What is the "hidden" intention of the "Altyn Sapa" and "The Best Product of Kazakhstan" competitions? Let's look at the procedure itself.

The way orders are being collected

"Atameken" started to accept applications for participation in the competition for the award of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan "Altyn Sapa" and the "The Best Good of Kazakhstan" competition-exhibition.

Recall that, since 2015, in accordance with the Decree, the main organizer of the competitions is the National Chamber of Entrepreneurs of the Republic of Kazakhstan "Atameken". The purpose of the competitions is to support the domestic producer, to promote the improvement of the quality of Kazakhstani goods and services, as well as to increase the competitiveness of domestic producers and to popularize the idea of quality. If to look more widely, competition literally allows to structure and systematize work inside the company and to begin process of perfection. Since "Altyn Sapa" is a complex and formalized competition and the whole evaluation is based on the pure self-report and responsibility of the companies themselves.                  

Conventionally, the competition can be divided into stages. The start comes after the announcement of applications acceptance for participation in the competition for the award of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan "Altyn Sapa". The start was announced on February 20, 2018. The collection of applications and materials for participation in the contest will last until July 1 in the Regional Chambers of Entrepreneurs (RCEs).

This stage is most important for the company, because the evaluation of the company begins from the filing of an application. The contestant submits an application in electronic format on the website www.altynsapa.kz, or sends it in paper format to the RCE before July to participate in the contest.

The application includes a set of documents: a completed questionnaire-declaration, a participant's report, which is a self-assessment of the level of company's activity and specific results in the field of quality, - no more than 38 sheets of A4 format, an appendix to the report (diagrams, graphs, tables, copies of documents) - no more than 30 sheets of A4 format, questionnaire on the self-assessment of the activity of the contest participant in the field of quality, filled out on the basis of the criteria indicators in the form established by the tender organizer, a copy of the certificate of state registration (re-registration), or a certificate of state registration (re-registration) of a legal entity and a copy of certificates for management systems.

However, this is not a complete list, in addition to the documents, the application includes a brief overview of the contestant activities. 
The review should not contain more than 6 sheets of A4 format of company's history, description of the main types of products (services), organizational structure, basic requirements for the quality of products (services), information on the main product markets or services (regional, national, international), the characteristics of the main consumers of products (services), as well as all other information that represents the importance of the contestant. 

Moreover, there are no restrictions, and the registration of the application follows the principle "Everything which is not forbidden is allowed", that is, the future contestant is given complete freedom of action. From the experience of the past years, it is this opportunity that lays the foundation for success: the design of such documents can say a lot about the company and the Head.

The list does not end here, it also includes a description of the criteria for self-assessment, according to the model of the award according to 9 criteria and their 32 components, in two groups:

The first group "Opportunities" explains how the organization achieves results in the field of quality, what is being done for this. Criteria: leadership; strategy; staff; partnerships and resources; processes, products and services.

The second group "Results" characterizes achievements and what company seeks at the present time. Criteria: results for the consumer, results for the staff, results for the society, results for the business.

Both groups are evaluated based on the scores given to each criterion. Not everything is simple, however it provides "project transparency".

All components of these criteria will help the company to literally bring its indicators into focus. To evaluate the contestants and the documents and reports they submitted, an expert’s register was created. Applicants for inclusion in the register will be able to submit an application and necessary documents also via the website www.altynsapa.kz.

Thus, any contestant can see the list of potential experts and their professional level, then at the next stage - a list of experts who have passed the selection and now assessing the tender materials. This will improve the quality of the evaluation, due to the fact that the selected experts go through certain stages, according to their professional assessment. Well, accordingly, the competition involves those organizations that are guided by the consumer through the introduction of the principles of universal quality management.

By the way, for the newcomers "Atameken" preliminarily conducts seminars on self-assessment of the activities of enterprises on the basis of the Regional Chambers of Entrepreneurs. Therefore, before the start of submission of competitive materials, enterprises-potential participants of the contest, receive all necessary information on the criteria of the competition and decide how to follow it.

Further, as all applications will be collected, the formed expert group distributes the applications in the directions and proceeds to the assessment. We add that all the participants in the expert group are current employees from different spheres; therefore, often the work of the evaluation group takes place literally at night. The place and confidentiality of documents is provided by the National Chamber of Entrepreneurs. Experts assess documents indoors, they are strictly forbidden to copy, make notes and make them.

As a result of their work, the finalists are formed: 3 companies in 4 nominations, in the same place and in 3 categories, total 36 companies. Plus four finalists on special awards are chosen.

Here companies having submitted incorrect entries are rejected, given that the conditions are repeatedly pronounced, Atameken's experts advice the contestants at all stages of accepting applications, and the site of the competition publishes all the necessary information.

Formed packages are sent to law enforcement agencies for verification: tax clearance, the "purity" of the financial part of companies and other. 

And then, already "filtered" applications are again moved to expert groups that review or approve the previously assigned points. And the final package, going to the finish line, is sent for consideration to the Administration of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Names of winners in the nominations are announced at the solemn ceremony of awarding with the participation of the Head of the state traditionally at the end of the year.

Another bonus for the contestants is, even if the enterprise did not become the laureate or prize-winner of the contest, the preparation of the competitive documents themselves allows the company to look at its activities. In addition, the very participation in the competition bears an advertising function to some extent: information about prize winners and laureates is covered in the media, including television, print media, and social networks.

Significant differences of the competition

In order to improve the procedures for competitions' organizing and realization on November 24, 2017, changes were made to the Decree and this year the competitions will be held in accordance with the latest changes. A new (fourth) nomination has been introduced in the field of agriculture and food production. Two special awards were also created: "Best Industrial Project", "Best Innovative Project" (to exclude the establishment of prizes that do not repeat annually).

The awards will be presented according to the following categories: a small, medium and large business entity in four nominations:

• "The best enterprise for production";

• "The best enterprise producing consumer goods";

• "The best company providing services";

• "The best enterprise producing food products and/or agricultural products".

As mentioned earlier, the changes were also introduced into the structure of the AP Commission, i.e. included one representative of the association of legal entities of agricultural products and processing food industry. 

The names of the commissions are divided conceptually: now the Commission of Presidential Administration will retain its name, and the Commission under the NCE and the RCE will be called expert groups. Atameken as the working body will now maintain an electronic register of experts from among competent and public people to enhance their professionalism, responsibility for their assessments and transparency in the selection of leaders.

In addition, measures are being introduced to encourage enterprises to participate in the competition - a cash reward (bonus) in the amount of KZT 1 million for each Altyn Sapa winner. The prize is intended to stimulate participation in international competitions.

Another difference - the "Altyn Sapa" contest will now be held in four stages. The new stage of the competition provides for the survey of the enterprise by qualified experts (assessors) in the field and, accordingly, increasing the level of responsibility of experts. At the same time, visits will be made only to finalist enterprises (40 enterprises in total: by 3 finalists for every main nomination and by 2 finalists for special awards).

The number of innovations in the contest-exhibition "The Best Product of Kazakhstan" (BPK) also includes funding sources of regional stages of BPK, that is fixed for akimat of the regions of the city of the republican importance and the capital city. The division of winners in degrees (1, 2 and 3 degree) was excluded, because the winners relate to different groups of goods and their consumer properties in both cases are at the highest level which characterise only them. There will be three equal winners in three categories.

This year an additional stage of the contest is being introduced - public online voting, where 27 finalists will be identified for participation in the online voting, according to the nominations:

• "The best goods for production";

• "The best consumer goods";

• "Best food products".

The establishment of additional titles of competition winners is excluded, and only finalists with final assessments and expert opinions as well as online voting will be submitted to the Commission for awarding titles under the Presidential Administration of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

We remind that those wishing to take part in the competition for the award of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan "Altyn Sapa" and "The Best Commodity of Kazakhstan" contest-exhibition should submit applications and materials to the Regional Chambers of Entrepreneurs or electronically on the website www.altynsapa.kz before July 1, 2018.

In total, 1900 enterprises took part in the "Altyn Sapa" competition, 100 of them were given the award of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Over the period of the competition, more than 6,500 companies have become participants of the contest-exhibition "The Best Product of Kazakhstan". 133 enterprises of these received diplomas. All the winners of the competitions "Altyn sapa" and the "The Best Product of Kazakhstan" diploma winners are entitled to use the emblem of the competition for advertising purposes within four years.