2021 in Review – Continuing to grow – IAPB Valued Supplier Scheme

A Brand New Website Launched in 2021

The IAPB Valued Supplier Scheme Website goes from strength to strength – in March 2021 we launched a brand new and completely upgraded IAPB Valued Supplier Scheme Website with a host of new features Including:

• The ability to create an account and save custom lists of products and suppliers for easy reference in the future. This provides a number of advantages to the User:
  • MY LIST: Save products to a downloadable list you can use when contacting suppliers for a quotation
  • SAVED SUPPLIERS: Save a list of favourite suppliers to bookmark for quick access.
  • FAVOURITES: Save products to your favourites to bookmark for quick access.
  • ACCOUNT DETAILS: View and edit your account details for use in Request for Quotes (RFQ).
• Request for Quotation (RFQs). A new updated feature to obtain a detailed quotation from the Valued Supplier. The User can obtain a detailed quotation from the Valued Supplier by clicking on the “Request for Quotation” button in the product description, and if already registered, the RFQ form will complete automatically to save time, and the Valued Supplier will have all the necessary information to provide a detailed quotation.
• A new category system has been introduced together with a powerful search and filter system to assist the User to source and locate products easily.

As of the end of November 2021, we have 34 Valued Suppliers featuring on the website, which is a 30% increase from this time last year in 2020. The number of hits per month exceed 5,000 visitors and is still one of the biggest hits on the IAPB website.

After 24 years spent working in the Eye Health Sector, both with Sightsavers and IAPB, I will be retiring at the end of December 2021.

I joined IAPB in 2011 to continue my work on the IAPB Standard List, the forerunner of the Valued Supplier Scheme, which I took over in 2001. I built up an incredible network during my years with manufacturers, NGOs, IAPB Members and many others and was passionate about providing a procurement service to our members and their respective partners. A big thank you to all my colleagues, past and present, all my Valued Suppliers, and all the friends dotted around the globe – the best 24 years of my career.

It is with the greatest of pleasure to announce my successor, Mr Alexander Melkvierraj who brings with him a wealth of experience. Alex has been in the field of eye care for over 12 years.

Alex will be starting at the beginning of January 2022 and all of us at IAPB welcome him.

Image on top: School screening/Noor Fatima