Seven departments within the Dubai Municipality were recently awarded certification of their management systems to the ISO 9001:2000 standard.
The Quality Management System standard ISO 9001:2000 certificates were presented by DNV’s CEO Henrik Madsen to Hussain Nasser Lootah, Acting Director General of the Dubai Municipality at a recent certification ceremony in Dubai.
Speaking at the ceremony Mr. Lootah said: “The municipality is considered to be one of the pioneering departments in the Dubai government. It is committed to achieving the best results and high standards in all fields because it follows well planned policies. Compliance with the ISO 9001:2000 standard, with the certification from DNV, is proof that we have management systems that can meet customer demands, plus local and international specifications and standards.”
The certificates were presented to the heads of seven departments, namely the financial audit department, legal affairs, general projects, corporate marketing and relations, children’s city, transportation and the planning department. The certification process has taken about one year to complete. The municipality has recently decided that a further 30 departments are to be certified by DNV.
DNV’s CEO Henrik Madsen stated that the management system is well anchored in the seven departments and that their management model is an excellent basis for further work. “I have been informed about the positive cooperation and, in particular, the enthusiasm at all levels in the Municipality, and its well defined processes, purpose and involvement in analysing the results from a string of quality measurements. This is a very good starting point for the municipality to build on and achieve its goal of business excellence.”
He thanked Mr. Lootah and his management team for choosing DNV, and reminded the audience at the ceremony: “Certification is a milestone, not a goal in itself. The challenge is to develop the system further to continuously improve the work processes. The Dubai Municipality is receiving well-deserved recognition for its excellent commitment so far, and it will be very exciting to follow its development in the future.”
The services offered by Dubai Municipality reflect the diverse needs of its cosmopolitan population and include, for example, urban planning and overseeing construction work which has exploded in Dubai recent years. Working to plan, design, build and manage the municipal infrastructure and other related facilities and services is an ever-increasing responsibility - hence its push to certify its overall management and control to comply with the ISO 9001:2000 standard.