Following through on his promise to engage the Black Entrepreneurs Association (BEA) of Guyana, Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill yesterday opened the first session to help members to get familiar on the procurement process and to be business-ready.
During a session held at the Umana Yana in Kingston, attendees were given insights on “The Procurement Process.”
“This is a fulfilment of the commitment that was made when we had an engagement with Black Entrepreneurs Association discussing future engagement between this group and the ministry to access work and contracts,” Edghill said in his opening remarks.
He explained that during the session technical personnel were present to interface and share with them the necessary know-how, winning bids and how they can go about fulfilling their obligations in keeping with terms and condition of the contract.
The Minister, however, expressed disappointment that many contractors did not show up at the event to benefit from the information session.
He said that many persons still hold the belief that the awarding of contracts is done based on which government official they know. Edghill however said that the process does not work that way and all awarding of government works across the country is done under the regulations of the 2003 Procurement Act.
“It is still in some people’s head that a minister or some government official would pick up the phone and call a friend and say I have a job for you to do,” he said, stating that it is a perception that they face.
Edghill also advised the attendees that apart from bidding for individual contracts, they should also consider forming a consortium to be able to bid for larger projects under any government ministry or agency.
The training was conducted by the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Vladim Persaud; Procurement Manager, Andy Mahadeo and Special Projects Officer, Alfred Rambarran.
Last month, BEA Executive and spokesperson, Melissa Varswyk told this newspaper, their goal was to help members be compliant and business ready, work with their membership, so that they can venture out into getting contracts and partnerships and so forth.
Since the body’s formation in 2020, they have enlisted over 300 members and of those, over 85 per cent are compliant with regulatory requirements for their respective businesses, especially geared for the oil and gas services.
The BEA currently has 300 registered members in Guyana and 300 in the UK chapter.
When it met with President Irfaan Ali in 2021, the association highlighted that it is committed to creating a blueprint for black-owned businesses, which creates inter-generational wealth while transforming the business economy and community.
After its formation, and realising that the main gripe of black-owned businesses was that they were not getting contracts, or were not able to form partnerships and get access to financing, the BEA set out its plan which prioritised equipping its members.
Holding hands with the many start-up, small- and medium-sized businesses, Varswyk said now that they are compliant, the body wants them to learn firsthand what is required from public and private sector bodies for procurement.
The Ministry of Public Works was one of the first ministries that was contacted by the BEA, since it presides over the lion’s share of capital projects.
