By gaining an international accreditation, black economic empowerment (BEE) firms can dispel any uncertainty surrounding the calibre of their staff, says Alan Meyer, COO of consulting firm DLK.
DLK, which is an IT empowerment firm, has secured ISO 9001 accreditation for the quality of its internal business processes and services delivered to its clients in local and provincial government, and the private sector.
Meyer says International Standards Organisation (ISO) certification is critical if emerging companies want to be taken seriously in pitching for business.
"An inhibitor to many corporations and government departments in fulfilling their BEE obligations is uncertainty about the calibre of emerging black businesses. Having ISO certification will assure them that their BEE partners run world-class operations and aspire to constant business process improvements to maintain their ISO status," he says.
Meyer is convinced that DLK`s ISO status gives it a competitive-edge over many emerging, empowered IT firms.
"It has already secured us a place on the shortlist for desktop support for a major financial institution."
DLK has grown over the past four years from a small project management consultancy, software applications developer and resource outsourcer, to an employer of 35 specialist IT staff in Cape Town and Johannesburg, working in local and provincial government, as well as the private sector.
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