Latest update April 25th, 2024 12:59 AM
Jan 20, 2016 News
With billions of dollars granted each year in state contracts, Government is planning to activate an old law that allows small companies 20 percent of the work.
The disclosures were made Monday when Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, met with the executives of the General Contractors Association of Guyana (GCAG) in his office, at the Ministry of the Presidency.
According to Harmon, there is a part of the Laws of Guyana which states that 20 percent of all contracts must be awarded to small contractors every year. However, the law was never activated.
Harmon is planning to collaborate with Minister of Business, Dominic Gaskin, and Minister of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson, to activate it soon. He said that the move is to ensure small contractors “get a piece of the pie”.
“If the country gives out $10 billion dollars in contracts per year, 20 percent of that should go to small contractors.”
The official urged GCAG to insist on that measure, in addition to other recommendations and advocacy in which the association may want to engage, on behalf of the contractors.
This year, Government will continue work to improve procedures before contracts are awarded. As a matter of fact, Harmon assured, Government has begun to take a “fresh look” at the qualifications of contractors for jobs. He noted, too, that policy decisions on the National Insurance Scheme and the Guyana Revenue Authority will soon be made.
“In the next budget the Minister of Finance will announce certain restructuring where NIS is concerned, and where taxation is concerned, that will basically try to have everybody brought into a tax net that will allow you to make sure you get your GRA compliance and these other compliances much quicker”, he told the GCAG Executives.
Additionally, Harmon pointed out too that the Minister of Business and the Minister of Public Infrastructure have been given clear mandates to ensure conferences are facilitated for new contractors.
Meanwhile, the GCAG Executives told the Minister of State that the association believes that “it is time to move the construction industry back in place”.
GCAG says the skills, ambition, dedication and mentorship are the available driving forces for this to be achieved. The association is also calling for a fund, or mechanisms to be set up to lend financial support for small contractors in order to propel their businesses.
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