SME Excellence List will be a key contributor to the overall development of the SME eco-system in Qatar. At its core, the SME Excellence List is aimed at:
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Providing a platform for SMEs to showcase their excellence
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Recognizing the top performing SMEs in Qatar
- Creating a
motivational atmosphere within the business community in Qatar
- Creating a culture of adoption of
best practices and business excellence (quality, audited financials, governance, management structure, etc.)
Who are eligible to apply for SME Excellence list?
To be eligible for the SME Excellence List, an enterprise must meet the following criteria;
Type of company:
- A commercial, for-profit enterprise, engaged in value-added economic activity in Qatar
- Based in Qatar with a minimum 51% of Qatari shareholding
- Qualifying as an SME as per the official Qatar
SME definition
Existence in Qatar:
- In existence in Qatar for a minimum period of 3 years at the time of application
- Holding a valid Commercial Registration number in Qatar
Willingness to share information:
- Willing to disclose financial statements for the past 3 years for the purpose of screening as well as performance evaluation. Un-audited financial statements will be considered for assessment; however enterprises with Audited Financial statements will be given a preference in the SME Excellence List.
- Once shortlisted for evaluation, the enterprise will be required to participate in the interviews, and site visits. They will also be required to furnish additional documents to support and validate the discussions during/after the site visits.
What are the Benefits of Participation?
- The List will provide greater credibility and visibility to the SME across Government entities as well as the Private sector. Featuring in the SME Excellence List will help the SME position itself as one of the top-performers in the sector and thus assist them to win coveted procurement contracts
- Featuring in the SME Excellence List will enable SMEs to be looked upon as professional enterprises and thus attract a skilled pool of employees
- All the above will consequently improve the competitiveness of the SME in Qatar
- Additionally, the publication featuring the top performing SMEs shall be showcased locally, regionally and globally providing the SMEs greater visibility.
What is the process to apply for SME Excellence List?
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Application: Eligible SMEs complete an Application Form and upload all the requested documents online
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Initial Filtering: Applicant SMEs are shortlisted by the independent evaluators based on financial performance of the SME
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Site Visit Meetings: Shortlisted Applicant SMEs are evaluated during a detailed site-visit by an independent evaluator. These evaluators will assign performance scores to the SMEs based on a defined set of financial and non-financial parameters.
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Financial Parameters include: Growth in Turnover, Growth in Profits etc.
- Non-Financial Parameters include: Entrepreneurship, Innovation & Technology Adoption, Employee Development & Retention, International Orientation, Localization, Corporate Excellence, Quality Orientation and Environmental Care & Protection.
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Final Evaluation: An Independent Technical Panel will validate the scores and ranking
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SME Excellence List 2018 Event: Final list of top performing SMEs will be announced and a publication featuring the top performing SMEs will be published
Terms & Conditions for Participation:
- The applicant can either be a holding company or a subsidiary. Thus the owner will need to decide which is the best application to be included in the current ranking cycle. Both the Holding company and the subsidiary cannot participate in the SME Excellence List, in the same cycle of evaluation.
- If the subsidiary participates it must follow the thresholds laid out in the Qatar SME Definition.
- Government entities and not-for-profit entities are not eligible for participation
- Enterprises who are a branch of a foreign company or a franchise of an international brand are not eligible for participation
- SMEs which have a direct / indirect investment from a QDB employee are not eligible for participation
- SMEs should display a distinct value add benefit to the economy
- SMEs with a favorable Credit Bureau Report would be given a due consideration for short-listing. SMEs with adverse Credit Bureau Report might not be considered for further evaluations.
- By entering the ranking process, the SME agrees to be contacted by the independent evaluator
- The Technical Panel reserves the right to relax / modify the qualification criteria.
- This is a ranking program; and the Technical Committees decision will be deemed as final.
Frequently Asked Questions(FAQ)