nupco procurement exceeds SAR 25B annually: CCO

Khalid Al-Ghamdi,Chief Commercial Officer of National Unified Procurement Co. (NUPCO)

National Unified Procurement Co.’s (nupco) procurement transactions exceed SAR 25 billion annually, CCO Khalid Al-Ghamdi told Argaam in an interview on the sidelines of the PIF Private Sector Forum.

In addition, nupco is well equipped to keep pace with the expected expansion in the Saudi healthcare sector, which covers boosting Kingdom-wide hospital capacity and increasing the number of beds to 43,000 by 2030.

Al-Ghamdi indicated that three financing agreements worth SAR 2.5 billion were signed during the forum, namely a SAR 500 million deal with Banque Saudi Fransi (BSF) and another two with FAB KSA (SAR 1 billion) and Tameed Co. (SAR 1 billion).

These agreements, according to the top executive, aim to help secure the necessary financing required by suppliers, especially small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This is in a bid to enhance their sector investments and achieve greater flexibility in cash flows.

He added that nupco boasts an advanced infrastructure that comprises seven core logistics centers with a storage capacity of up to 430,000 square meters.

It seeks to upgrade its warehouses and introduce automated storage systems to improve distribution efficiency and ensure the 100% availability of medicines and medical supplies, while cutting the delivery time and scaling up accuracy in inventory management, according to the CCO.

Al-Ghamdi also stated that the Wasfaty platform, managed by nupco, has contributed to facilitating patients' access to their medicines. It currently serves more than 15 million patients and covers more than 5,500 pharmacies.

This is besides contracting with the Foras platform to support suppliers' access to investment opportunities. Five other agreements were sealed with logistics providers such as DHL, Aramex, Samsa and UPS to improve distribution efficiency and ensure the delivery of medicines and medical supplies across the Kingdom, the CCO pointed out.

Al-Ghamdi explained that these partnerships will help boost the company's ability to cover 97% of the Kingdom’s regions, while ensuring fast and efficient deliveries to hospitals and pharmacies.

He added that nupco is studying opportunities for expansion outside Saudi Arabia in the future, especially in light of the Kingdom's preparations to host major events such as Riyadh Expo 2030 and the 2034 FIFA World Cup.