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UUNET KENYA LIMITED IS NOW ISO CERTIFIED |
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Contributed by Kenneth Kareithi
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Wednesday, 25 March 2009 |
UUNET KENYA LIMITED IS NOW ISO CERTIFIED
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It is becoming a requirement for firms to acquire ISO certification before bidding for central government tenders.
According to the Managing Director Mr. Tom Omariba, “although it is not written in black and white, but every time we have put in a bid for Government tender, the subject of ISO certification has often arisen.”
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was speaking after UUNET, a leading corporate communication solutions
provider acquired ISO-9001-2000 from Bureau Veritas for demonstrating
commitment to quality management systems and excellent understanding
for their core mandate.
The current tough economic times has seen the state becoming stingy in
releasing funds, tightening procurement requirements for state tenders
while highlighting the need for quality service.
Indeed, in an effort to enhance best practice in service delivery, the Government has embarked on an eGovernment program involving the computerisation of all its ministries in a move aimed at reducing human contact in the procurement processes that has been a conduit for corruption.
Omariba said over 700,000 companies worldwide have been registered as meeting the requirements of the ISO standards.
These range from large multinationals to single employee companies in both manufacturing and service sectors. The vast majority of these companies report improved internal efficiency.
The requirement for certification has been catalysed by increased competition among communication service providers with customers now becoming strict on choice.
UUNET is among the main shareholders in the SEACOM undersea cable which is expected to increase bandwidth by huge margins upon its completion by mid June this year.
“With the government’s adoption of e-governance, UUNET expects to use the increased bandwidth to satisfy the increased state demand,” said Omariba.
The fibre optic, expected to be up and running by June will among other things have the ability to connect Kenya to the global network at the same speeds as its contemporaries in Europe, Asia and the Americas.
UUNET Marketing Manager, Kenneth Kareithi said the company had put in place mechanisms that will, ensure that it maintains high standards of management and service delivery.
The ISO-9001-2000 standard places emphasis on customer satisfaction and uses the process approach as a means for continual improvement of a company’s quality system.
The certification will see UUNET benefit from among other things reduced costs, improved output, less wastage, wider market opportunities and increased customer satisfaction.
Omariba said through the certification, UUNET hopes to realise increased competitiveness, increased profits and better use of time and resources. Bureau Veritas said it will carry out bi-yearly audits to ensure that the company maintains the standards.
“Our lead auditors witnessed the processes to ensure the proficiency and constituency of the management systems and confirmed that the organisation was in accordance with the ISO 9001:2000 international standards,” said Andrew Kinyanjui of Bureau Veritas Kenya Limited.
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Last Updated ( Friday, 27 March 2009 )
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