SBB will train small business owners to bid for contracts

GINA, GUYANA, Saturday,  January 7, 2016

Small Business operators would be able to access training to help them bid for Government contracts.  The training will be facilitated through the Small Business Bureau (SBB).

The training will begin  in the first quarter of 2017 as the Government strives to ensure that 20 percent of all public contracts are awarded to small businesses; this initiative aims to promote a healthier and more diverse business environment.

The training will focus on empowering individuals and facilitating small and micro-enterprises. It will also expand existing programmes. Finance Officer of the SBB, Simon Pollard noted that the Bureau is ensuring that clients are well trained.

“One of the things we are planning, as well, is that this year we are going to train small business owners on how to do bidding so that they will be able to complete their bid documents and so on,” Pollard said.

Pollard further explained that there are some requirements for the training. He noted that business owners must be a member of the Bureau and must have an established business or a viable business idea.

Minister of Business, Dominic Gaskin, in a recent Interview with the Government Information Agency (GINA), said that the initiative, which will see 20 percent of public tenders being awarded to small businesses, is welcomed by owners of such businesses, especially young entrepreneurs.

Minister Gaskin pointed out that “the Government is still the biggest spender in the economy, and therefore Government procurement is a big deal and we want to ensure that that small businesses have access. Now it was written into the Small Business Act, however under the previous Government it was not pursued and we have made it a priority to actually make that provision effective.”

The Business Minister added that the Ministry of Business has done quite a bit of work in relation to the Business Act in 2016, to develop mechanisms by which the 20 percent can be achieved.

The Minister said that there is nothing in the Act that measures the level of procurement that goes out to small businesses. He noted that a system must be in placed to distinguish between a regular business and a small business in every budget agency.

“This will give us an accurate assessment as to who is getting what, and it is a much bigger task than you might think, so we have done a lot of work and we want to be able to implement it this year,” Minister Gaskin said.

Minister Gaskin pointed out that developing small businesses and creating entrepreneurs will continue to remain a high priority of the SBB’s agenda. He noted that everyone should be allowed to contribute meaningfully to the country’s economy.

By Gabreila Patram