Over 300 small business owners and other business persons were engaged on Monday in a training exercise crafted to help them understand Guyana’s procurement laws and provisions and by extension, improve their ability to bid for contracts.

This training session comes as there is an ongoing infrastructure boom across Guyana prompting the procurement of more goods and services.

Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Oneidge Walrond, said business opportunities, specifically to bid for contracts, are available to all Guyanese but they must be equipped and empowered to capitalise on those opportunities.

“Today is an opportunity for you to hear practically and talk practically on what it is that you need to do to execute successfully,” Walrond said at the opening ceremony of the training sessions held at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre at Liliendaal, Georgetown.

She also reminded the gathering that the law provides a carve-out for small business players, stating that at least 20 per cent of goods or services procured by the State should be from small businesses.

Asked about how this training helps to eliminate any perception of favouritism or nepotism in the award of contracts, Walrond told the News Room that all small business owners who are registered with Guyana’s Small Business Bureau were invited.

And once they participate in the training, their ability to bid for contracts is expected to improve.

With a Procurement law in place also, Minister Walrond believes that the process of awarding contracts is transparent.

She, however, acknowledged that navigating the law and the procurement provisions can be cumbersome if not daunting.

As such, Monday’s training session was touted as a platform to explain the legal processes and provisions in greater detail and empower small business owners to seek clarity on whatever questions or concerns they might have.

She said that assistance is being provided on seemingly elementary processes and requirements like preparing bid documents and ensuring that businesses are compliant.

Meanwhile, Chairman of the Small Business Council Abu Zaman also noted that the session was tailored to help Guyanese business players network with each other.

Minister Walrond, like Zaman, opined that once business players are gathered in a common space, networking and opportunities to form consortia come “naturally”.