Rio 2016 Signs Sebrae Deal to Help Businesses Meet Sporting Demands

The Organising Committee for the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games and Sebrae (Brazilian Micro and Small Enterprises Support Service) signed an agreement on the technical cooperation for the development of micro and small enterprises all over Brazil.

The “Sebrae on the podium” project is aimed at qualifying potential Rio 2016 suppliers to meet the event’s demands while contributing to boosting Brazilian supply chains in a sustainable way.

A unique growth opportunity for companies of all sizes, sale the Rio 2016 Games require a vast range of products and services, from various domains, creating business opportunities before, during and after the event. In order to help Brazilian enterprises qualify and achieve new levels of competitiveness, while maximising the Committee’s contract possibilities in the market, Rio 2016 structured a series of actions, such as the partnership with Sebrae, which will be developed over the coming years.

“We are committed to helping Brazilian enterprises on their path to meet the high standards of the Olympic and Paralympic demands. Technical excellence and transparency, together with concern for sustainability in all the stages of our project, are the basic principles that guide our planning for the procurement of goods and services. The partnership with Sebrae is fundamental in order to ensure we all follow the same path”, said Sidney Levy, Rio 2016 Chief Executive Officer.

Sebrae will work with potential suppliers to develop micro and small businesses to supply goods and services directly to the Organising Committee or to companies appointed by Rio 2016 for major contracts. The latter will be done via rounds of meetings between Sebrae, the Organising Committee, the leading contractor and potential subcontractors.

The initial categories will be printing services, laundry, uniforms and housing modules, among others that will be prioritised according to the Rio 2016purchases schedule and sustainability requirements.

“The technical cooperation agreement between Rio 2016 and Sebrae will be an important tool to leverage micro and small enterprises all over Brazil in order to meet the high-standard sustainability criteria and to actively participate in the Olympic and Paralympic Games supply chain”, says Fernando Cotrim, Rio 2016 Procurement Director. “We believe the Games are an excellent opportunity to boost less developed markets in Brazil. This way, through the partnership, we intend to encourage entrepreneurship, which we see as an important growth lever for the country”.

“Through ‘Sebrae on the podium’, micro and small enterprises all over Brazil will have the opportunity of becoming potential products and goods suppliers for Rio 2016. Sebrae sees the partnership as the beginning of a legacy to encourage MSEs’ competitiveness, which will be left by the Olympic and Paralympic Games”, said Francisco Marins, “Sebrae on the podium” project coordinator.