PLDT procurement center ISO-certified

The Procurement Planning and Performance Center of the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) was recently awarded the ISO 9001:2000 certification by the Anglo Japanese American Registrars Inc. (AJA Registrars Inc.) under the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS), making it the first procurement group in the Philippines to be ISO 9001:2000-certified.

"PLDT is proud of this achievement as it typifies the drive and commitment of the company in the attainment of excellence in the field of corporate governance," said lawyer Caroline Henson, PLDT Support Services Sector head.

"It reaffirms and supports the company’s thrust on corporate governance and promotes PLDT as a quality-driven company," she added.

This is a concrete proof of the company’s pro-active quality management initiatives and sets an example for other PLDT business units, subsidiaries and affiliates, to strive for excellence through the adoption of the Quality Management System.

The ISO certification came after the successful launch of PLDT’s Quality Management System initiative in July 2001.

"The PLDT Procurement Center achieved this certification after immense hard work and dedication for more than a year by (its members). I witnessed how difficult it was to document all the processes of the center and how voluminous the documentation was," Henson said.

"These efforts not only led to the ISO certification, but more importantly, also clarified the roles of the divisions within the center, and the requirements for processes that involved the center and its clients. We hope that this will lead to more efficiencies and better client satisfaction," she added.

To be able to meet the ISO certification’s requirements, the PLDT Procurement Center, particularly those comprising the various committees involved in the project, had to undergo ISO awareness and documentation seminars as well as the internal quality audit seminar to equip themselves with the required knowledge and skills to perform the various activities involved in Quality Management System planning, implementation and certification.

"This certification also serves as a Quality standard by which PLDT’s suppliers, contractors and contracted buyers should likewise strive for, giving PLDT higher quality levels of procured products and services. This should also heighten awareness of investors as to the management’s commitment to reduce costs that translate into savings," said lawyer Oliver Carlos Odulio, PLDT Procurement Center head.