The Dubai In-Country Value Programme, explained
Short answer
Dubai runs its own In-Country Value programme, launched on 11 May 2025 by the Department of Economy and Tourism with the Department of Finance. It is separate from the National In-Country Value Programme administered by MoIAT. It operates through TASHAROK, the Government of Dubai's shared procurement platform, where seven lead government buyers build ICV criteria into their sourcing strategies and framework agreements across 42 product categories. No public supplier score formula or tender weighting has been disclosed for it, which is the main practical difference from the National programme.
What was launched, and by whom
The Dubai In-Country Value Programme was announced on 11 May 2025 by the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) in collaboration with the Dubai Department of Finance (DOF). Its stated purpose is to direct more government spending toward domestic suppliers and strengthen the local manufacturing sector.
The Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET), in collaboration with the Dubai Department of Finance (DOF), has launched the ‘Dubai In-Country Value (ICV) Programme’, aimed at strengthening the local manufacturing sector by directing more government spending toward domestic suppliers.
It is tied to the Dubai Economic Agenda D33, and the launch states that the framework prioritises Dubai-based manufacturers, Emirati-owned businesses, and firms employing local talent.
How it works: TASHAROK, not a tender score
The mechanism is the part most worth understanding, because it does not resemble the National programme's. Dubai's ICV criteria are delivered through TASHAROK, the Government of Dubai's shared procurement programme, which is managed by the Support Services Centre at Dubai Finance and lets government entities buy at preferential rates through pre-approved supplier agreements.
- Seven lead buyers
- Dubai Municipality, Dubai Health, Dubai Police, the Roads and Transport Authority, Dubai Customs, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, and Dubai Airports. These entities incorporate the Dubai ICV criteria into their procurement strategies and establish framework agreements with approved suppliers.
- 42 product categories
- TASHAROK covers 42 general product categories, the launch citing office supplies and medical consumables as examples. This is a procurement catalogue rather than a whole-of-economy scheme.
- Framework agreements, shared across government
- Agreements established by the lead buyers are accessible to all participating government entities, which is how a unified approach is reached without every entity running its own evaluation.
- Preferential rates rather than a scored bid
- The published mechanism is pre-approved supplier agreements at preferential rates. That is a different route to the same objective from scoring a bid against a certified percentage.
What the launch did not disclose
Three questions a supplier will immediately have are not answered by any primary source available at the time of writing, and this page will not answer them by inference.
- Whether Dubai issues its own certificate
- The launch release does not say whether the programme issues a Dubai certificate or relies on the MoIAT National ICV certificate. Sources asserting either are going beyond what has been published. The Department of Economy and Tourism is the body to ask.
- How a Dubai ICV score is calculated
- No supplier score formula has been published. The National programme publishes its formula and weightings in full; Dubai has published criteria and priorities, not a calculation.
- What weighting ICV carries in a Dubai evaluation
- No equivalent to Abu Dhabi's published figure has been disclosed. Where a numeric weighting is quoted for Dubai, it is worth asking which document it came from.
How it differs from the National ICV Programme
The two are best read as parallel local-content efforts rather than one nested inside the other. A supplier holding a National ICV certificate should not assume it is automatically a Dubai ICV qualification, and equally should not assume it is irrelevant — neither has been stated publicly.
| National ICV Programme | Dubai ICV Programme | |
|---|---|---|
| Administered by | Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology | Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism, with Dubai Finance |
| Launched | Operating nationally, made mandatory for selected sectors in April 2026 | 11 May 2025 |
| Published formula | Yes — component weightings and calculations are public | Not disclosed |
| Certificate | Issued per legal entity through MoIAT on a certifying body's assessment | Not stated in the launch |
| Mechanism | A certified score read by buyers under their own procurement rules | ICV criteria built into TASHAROK sourcing strategies and framework agreements |
| Scope | National, with buyer-specific overlays such as ADLC and ADNOC | Seven Dubai government lead buyers, 42 TASHAROK product categories |
A correction worth making
A substantial amount of published guidance still states that Dubai has no separate in-country value programme and that Dubai procurement simply follows the National ICV. Since 11 May 2025 that has been incorrect.
The error is understandable — much of that content predates the launch and has not been revisited — but it matters for a supplier planning where to invest. The correct position is that Dubai has its own programme with its own delivery mechanism, and that several of its operational details have not yet been made public.
Common questions
Is there a separate Dubai ICV programme?
Yes. The Dubai In-Country Value Programme was launched on 11 May 2025 by the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism with the Department of Finance. It is separate from the National In-Country Value Programme administered by MoIAT, and published guidance stating that Dubai has no distinct programme is out of date.
Do I need a separate certificate for Dubai's ICV programme?
The launch release does not say. It states neither that Dubai issues its own certificate nor that it relies on the MoIAT National certificate. No primary source resolves it, so the question is one for the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism rather than one to infer.
How is a Dubai ICV score calculated?
No supplier score formula has been published for the Dubai programme. The National programme publishes its component weightings and calculations; Dubai has published criteria and priorities. A numeric Dubai score quoted anywhere should be traced to its source before it is relied on.
Which Dubai government entities apply ICV criteria?
Seven lead buyers were named at launch: Dubai Municipality, Dubai Health, Dubai Police, the Roads and Transport Authority, Dubai Customs, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, and Dubai Airports. The framework agreements they establish are accessible to other participating government entities.
What is TASHAROK?
The Government of Dubai's shared procurement programme, managed by the Support Services Centre at Dubai Finance. It lets government entities buy through pre-approved supplier agreements at preferential rates, and it covers 42 general product categories. The Dubai ICV Programme is delivered through it.
Is the Dubai programme affected by ICV becoming mandatory in April 2026?
The April 2026 Cabinet decision concerns the National In-Country Value Programme. It does not by its terms merge or absorb Dubai's programme, which remains a separate local-procurement framework.
Sources
Every factual claim on this page traces to one of these. Where a question is not settled by a primary source, this page says so rather than picking an answer.
Auditro provides ICV decision support and evidence workflows. It is not a certifying body and not an Accredited Service Provider, it does not certify scores, and it does not guarantee tender outcomes.