By A. Bacchus – OilNOW
“We got oil but wuh duh mean fuh me? I ain’t seeing a cent of the oil money.” I recently heard that statement from a close friend of mine who has, in recent years, been investing in several business ventures, all of which have been blossoming despite the COVID-19 pandemic. Upon further dialogue with him, he expressed his frustration with his belief that all the opportunities that will be made available in the oil and gas sector are out of reach for him as a ‘small man.’ My first question to him was whether his businesses are registered and in compliance with all of the local regulations. He answered in the affirmative. I then went on to pry on what contract opportunities he had his eyes set on that seemed out of reach. I was surprised and disappointed in the same breath—he wasn’t aware of any of the tenders that were published. In fact, he had not done any research on the existing opportunities within the sector or the requirements to tap into the supply chain.
I am no businesswoman. I have no formal training in procurement. I will sadly admit that I am not as avid a reader of the newspapers as I once was. Yet, I consider myself well-informed on the business opportunities that are arising out of the petroleum sector, using a simple tool that most persons have access to—social media. One does not have to be tech savvy to maneuver around Facebook, and the application continues to become even more simplified as time progresses. This social platform has in recent years grown to become more than a mechanism for connecting with friends and family. It has now evolved into one of the most useful marketing tools, largely due to its reach. This is not different in Guyana, and it is already being utilized by companies within the oil and gas network to advertise the growing number of opportunities locally.
Contracts and jobs—where are you looking?
The Centre for Local Business Development was established back in 2017 by ExxonMobil to aid in building the capacity of local businesses to serve the sector. Over the years, the Centre has been executing its role in a number of ways including training courses for businesses, providing networking opportunities and helping Guyanese companies to improve their marketability to the industry by aiding them in meeting the requirements and standards of the sector. The Centre also has a Supplier Registration Portal, on which local businesses can sign up their organization and benefit from timely information on contract and training opportunities. As of April, this year, over 2900 Guyanese companies were registered on the Portal and taking advantage of the programmes being offered. And the companies benefiting from visibility to industry players via this platform offer a range of services including accounting, legal services, consultancy, fabrication, I.T, and catering.
Why have I shared all of this? I say all that to point out that these opportunities are being advertised via Facebook. The Centre for Local Business Development Guyana operates a Facebook page on which all of the tender opportunities as well as vacancies from ExxonMobil and its prime contractors, as well as their support companies, are posted. The Centre is not the only company using the platform for this purpose. Eldorado Offshore and Strategic Recruitment Solutions Guyana, two of the companies that recruit employees for the sector, advertise their vacancies via their social media pages and provide users with the ability to submit applications online. ExxonMobil and SBM Offshore also feature such opportunities on their online platforms. Information is available at the click of a button and the tap of a finger and is also disseminated via the daily newspapers.
Are you ready for these opportunities?
We can all ask for the opportunities, but how prepared is your business to service the oil and gas sector? The industry is fast-paced and comes with a number of requirements—in terms of standards and safety expectations. If you follow the news, you may have seen a few headlines on local businesses becoming ISO 9001 certified. This is the international standard set by International Organization for Standardization which requires organisations to have a quality management system (QMS). This is one of the mechanisms by which a company can become more marketable to the industry and the Centre is providing the avenues by which local entities can become certified. In terms of Health, Safety, Security and the Environment, the sector has strict expectations, and the Centre offers training in crafting and implementing HSSE policies. Like any other sector, there is also the expectation of transparency, ethical practices, and compliance—and these are closely monitored.
In the last published draft of the Local Content Policy that was circulated for consultation by the Local Content Advisory Panel, there is a section—section seven to be precise—which speaks to ‘Minimum Local Content in Goods and Services.’ This section seeks to mandate local content targets for companies operating in the industry in Guyana in 10 categories of services. The opportunities will present themselves; however, the ability of local businesses to tap into the pool of contracts within the supply chain will be determined by the vision and initiative of those within the private sector.
During a recent event, Minister within the Ministry of Public Works, Deodat Indar—who is a past Vice Chairman of the Private Sector Commission and former President of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry—spoke to the importance of research to businesses that are looking to benefit from the petroleum sector. He emphasized the need for market research, and determining what opportunities are up for grabs and where the demands will arise. The Minister went on record as saying, “You need to go further,” and while this may sound like a tedious task, the resources needed to act on the appeal are within closer reach than we think. The opportunities are coming through the pipelines, it is up to you to position yourself to capture them.
