Dear Editor,
Government should be commended for its recent efforts to empower small contractors in Region 7 (Bartica) and Region 6, by ensuring that small contractors from these two regions were able to be afforded the opportunity to undertake small contracts. Under normal circumstances, most of these small contractors would not have been able to bid against the larger, and more well-established contractors and thus would not have been able to be awarded any contracts. As such, this initiative by the government must be lauded.
However, this initiative in my opinion should be rolled out in all of the administrative regions. In addition to this, the government should ascertain ways and means of ensuring the tendering process for small contracts is simplified especially for small contractors from remote hinterland regions. There are many young and budding entrepreneurs in villages and communities across Guyana willing to take on the challenge of contributing to Guyana’s massive infrastructural and developmental boom but red tape is a serious sticking point. Dealing with the poorly trained and customer unfriendly staff of agencies such as the Guyana Revenue Authority and the National Insurance Scheme is an absolute pain and often deters persons from applying for documents such as a GRA or NIS compliance.
Without these documents, no small contractor can bid for a government contract. Government has to find a way to make the process easier and more simplified and accessible to all eligible Guyanese regardless of geographical location, ethnicity or political affiliation. As such building the institutional and administrative capacities of small contractors is vital for fostering sustainable development and economic growth of Guyanese across the country.
In closing, it is no secret that many Guyanese feel aggrieved with the way the resources from our oil patrimony is being distributed to the “small man”; the large percentage of Guyanese who live in poverty, or are straddling the poverty line. A one-off cash grant will do little or nothing for these people. More has to be done in terms of tangible job creation, empowering people and communities, fostering innovation, and encouraging entrepreneurship.
Sincerely,
(Name and Address Withheld)
