It has always been Sands China’s mission to support local small and medium enterprises (SMEs), actively heeding the government’s call to procure locally.
The leading developer, owner and operator of multi-use integrated resorts in the SAR has long played a significant role in the aim of Macao’s economic growth since establishing its footprint in the city.
However, this growth would not be possible without local SMEs, whom Sands China views as its strategic partners.
In the past five to six years, Sands China has increased its percentage of local procurement spend from 84% to 91%. Among them are local SMEs, with whom Sands China has increased its procurement spend percentage from 14% to 21%.
Over the years, Sands China has worked with about 2,400 suppliers per year on average, with around 500-600 of them being SMEs.
Aiming to show appreciation to the company’s suppliers, Sands China held the 2021 Sands Supplier Excellence Awards last week at The Londoner Macao, honoring some of its most outstanding suppliers. At the same event, Sands China also recognised local SMEs graduating from the 10th Sands Procurement Academy and launched a book highlighting the success stories of its local SME suppliers and the company’s ongoing efforts to support Macau’s SMEs.
The all-in-one event provided a valuable opportunity for the Sands Procurement Academy’s latest cohort of graduating SMEs to gain encouragement from watching Sands China award some of its most outstanding suppliers, which include local SMEs.
“Sands China is very pleased to again recognize the outstanding services and products provided by our many suppliers, whose collaboration is essential for us to provide the world-class experience our integrated resorts are known for,” said Dr. Wilfred Wong, president of Sands China Ltd.
Now in its ninth year, the Sands Supplier Excellence Awards is a global initiative of Sands China’s parent company, Las Vegas Sands Corp., and acknowledges the cooperation and service of some of the company’s most noteworthy suppliers worldwide. Award winners in Macau are selected each year by a judging committee from Sands China’s executive management.
Winners, meanwhile, expressed their appreciation for the gaming operator – not just for purchasing from their businesses, but for the vast knowledge that accompanies each transaction as they learn new techniques every time.
Local firm Victor Pacific Service Ltd. received an accolade in the Cost Management category. The logistics firm has been working with the gaming operator since 2004.
Managing director of the group, Victor Lei, remarked, “Learning alongside [providing logistics services] has been a great opportunity for our team.”
“Not only for our personal enterprise, but also to drive logistics practitioners in the whole of Macau. We can all have more opportunities to work and learn together,” he added.
Victor highly applauded Sands China as, despite the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic over two years, Sands China’s cooperation with SMEs has been uninterrupted.
Late last year, the integrated resort operator launched a financial support programme for its local SME suppliers, in support of the Macau SAR government’s relief package, which included eight measures to assist SMEs struggling amid the pandemic.
Between November 1, 2021 and January 31, 2022, Sands China’s SME partners can apply for the 2021 SME Expedited Payment Programme in order to have their payment terms shortened from the current 30 days to seven days. The initiative is expected to involve up to MOP 350 million.
Meanwhile, the winner of the Quality Management category, Companhia de Engenharia Hoi Pak Lda, said that the award is a great encouragement to the company, boosting its drive to deliver quality services to enterprises in the region.
Homer Fung
Victor Lei
Anna Chang
Che Weng Son
“We are very grateful to Sands China for giving us the opportunity to serve them and we are very happy to cooperate with them. From the establishment of our company to now, they are very supportive of us; it is our solid backup force,” Homer Fung, general manager of Hoi Pak Lda said.
“Despite the impact of the pandemic on the local economy, Sands China continued to carry out renovation and expansion works, allowing our company to secure jobs during the difficult period of the pandemic,” he added.
Over the past 20 years, Sands China has been forging ahead, hand-in-hand with local businesses. Sands China did not stop bolstering its efforts despite the effect of the pandemic on Macau’s economy, especially its tourism industry.
As Dr. Wong has previously pledged, “We have not forgotten our roots, and are as committed as ever in supporting local enterprises as part of our corporate social responsibility efforts.”
Sands Procurement Academy
At the graduation ceremony for the Sands Procurement Academy, Sands China recognised 52 local SMEs, including 16 exhibitors from the 2021 Sands Shopping Carnival.
Nearly 370 suppliers have enrolled in the academy since its founding in 2017, and 330 have graduated to date, including this latest group.
The Sands Procurement Academy, co-organized with the Macao Chamber of Commerce and the Macau Productivity and Technology Centre (CPTTM), is a first-of-its-kind industry training program. It delivers practical knowledge to local SME suppliers to help them gain experience and capacity for working with large-scale international corporations. It does so by sharing business knowledge and skills to promote the development of their businesses.
Shuen Ka Hung
Shuen Ka Hung, director-general of the Macau Productivity and Technology Transfer Center, said: “We are very pleased with Sands China’s efforts in contributing to the development of local SMEs through its Sands Procurement Academy. Many local SMEs have expanded the scale of their operations after graduating from Sands China’s procurement training programme.”
After initially targeting a few key categories of local suppliers, the academy has been open to all local SMEs in Macau since 2019 – giving a broader range of SMEs the opportunity to benefit from the skills and knowledge offered by the academy’s professionals.
“As Macau continues to carry on in the face of an ongoing pandemic, we are grateful for the continued cooperation of our suppliers, whether small or large, local or international. We are also glad to see the continued success of our Sands Procurement Academy in helping nurture Macau’s local suppliers with skills and knowledge, as we celebrate the 10th group of local enterprises to graduate from the program,” said Dr. Wong.
2021 was a tough year for SMEs – with all business owners trying to survive.
However, for Dr. Wong, the year was also an encouraging year, as local SMEs “not only managed to [survive] but also managed to develop and grow in size.”
In the recent two intakes of the procurement academy, 110 enterprises participated, 33 of whom participated in the mega-scale Sands Shopping Carnival.
Ma Chi Ngai
Ma Chi Ngai, president of the board of directors of the Macao Chamber of Commerce, said: “Sands China’s Sands Procurement Academy is a great training initiative that means a lot to local SMEs. It encourages the development and competitiveness of local SMEs by helping them gain experience and capacity for working with large-scale corporations through practical training courses. We are also very proud to have co-organised the Sands Shopping Carnival with Sands China for a second consecutive year during the pandemic. The 3-day event attracted a large flow of people, thereby helping local SMEs increase their product sales and brand reputation.
With uncertainty still looming, the president of the group assured that the company “will not stop just because there are some difficulties ahead. We will continue our commitment,” said Dr. Wong.
SME book launch
Sands China has recorded the milestones of the company’s local SME support programme since 2015 and highlighted some of the success stories of local SMEs it has worked with over the years. An online version of the book is now available on the company’s website at https://l.ead.me/bcgb9q.
Supplier Excellence Awards
Corporate Culture, Innovation & Sustainability:
Shanghai Shi Cheng Culture Communication Co., Ltd.
Project Delivery:
Top Builders Group Ltd
Cost Management:
Victor Pacific Service Ltd
Quality Management:
Companhia de Engenharia Hoi Pak Lda
Service Excellence:
Winnerway Security Guards Company Limited
Ou Tou Engineering Company Ltd.
New Concept Food Limited
East Sun Cleaning Services Ltd
Small/Medium Enterprise (SME):
Quinquilharia Kuok Kuong
What other winning suppliers say
New Concept Food Limited
We were introduced to Sands China through other SMEs, and after our initial cooperation with them, we have been gradually increasing our products, mainly seafood. We supply several tons of seafood every year, and this award is a great encouragement to us.
Che Weng Son, managing director
Quinquilharia Kuok Kuong
Over the years, thanks to Sands China’s strong support of local SMEs, micro-enterprises have been able to grow more in the market. Sands China accounts for 30% of our business, so it’s very important to us. We have gained a lot of experience by working with them.
Anna Chang, manager
Top Builders Group Ltd
Our cooperation with Sands China has improved the level of our projects, because Sands China’s management and quality requirements are relatively high. Therefore, we can do projects with them to improve our standards. We have learned new things every time and we have upgraded our technology to meet international standards.
Forest Tang, managing director
