WINDHOEK - Namibia Breweries Limited (NBL) says it would work towards sourcing 30 percent of goods and services from local suppliers by 2017 through a deliberate strategy to grow local businesses.

NBL managing director, Wessie van der Westhuizen, said potential suppliers can participate in the brewery’s open tender policy, through advertisement in the newspaper or on a Request For Quotation basis.

Namibian businesses, SMEs and BEE companies will be given preference except where evidence exists that a supplier cannot satisfactorily meet the requirements.  

“Price alone is not a reason for accepting a local or external supply offer. The acceptance of an offer by a supplier will be subject to various factors such as the supplier’s ability to demonstrate best value, competitive prices, availability and favourable timeliness, good corporate citizenship, and ability to supply the goods or service to specification. With all things equal, if we can procure locally we do so as this provides more Namibians with a job and opportunities to improve their socio economic quality of life,” said van der Westhuizen.

Currently, NBL spends more than N$400 million per year on local products.