By Robert Stewart, CVS-Life, FSAVE, PMP, PMI-RMP – President, SAVE International
At this year’s Value Summit, those that attended may recall a presentation made by Hamza Al-Ghamdi where he discussed the efforts of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) to develop a Value Methodology (VM) program. I would like to provide a little background on this for our members.
SAVE International (SAVE) was approached by a KSA government agency called EXPRO (Government Expenditure & Projects Efficiency Authority) in December of 2023. They expressed interest in partnering with SAVE to develop a VM program to support KSA’s Saudi Vision 2030. This ambitious program seeks to transform the country into a destination for tourism and commerce and will engage in the development of thousands of infrastructures and social programs in the coming years. KSA recognized a need to ensure that this program delivers good value and has embraced the concept of VM.
Over the ensuing six months, SAVE and EXPRO worked together to develop a Memo of Understanding (MOU). This MOU identifies three key areas that SAVE and EXPRO will partner in:
- Value Methodology Qualification Center: Collaborate with EXPRO to build a qualification framework to promote VM within the Public Sector and to support the certification of SMEs through the SAVE certification process.
- Knowledge Sharing Events: Collaborate on organizing conferences, seminars, and webinars for sharing insights and best practices.
- Community of Practices: Organize a community of practice or forum that bring together EXPRO’s SMEs / Public Sector SMEs and professionals within the SAVE membership.
SAVE was invited by EXPRO to participate in a formal signing of the MOU on June 13, 2024. Click here to view photos from the event. I was honored to attend this event and to provide a one-day training event for EXPRO’s executive leadership. I found the EXPRO team to be highly engaged and motivated to develop a world class VM program. My Saudi hosts were extremely gracious and welcoming, and it was an enriching experience for me.
The VM community will soon be welcoming hundreds of new colleagues into our professional society and there will be opportunities to partner with EXPRO on their VM journey.
Over the coming weeks, SAVE and EXPRO will be working to operationalize this MOU as their program evolves. Stay tuned for additional news in the months ahead.
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