme quality and at the most competitive market prices.
- Established vendor qualification benchmarks and administered vendor prequalification process while regularly updating the approved vendor list to achieve maximum cost saving and avoid any possible delays in project.
- Negotiated extensively for favorable pricing, payment terms, delivery schedules and high product quality.
- Established close rapport with key vendors demanding economies to scale; enforcing contracts while approving or renewing relationships based on past performance and responsiveness.
- Generated reports that involve compilation of critical purchasing data including savings and spend analysis report for improved decision making for future business operations.
- Supervised procurement staff efficiently to achieve the best productivity scales and reviewed quotation and purchase orders prepared.

Specialized Procurement Category:
Construction projects’ procurement - Main Contractor

Key Projects to Credit:
- Tower Projects (Infinity/ Lillian/ Saraya)
- Villa (Al Bashra/ Arabian Ranches/ Silicon Oasis)
- Fairmont Hotel

Key Responsibilities:
- Delineated project plans/ scope to understand technical resources required to execute projects efficiently and safely. Outlined quantity, quality and technical specifications in the RFP’s as per client’s requirements and budget allotted.
- Scrutinized bids to identify suppliers offering best in class quality and competitive prices; negotiated beneficial terms and developed purchase orders/ contracts specifying service levels while enforced a strong escalation process in case of any deviation.
- Cultivated professional relationships and negotiated effectively with key suppliers/ vendors. Maintained a continuous flow of resources while demanded economies of scale to minimize costs without impacting quality.
- Worked in close coordination with engineers, suppliers, purchasers and inspectors to maintain project uniformity and integrity; processed purchase orders for payments after detailed verification and inspection of materials delivered.

Key Projects to Credit:
- Oasis Hospital (Al Ain)
- Sheikh Khalifa Interchange (Abu Dhabi)

Key Responsibilities:
- Planned, coordinated and organized schedule of activities from project conception stage up till implementation and final handover with close tabs on assigned deadlines in close coordination with Site Construction Manager
- Outlined resource requirements (materials, equipment and labor), deployed them to their best advantage. Addressed all problems related to project instantly to minimize delays.
- Closely monitored schedules; maintained up to date records of all critical project details and prepared requisite reports thereof for Site Construction Manager’s review.
- Supervised work of labor and assured conformance to project specifications including quality, cost/ budget and time-plan whilst complying with all health and safety requirements at site.