UEM Sunrise Berhad is one of Malaysia’s top property developers, delivering high quality and successful property development projects - such as The Connaught One (image above is an artist impression) - using registered vendors fostered with the company’s best practices through its Bumiputera Vendor Empowerment Agenda (BVEA) programme.
BUILDING trust is a key component in establishing a successful business. It’s just as the ‘Oracle of Omaha’ (Warren Buffett) once said, “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it”.
When trust exists between a business and client, commerce for goods or services flows and expands as customers know to be reliable on the business that delivers on promises time after time. However, a business would not be able to show their worth and capability to develop further if it were not given a chance to shine.
Recognising this, Telcowin Sdn Bhd chief executive officer Hafiz Izwan Mohd Arifin was quick to register his humble digital asset management company that began with only five staff, to be part of the Bumiputera Vendor Empowerment Agenda (BVEA) of UEM Sunrise Berhad (UEM Sunrise), a wholly-owned subsidiary of UEM Group Berhad.
Never in his wildest dreams would Hafiz have thought that this small venture of his would be delivering multifaceted digital solutions to large-scale development projects not long after working with the property developer.
“Telcowin began our project with UEM Sunrise in 2019 with only a team of 15 staff - we concluded the project in 2020 with 80 staff. Before working with UEM Sunrise, we were not as confident that we could take up projects of this magnitude.
“But throughout our journey and experience with UEM Sunrise’s BVEA programme since 2019, we have grown in terms of resources, capacity, skill and experience in delivering solutions to large companies and conglomerates.
“UEM Sunrise gave us the opportunity and trust to deliver complex projects, whereby it’s a digital transformation - spanning across marketing, sales, and customer service altogether - as opposed to the simpler projects such as digital marketing that we used to take on,” he shares.
Describing UEM Sunrise’s BVEA programme as a “springboard” for businesses, Hafiz notes that Telcowin has been able to expand its business to other industries such as oil and gas, media, energy, financial services, and export its services to the region due to the adoption of UEM Sunrise’s best practices.
“Among some of its best practices include having a steering committee. It taught us structure for communication, project and stakeholder management, all of which were introduced to us by UEM Sunrise.
Telcowin Sdn Bhd chief executive officer Hafiz Izwan Mohd Arifin (left) and Strategi Jati Sdn Bhd executive director Zunaidi Abd Wahab were provided with great development and growth opportunities as vendors of UEM Sunrise’s Bumiputera Vendor Empowerment Agenda (BVEA) programme. —AZLINA ABDULLAH/The Star
“Documentation was also one of the structural habits Telcowin adopted since working with UEM Sunrise. Every project after that concluded, we followed the processes we learnt which is of a global standard - elevating our professionalism.”
Noting that UEM Sunrise is very supportive towards its vendors, he says the property developer often encourages and enables its vendors to evolve through valuable tips and tricks.
He called on fellow Bumiputera vendors to join the BVEA programme that would test their businesses’ capabilities and elevate skills - helping them provide better services to the people, communities and country.
“Because of UEM Sunrise’s project, Telcowin has been honoured as the 2020 APAC Partner of the Year Award for multi cloud implementation. This is something we are very proud of,” says Hafiz.
Sharing his sentiments, fellow BVEA participant Strategi Jati Sdn Bhd executive director Zunaidi Abd Wahab says UEM Sunrise organises and provides leadership training, strategic planning and finance, among others for the betterment of its vendors. These are in addition to quarterly visits to provide insights, ideas and strategic steps for its vendors.
“UEM Sunrise helped improve our internal processes by helping to plan and design a more effective management system that can ensure sustainable progress overtime. Among them is to draw up key performance indicators (KPIs) for the company and staff, determine the direction, vision and mission of the company, as well as short and long-term plans. Through these carefully curated steps, we increased the company’s productivity.
“We have also been evaluating our strategy using the business excellence (BE) method - adopted from UEM Sunrise - which consists of seven criteria to measure the level of productivity and quality of the company. Within two years, we have successfully increased our ‘BE score from 303 to 466 marks.
UEM Group managing director Datuk Mohd Izani Ghani says the group is enhancing the capabilities of Bumi vendors with a long-term perspective of preparing them to compete in broader markets and expand their businesses effectively.
“Additionally, the collaboration with UEM Sunrise helped us to obtain International Organisation for Standardisation certification in 2022,” says Zunaidi, whose company began as a small entity of only four staff and a handful of small clients back in 2010.
Since becoming part of BVEA in 2015, Strategi Jati has established itself as a reliable contractor for construction and landscape development for UEM Sunrise as well as over 20 clients consisting of government bodies, GLCs, private companies, other property developers, architects and engineering entities.
It was awarded soft and hard landscape works for East Ledang, Iskandar Puteri. Due to its excellent performance, Strategi Jati secured contracts to undertake works in UEM Sunrise other developments, namely Puteri Harbour in Johor and Serene Heights in Semenyih, Kiara Bay and Astrea, Mont Kiara.
Counting his blessings, Zunaidi says the drive to expand the business motivated him to take part in UEM Sunrise’s BVEA programme.
“As a vendor, we are exposed to the ins and outs of the business and are given the opportunity to compete with larger contractors. When a project is awarded to us, it boosts our confidence because UEM Sunrise trusts us to do a good job.”
He hopes that more Bumiputera businesses would join BVEA to enhance their businesses and contribute to the national economy.
Enhancing opportunities
In line with the Government’s commitment to elevate the economic status of Bumiputera, UEM Group Berhad (UEM Group) via its subsidiary and township and property development arm, UEM Sunrise, has taken significant strides to empower as well as develop various Bumiputera vendors - making them more capable and confident to secure contracts from other and of times, bigger entities.
Established in 2015, UEM Sunrise’s BVEA has successfully registered a total of 626 Bumiputera vendors under its BVEA initiative - providing services to UEM Sunrise in the areas of landscaping, design consultancy and event management, amongst others.
The BVEA initiative was meticulously designed by UEM Sunrise to support the Bumiputera vendor community through various strategic measures including the establishment and enhancement of participation in UEM Sunrise projects, developing resilient and competitive vendors, and forging improved collaborations and strategic business partnerships.
These efforts are in line with Khazanah Nasional Berhad’s (parent company of UEM Group) dedication to driving a competitive economy for Malaysia and actively contributing to the nation-building agenda.
UEM Group managing director Datuk Mohd Izani Ghani says the group believes in the power of economic inclusivity and the significant role it plays in national development.
“Through UEM Sunrise’s BVEA initiative, we aim to enhance the capabilities of Bumi vendors with a long-term perspective of preparing them to compete in broader markets and expand their businesses effectively.
“In 2022 and 2023, UEM Sunrise awarded RM143mil worth of contracts to some 20 Bumiputera vendors. This signifies our unwavering commitment to develop their capabilities and represents our investment towards a sustainable and equitable future for all Malaysians,” he says.
Noting that UEM Sunrise is committed to expand its network of skilled Bumiputera vendors, the property developer’s chief executive officer Sufian Abdullah says its goal is to foster a nurturing environment which cultivates robust and competitive entrepreneurs that can operate locally and internationally.
“Our BVEA programme is designed to empower by offering them prospects within our developments and associated enterprises, which may include roles in upcoming projects.
“The achievements of our Bumiputera vendors stand as a testament to the BVEA initiative’s efficacy, demonstrated by the growing engagement of Bumiputera vendors and their increasing contributions to the contract value of UEM Sunrise’s projects since the programme began.” Sufian says.
