Muscat,
Represented by the Secretariat General of the Tender Board, the Sultanate of Oman is embarked on measures to enhance the local content, which is deeply rooted in the national workforce, local products, fixed assets, small and medium enterprises and other resources.
Keenness to develop these resources stems from the fact that they play a significant role in supporting the national economy and augmenting the gross domestic product (GDP).
Eng. Badr Salim al Ma’amari, Secretary-General of the Tender Board, said that the Tender Board focuses on raising the percentage of local content in government procurement contracts and projects, with emphasis on efficient implementation.
Al Ma’amari told Oman News Agency (ONA) that “this approach will reflect positively on attracting many initiatives that will boost the efficiency of economic sectors, improve the commercial balance and raise the value of direct investment resulting from the localization of industries. This approach is also expected to contribute to the generation of more employment opportunities for national cadres, thereby boosting Omanization in various sectors”.
Al Ma’amari pointed out that the Secretariat General of the Tender Board is currently working on establishing a national “Local Content Office” that would deal with specializations to achieve a national revenue capable of boosting the economy.
Al Ma’amari added that this objective is envisaged to be realized through the introduction of local-content-based national policies (covering strategies, plans, programmes and incentives) and conducting market studies to bridge gaps and explore opportunities for the maximization of the local content.
First of all, the Local Content Office would take steps to establish a “unified and comprehensive database” that would boost strategic decision-making based on mechanisms, standards and indices to measure the efficiency of national local content in achieving the desired developmental and financial goals, said Al Ma’amari.
The Local Content Office’s database will open up vistas for small and medium enterprises (SME) and local companies and consolidate their competitiveness and their role in backing the national economy. This is in addition to the generation of more employment opportunities for Omanis, supporting the national product, localizing industries, ensuring integration among various sectors and boosting the transfer of knowledge and experiences,” said Al Ma’amari.
