The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) has driven more than $100 million in savings following a sweeping procurement transformation supported by spend management company Ivalua.
Ivalua announced that DCT Abu Dhabi repositioned its procurement function as a benchmark for excellence across government, generating savings of over 400 million AED, equivalent to more than $100 million, across 2024 and 2025.
The transformation was underpinned by stronger and more streamlined contract management processes and centralized repositories, delivering both financial and operational improvements. Procurement cycle times were reduced by 23%, enabling faster execution and greater agility across the department. Compliance also improved significantly, with process violations falling from more than 150 incidents in 2024 to approximately 10 annually.
DCT Abu Dhabi also earned a 92% maturity score in a Department of Government Enablement assessment, reflecting the strength of its governance and assurance framework.
At the beginning of 2024, DCT Abu Dhabi’s procurement function was navigating a transitional period, with processes that had evolved organically over time. This created opportunities to enhance consistency, improve visibility, and streamline activities.
As a public-sector entity supporting Abu Dhabi’s Tourism Strategy 2030 and broader cultural initiatives, DCT Abu Dhabi faced increasing expectations to deliver greater value, productivity, and transparency. These external demands, combined with the department’s strategic ambitions, elevated procurement from a transactional support function to a core driver of growth.
To strengthen operational efficiency and governance, DCT Abu Dhabi redesigned multiple procurement processes, including the digitalization of Contract Lifecycle Management through Ivalua’s platform. The implementation increased automation and enhanced compliance monitoring by improving transparency and control.
Abu Dhabi’s Tourism Strategy 2030 aims to boost annual visitor numbers to 39.3 million, increase the tourism sector’s contribution to GDP to AED 90 billion by 2030, and create 178,000 new jobs.
KEY QUOTES:
“Our procurement transformation is not just about efficiency; it is about creating a visionary operating system that raises standards, embeds fairness, and generates measurable value across government and the national economy. Our collaboration with Ivalua has been instrumental in achieving these outcomes and positioning DCT Abu Dhabi as a leader in procurement modernization,”
Khalifa Ahmed Al Marzooqi, Supply Management Department Director at DCT Abu Dhabi
“We are honoured to support the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi’s transformative journey. Ivalua’s platform has been a critical enabler of this success, providing a flexible, integrated solution that supports DCT Abu Dhabi’s strategic goals. The partnership exemplifies how technology and process innovation can drive government-wide procurement excellence and economic impact,”
Dan Amzallag, Chief Operating Officer (COO) at Ivalua
