Zawya, a Thomson Reuters company and an online business intelligence platform in Mena, has signed an agreement with ProTenders, to become the sole distributor of cloud-based e-tendering solutions for the construction sector.

The e-tendering hub enables companies to easily find each other; build relationships; share information openly; and efficiently and securely negotiate their products and services, a statement said.

With over $12.4 billion in processed bids for 730 companies since 2009, ProTenders, operating in Mena under the Monaqasat brand, has become a widely used construction-tendering platform in the region, according to the statement.

The switch to the global ProTenders brand, accompanied by product enhancements, will be implemented in Mena during the first quarter of 2014.

Nadim Najjar, managing director, Middle East, Africa and Russia / CIS, Thomson Reuters, said: “This exclusive agreement means that Zawya will manage distribution of ProTenders’ innovative and unique e-tendering portal in the Mena region. This collaboration complements the Zawya Projects platform that already covers a live database of thousands of construction projects as well as intelligence on the owners, developers, and subcontractors across Mena markets.

“ProTenders enhances Zawya’s proposition by enabling construction professionals to research and utilise the intelligence Zawya Projects provides in order to maximise Mena private bid opportunities more efficiently via the ProTenders portal at the pre-construction stage.”

Karim Helal, co-founder and CEO of Pro Tenders (Monaqasat), said: “ProTenders brings together every category of organization in the construction industry, enabling developers and contractors to obtain reliable prices quickly and cost-effectively, while providing suppliers with the tools and opportunities to generate a stream of ongoing work.”

“In addition, our platform increases efficiency, allowing our customers to save time and reduce costs, by gathering companies, information, and communication and process-management tools together in one place,” he added. – TradeArabia News Service