On 28 June, 2018, the ATOMEX REGION 2018 regional forum was held in the Balakovo NPP data centre. Representatives of Rosatom State Corporation, Rosenergoatom JSC, Balakovo Nuclear Power Plant, administration of Balakovsky Municipal District and heads of regional small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in an open dialogue discussed the development of the nuclear industry procurement system, as well as an increase in the share of purchases among regional SMEs.

Valeriy Bessonov, the Plant Manager of Balakovo Nuclear Power Plant, opened the discussion site. Welcoming the participants, he noted, “The quality of the equipment, materials and spare parts purchased by us is an essential condition for the high level of safety of such high-tech production as a nuclear plant. Therefore, we have very high demands with our suppliers. Security issues are always on the first place in our industry.”

According to Vladimir Servetnik, the Deputy Director General for Purchasing and Logistics of Rosenergoatom JSC, it was important for the organizers of the event to receive feedback from their suppliers, since the procurement system of the State Corporation is quite complex due to the industry specifics.

The Director General of Atomkomplekt JSC Vladimir Shirokov introduced the forum participants to the peculiarities of the procurement system in the line of Rosatom enterprises. In his speech, the speaker highlighted the main directions of development of the Rosatom purchasing system, spoke about the development of quality management mechanisms, the system of requirements of the State Corporation to suppliers, and also answered the problematic questions raised by the business community representatives of the region.

“Today the country is developing a policy of digitalization. Rosatom State Corporation has been working in this direction for a long time. Over the past 8 years it has managed to create a single information space for purchasing activity handling”, V. Shirokov said. “Such processes as planning, calculation of initial prices and the stage of procurement, examination of participants' applications and contract conclusion have been automated. Today we are focused on the full automation of contract execution with recording key events. Such an approach will ensure timely monitoring of the quality and timing of projects, and will also allow to manage the identified inconsistencies. The process itself will proceed in the context of a customer-supplier united information space.”

The participants expressed confidence that the annual meetings in the format of the round table would contribute to the improvement of the existing system of Rosatom's procurement and the formation of a pool of reliable suppliers in the nuclear industry.