King Abdullah II Center for Excellence

What King Abdullah II Center for Excellence does

King Abdullah II Center for Excellence (مركز الملك عبد الله الثاني للتميز) is a Jordanian non-profit organization established by royal decree in 2006 under the direct patronage of His Majesty King Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein. Headquartered in Amman (Khalda district, Sama Street, Building No. 5), the Center is chaired by HRH Prince Faisal bin Al Hussein and led operationally by Executive Director Eng. Wedad Qteishat. Its core function is to administer the King Abdullah II Award for Excellence — the highest national recognition for excellence across government, private-sector, and non-profit organizations in Jordan — and to operate a portfolio of sector-specific awards covering government performance and transparency, private-sector excellence, business associations and non-profits, sustainability and green economy, Jordanian sourcing, governmental innovation, and categories for distinguished officials, employees, municipalities, and universities.

The Center delivers its mandate through three operational layers: (i) award programs (sector-specific recognition frameworks administered via a proprietary Award Management electronic platform), (ii) training and capacity-building services (specialized and certified training programs), and (iii) institutional assessment services (Excellence Recognition Evaluation R4E, Institutional Maturity Assessment, Innovation Maturity Assessment, and an AI Excellence Maturity Assessment). All services run over its own electronic infrastructure, which includes a Learning Management Platform for e-learning delivery. Distribution is direct-to-client through the Amman headquarters, with no resellers or international offices; operations are exclusively domestic (Jordan).

Commercially, the Center operates as a non-revenue-disclosed public-mandate body — pricing is not publicly disclosed and the organization is publicly funded under royal patronage, with no disclosed investors, funding rounds, or commercial customers. Recent strategic activity (2025–2026) is concentrated in formalizing partnerships with Jordanian ministries (Endowments, Industry/Trade/Supply, Social Development), academic institutions (Hashemite University), and industry associations (Jordan Hotel Association, Jordan Investors Association, Aqaba SEZA), supported by a launched 2026–2028 strategic plan and a Jordanian-German Energy Partnership engagement covering energy-sector innovation.

Name

King Abdullah II Center for Excellence

Legal name

King Abdullah II Center for Excellence

Website

https://kace.jo

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

King Abdullah II Center for Excellence is a Jordanian non-profit, established by royal decree in 2006, that administers the national King Abdullah II Award for Excellence and related awards, and delivers training and institutional maturity assessments for government, private, and non-profit organizations in Jordan.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Institutional Excellence Services

NAICS

Administration of General Economic Programs (92611), Public Administration (92)

akta.pro primary industry

Institutional Effectiveness & Continuous Improvement Reviews (EDADAGAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Accreditation Standards, Benchmarking & Framework Organizations (EDADACAJ), Institutional & Programmatic Accreditation Audits (EDADAGAA), Higher Education Governance & Quality Policy Research (EDADADAI)

Keywords

• Excellence awards management
• Institutional capacity building
• Government performance assessment
• Training and certification programs
• Organizational maturity evaluation

Headquarters

HQ city

Amman

HQ country

Jordan

HQ region

Middle East

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

King Abdullah II Center for Excellence is a non-profit national institution established by royal decree in 2006 to administer the King Abdullah II Award for Excellence — Jordan's highest national recognition across government, private, and non-profit sectors. It delivers award management, specialized and certified training programs, and organizational maturity assessments (institutional, innovation, and AI excellence maturity), supported by electronic platforms for award and learning management.

Product overview

King Abdullah II Center for Excellence operates as an awards management and institutional development organization offering multiple award programs for government, private sector, and non-profit organizations, along with electronic platforms for award and learning management. The center provides capacity building services including specialized and certified training programs, along with various assessment services such as institutional maturity assessment, innovation maturity assessment, and AI excellence maturity assessment. The product portfolio includes flagship awards like the King Abdullah II Award for Excellence in Government Performance and Transparency, the Private Sector Excellence Award, and the Business Associations and Non-Profit Sector Award, supported by electronic platforms for program administration.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• King Abdullah II Award for Excellence (جوائز الملك عبدالله الثاني للتميز): The highest national award for excellence across all sectors in Jordan
• King Abdullah II Award for Government Excellence and Transparency (جائزة الملك عبد الله الثاني لتميز الأداء الحكومي والشفافية)
• King Abdullah II Award for Excellence in the Private Sector (جائزة الملك عبدالله الثاني للتميز للقطاع الخاص)
• King Abdullah II Award for Excellence in Business Associations and Non-Profit Sector (جائزة الملك عبداللة الثاني للتميز لقطاع جمعيات الاعمال والمؤسسات غير الربحية)
• Jordanian Source Award (جائزة المصدر الأردني)
• Environmental Sustainability and Green Economy Award (جائزة الإستدامة البيئية الاقتصاد الاخضر)
• Governmental Innovation Award (جائزة الابداع الحكومي)
• Distinguished Official University Award (جائزة الجامعة الرسمية المتميزة)
• Distinguished Government Service Award (جائزة الخدمة الحكومية المتميزة)
• Distinguished Municipality Award (جائزة البلدية المتميزة)
• Electronic Government Transformation Award (جائزة التحول الى الحكومة الالكترونية)
• Distinguished Secretary or Director General Award (جائزة الأمين أو المدير العام المتميز)
• Distinguished Government Employee Award (جائزة الموظف الحكومي المتميز)

Products and services

• King Abdullah II Award for Government Performance and Transparency (جائزة الملك عبد الله الثاني لتميز الأداء الحكومي والشفافية) National award program recognizing excellence, innovation, and transparency in Jordanian government ministries, public institutions, and government employees. Includes multiple sub-awards spanning innovation, government services, municipalities, e-government transformation, official universities, secretary/director general, and government employee categories.
• King Abdullah II Award for Private Sector Excellence (جائزة الملك عبدالله الثاني للتميز للقطاع الخاص) Award program recognizing excellence and innovation among private sector organizations in Jordan, including the Jordanian Source Award and the Environmental Sustainability and Green Economy Award.
• King Abdullah II Award for Business Associations and Non-Profit Sector Excellence (جائزة الملك عبداللة الثاني للتميز لقطاع جمعيات الاعمال والمؤسسات غير الربحية) Award recognizing excellence among business associations and non-profit organizations in Jordan, promoting governance, service delivery, and sustainability best practices.
• Specialized Training Programs (برامج تدريبية متخصصة) Specialized training programs developed based on global best practices to build institutional capabilities for organizations seeking excellence and performance improvement.
• Certified Training Programs (برامج تدريبية معتمدة) Accredited training programs for capacity building and skill development across excellence-related domains.
• Excellence Recognition Evaluation R4E (تقييم الاعتراف بالتميز R4E) Recognition evaluation service providing organizations with a structured assessment against an established excellence framework (R4E) as a path to formal recognition.
• Institutional Maturity Assessment (تقييم النضج المؤسسي) Assessment service that evaluates organizational maturity levels against established benchmarks to help institutions identify improvement areas.
• Innovation Maturity Assessment (تقييم نضج الابتكار) Assessment service for evaluating innovation maturity in organizations to gauge readiness and capability for innovation-driven performance improvement.
• AI Excellence Maturity Assessment (تقييم الاعتراف بنضج التميز في مجال الذكاء الاصطناعي) Specialized assessment that evaluates AI-related excellence maturity in organizations, addressing readiness, governance, and adoption of artificial intelligence practices.

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Ministry of Industry, Trade and Supply (وزارة الصناعة والتجارة والتموين)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 July 2026Partnership to launch the Distinguished Inspection Unit Award to encourage inspection units and promote excellence standards.
• Jordan Hotel Association (جمعية الفنادق الأردنية)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 July 2026Partnership to promote excellence and innovation culture in hotel and tourism facilities through joint initiatives and recognition programs.
• Jordan Investors Association (جمعية المستثمرين الأردنية)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 May 2026Participatory dialogue session to discuss the role of excellence awards in enhancing private sector competitiveness.
• Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (سلطة منطقة العقبة الاقتصادية الخاصة)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 May 2026Collaborative dialogue session on the role of excellence awards in enhancing private sector competitiveness in Aqaba.
• The Hashemite University (الجامعة الأردنية)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 February 2026Agreement to build and enhance institutional capacity for the university in the field of institutional excellence.
• Ministry of Social Development (وزارة التنمية الاجتماعية)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Partnership to implement the Institutional Seal initiative to support and empower women in both public and private sectors.
• Jordanian-German Energy PartnershipminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 November 2025Led by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) and the Jordanian Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (MEMR), promoting innovation in energy sector including grid digitization, energy storage, and hydrogen production. The center supports local entrepreneurship through initiatives like the Innovation Lab and Start Up Energy Transition platform.
• Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs (وزارة الأوقاف والشؤون والمقدسات الإسلامية)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Strategic partnership for implementing the Distinguished Endowments Directorate Award program. The center serves as the neutral evaluation body based on professional criteria to ensure fairness, transparency, and positive competition among directorates.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• King Khalid Foundation: Saudi non-profit foundation under royal patronage that runs the King Khalid Award for Excellence in Government Performance; comparable in mandate, governance model, and award focus on public-sector excellence.
• King Faisal Foundation: Saudi Arabian royal-family foundation that runs the King Faisal International Prize and related recognition programs; comparable as a state-affiliated award and excellence body in a neighboring MENA jurisdiction.
• Korea Productivity Center (KPC) / Korea Quality Award: South Korea's national productivity and quality body administering national excellence awards and organizational assessments; comparable as a state-backed center running award programs, maturity assessments, and capacity-building services.

Broad incumbents

• Baldrige Performance Excellence Program (NIST): US national excellence program administering the Baldrige Award and the Baldrige Excellence Framework, used globally as a benchmark; comparable as the original large-scale national excellence framework that informs KACE's assessment criteria.
• Japan Quality Award (Deming Prize Committee / JUSE): Administers the Deming Prize and related quality/excellence recognition programs in Japan; comparable as a long-running national excellence award body with deep assessment methodology that sets the global benchmark for this category.

Direct peers

• Sheikh Khalifa Excellence Award (SKEA): Abu Dhabi's national excellence program offering the SKEA award and performance assessments across government and private sectors; a near-twin model operating under state patronage in a neighboring Gulf jurisdiction.
• EFQM (European Foundation for Quality Management): The pan-European excellence foundation that runs the EFQM Model and Recognised for Excellence/R4E assessments; the most direct functional analogue to KACE's award management, R4E evaluation, and institutional maturity assessment portfolio.
• Dubai Government Excellence Program (DGEP): Operates the Dubai Government Excellence Award and related assessment schemes for public entities in Dubai; directly comparable as a sovereign-led excellence awards and benchmarking body for the government sector.
• Abu Dhabi Government Excellence Program (ADGEP): Runs the Abu Dhabi Government Excellence Award and supports public-sector excellence assessments across the emirate; a structurally similar government-led excellence and award program in the same MENA region.

Emerging players

• Business Excellence Board (Dubai): Drives private-sector excellence assessments and awards in Dubai; comparable as a regional excellence promotion entity with similar assessment and recognition services for non-government organizations.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/king-abdullah-ii-center-for-excellence-kace

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about King Abdullah II Center for Excellence