Minister within the Ministry of Public Works, Deodat Indar is urging small contractors and businesses to be proactive in their quest for job opportunities through government projects.
During an event last week, Indar responded to President of the Guyana Manufacturing Association and Services (GMSA), Ramsay Ali’s call for local producers to be the first choice when the government is procuring.
Indar said the government is employing locals for major projects in the construction sector, noting that these jobs are not limited to well-established businesses alone.
“We should buy Guyanese and give the Guyanese businesses first preference and I agree with you [Ramsay Ali], we have fought for that for all of our lives but you know some of our people right here undermine that.
“Our government passed the local content legislation for some of the sectors for the services, at least 40 areas to give Guyanese that first push so that is what we do,” the minister said.
He explained that there are multiple opportunities in each sector, including oil and gas, for persons to be gainfully employed.
Guyana’s Local Content Act outlines 40 sub-sectors that would legally require oil companies to procure goods and services from Guyanese businesses. It also supports the requirement to employ specific percentages of Guyanese in their day-to-day operations.
Since coming into operation in January 2022, Guyana’s local content regulator – the Local Content Secretariat – has issued over 300 Local Content Certificates to Guyanese suppliers of the nation’s oil and gas sector.
Addressing the call for employment opportunities, Minister Indar said there must be a proactive approach from businesses.
“On those rigs, they have three phases, they separate the water from the oil and other impurities, every pump, every valve on those have to be calibrated and tested. Who does it?
“Those are where the opportunities are but we sit and we don’t check the sector, we don’t read. How are you going to get the opportunity and that is a question every business person should ask,” Minister Indar said.
He noted that the Ministry of Housing and Water is developing several communities and there is need for supplies and contractors. Additionally, the Public Works Ministry is building roads and expanding road networks and there are areas where persons must show interest.
“Just imagine the amount of excavator operators, the amount of bulldozer operators we need, the earth works alone is the biggest cost in those things.
“What is the opportunity there? Concrete, batching plants, stone, sand, steel, those are what we use to make the roads. Somebody got to supply it. This is where all the small businesses Mr Ali spoke about have a fighting chance,” he said.
The government also changed certain criteria for small contractors to be employed, like the requirement of three to five years’ experience, to enable new contractors to benefit from these opportunities.
