“This is a blessing” – Lindeners commend procurement training

More than 70 Lindeners on Thursday benefitted from a procurement training session facilitated by the Ministry of Public Works.

The training is in preparation for the slew of roadworks for Region Ten, set to go out to tender soon.

Two categories of roads are to be undertaken in the region; asphaltic concrete and concrete roads.

These works will be tendered through the restrictive tendering process, in keeping with the Procurement Act, and will ensure that contractors from the region are employed on the projects.

Many contractors present commended the government’s continued efforts to ensure that employment opportunities are extended to small local contractors.

Speaking to the Department of Public Information at the Watooka Guest House in Linden, Brian Mcrae, owner of JA Mcrae Construction and Auto Repairs, said the session is an important initiative in educating local contractors about the procurement process.

“There are quite a number of people who do not understand the procurement system and how to do tenders. So, this session will give them an idea of what they need to understand in order to be successful. The folks who are really interested in learning, this will greatly benefit them,” he said.

Mcrae added that the restrictive tendering process is a ‘blessing’, as it provides employment opportunities for Lindeners, and allows them to contribute to the development of their communities.

“That is a blessing because Linden has a history where a lot of people would not have the equipment or the knowledge, and they would not be able to get the work. So, this is a blessing, it will be a way to build up the smaller folks and give them an idea of how to better themselves,” he noted.

For Yannick Nedd, who is the owner of Energy Empire, these sensitisation sessions are crucial to ensure that all persons have an equal chance in the bidding process.

“I think it was a great meeting for Lindeners. It was a good highlight to let the people know the basic aspects of tendering. Simple things like being a minute late can cost you, and these are some of the key things they highlighted today,” he expressed.

“What you find most of the time is that we have situations where the big names keep popping up, and when a contract goes out for road in a community, these big contractors are there. Doing it this way is a great way to empower Lindeners, not only financially, but by giving them the experience and the knowledge, to get them in a position to become successful. So, we really appreciate this,” he added.

Violet Canes, owner of VK Building Constructions shared similar sentiments, “I think it’s great. I was thinking that for years, in every village there is a contractor or someone who does construction works, so it is a great help to have people in the village doing their own work, because they know what needs to be developed and where it is.”

Meanwhile, Cedric Peters shared that the training and the efforts being made by government to ensure that locals are employed on the projects within their communities are empowering.

Peters noted, “Contractors are guaranteed to have work to do in Linden. At least we will have something to put into our pockets.”

Similarly, Erold Roethof pointed out, “As new contractors, this is something that we have been looking for. The minister explained the different stages that the contracts have to go through before you can get it, this is something we appreciate. We are new, and we are learning, so it is a very good initiative, because a lot of sensitising is being done. Some of us never knew that we had to get these things before becoming a contractor, so this is a very good thing for the Lindeners, and there are a lot of contracts to come onboard, and this is a good way to start.”

Meanwhile, Minister of Public Works, Bishop Juan Edghill, said the session forms part of a three-pronged approach to development in the region by empowering local contractors, creating employment for people in the communities, and providing a more efficient way to execute the projects in the region.

“Whenever we are doing work within a particular community, we want to ensure that the work is given for people in that community to participate in that process. We want to ensure that we spread the work around, as wide as possible, and the intention is for us to ensure that this work is completed by the end of the year,” the minister stated.