Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) and the British Standards Institution (BSI) have launched the Business Agility Concept and Framework (PAS 1000:2019), the first-of-its-kind global standard to measure business agility. DEWA and BSI also signed an agreement to develop the PAS 60518:2020 standard for risk management in the energy and utilities sector. This is the first of its kind in the world and will be a global reference for the energy and utilities sector. The new achievement underlines the pioneering role of government bodies in the UAE.
This took place at a ceremony at the Churchill hotel in London during DEWA delegation’ visit headed by HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA. Waleed Salman, Executive Vice President of Business Development and Excellence, Abdulrahman Al Jamea, Vice President of Corporate Risk and Security Governance, and Ali Almuwaijei, Vice President of Governance & Compliance, also attended.
“On behalf of DEWA, it is an honour to be here today for the launch of the PAS 1000:2019 (Business Agility Concept and Framework) which is the first Business Agility Standard in the globe. Since the dynamics of the global market are fast-changing, public and private organisations are increasingly paying attention to business agility for sustainability and growth. This standard will be beneficial to, and can potentially be adopted by any organisation in any sector. DEWA took the lead initiative to develop this world standard and partnered with the British Standards Institution (BSI) in London, the world-leader in standards development,” said Al Tayer in his speech at the launch ceremony.
“The vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, guides all our efforts to achieve excellence in all our work. The Eight Principles of Governance for Dubai and the 50-year Charter launched by His Highness have contributed to the establishment of a comprehensive system to ensure the sustainability of the UAE’s well-being and prosperity. To achieve our vision to become a sustainable innovative leading global corporation, DEWA has been able to rapidly recognise the need for Agility and Risk Management in organisations to drive the fast-paced, dynamic and innovative speed of change of today’s world,” said Al Tayer.
“DEWA and BSI are working together to develop the first risk management standard that is especially designed for the energy and utilities sector. We are also committed to cooperate with other regional and international leading organisations to support efforts and adopt the standards once it’s developed and published. We have approved the number 60518 for the new standard as it refers to the birthdate of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan (6 May 1918). This is in recognition of his role in laying the foundations for the UAE’s leading role in all development areas and his vision, which guides us in achieving success and excellence. The standards implemented by UAE government are benchmarks for organsations around the world. DEWA started preparations for the standard in the Year of Zayed 2018, which marked the centennial birth of the late Sheikh Zayed” said Al Tayer.
“The agreement between DEWA and BSI shows our commitment to cooperate to develop leading international standards by developing the PAS 60518:2020 (Risk Management in Power & Utilities Sector) Standard. DEWA is the Middle East’s first organisation to implement the SAP Risk Management 10.1 and adopt best international practices based on the ISO 31000 certificate. DEWA also received the Business Continuity Management System (ISO 22301) for its integrated operations and is the first utility in the Middle East and North Africa to do so,” said Al Tayer.
“DEWA’s commitment to Risk Management has helped achieve competitive results in global benchmarking, surpassing the private sector and major European and American utilities in efficiency and reliability. DEWA has raised the efficiency of its energy generation by using the latest technologies and adopting technological innovations. This supports national strategies and goals, and ensures delivering uninterrupted supplies of reliable electricity and water services to over 880,000 customers in Dubai according to the highest levels of availability, reliability and quality. DEWA’s results surpass European and American utilities. We have reduced losses from electricity transmission and distribution networks to 3.3% compared to 6–7% in the US and Europe, while water network losses were reduced to 6.6% compared to 15% in North America, which is one of best results in the world. DEWA also achieved the lowest customer minutes lost per year (CML) in the world of 2.39 CML compared to 15 minutes in Europe. DEWA’s efforts have also contributed to global benchmarks. The UAE, represented by DEWA, maintained its first global ranking for the second year running for Getting Electricity in the World Bank’s Doing Business 2019 report. DEWA achieved 100% in all criteria,” added Al Tayer.
Al Tayer thanked the BSI and DEWA teams as well as other organisations for their hard work and sincere efforts to make this a success.
“As part of its efforts to keep pace with the latest trends and best governance practices, DEWA is committed to continuously develop its capabilities in good governance and disseminate its principles among all job categories across DEWA’s divisions. Good governance is one of the key mainstays that DEWA depends on to achieve its global excellence and leadership. DEWA adopts clear procedures, polices and strategies to ensure adherence to good governance practices, and complying with the laws and regulations that govern its work These are based on the highest standards and best practices of accountability, transparency, inclusiveness and fair practices. This supports our efforts to achieve business sustainability and agility as we realise the importance of our services, which are the backbone of living in Dubai. The main aspects of the standards include raising the performance of teams in the organisation and rapid adaptation to changes. This contributes to the organisation’s performance and its continuous and thought-out growth, as well as the leadership’s comprehensive and accurate view of the projects. The most important aspects of the business agility standard is to identify the challenges that it faces in the organisations, and to develop an integrated framework for its implementation in operations, strategy, and business agility practices,” said Salman.
“The new standard that DEWA has contributed to developing, is an important addition to the efforts to set effective risk management standards, ensure business continuity, and handle emergencies with the highest levels of professionalism and efficiency to serve people and achieve their happiness. DEWA operates a rigorous risk management system, bolstering its resilience by anticipating risks and preparing for change, to ensure business continuity. DEWA also adapts its work environment and operations,” said Khawla Al Mehairi, Executive Vice President of Strategy and Government Communications at DEWA.
Al Mehairi said that a team from DEWA took part in the preparations for this standard in a workshop held in London in June 2018. The participating organisations commended DEWA’s proactive approach to develop more detailed and applicable guidelines for risk management in service sectors around the world. A number of international utilities participate with DEWA and BSI in developing the new standard. These include France’s EDF, Germany’s RWE, the British National Grid, Duke Energy from the USA, Canada’s Hydro Quebec, and Britain’s United Utilities. Al Mehairi noted that the new standard will be launched during Q3 of 2019 and will be ready for implementation in 2020