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With Government contracts awarded in 2023 amounting to $20 billion, a procurement consultant is urging more micro, small and medium-sized entities to aggressively pursue bidding for such contracts.
That procurement consultant, Dwayne Bailey, during his podcast Procurement Pulse, explained that many entrepreneurs are missing out on accessing valuable government contracts because of fear and misconception of the procurement process.
“I’ve always heard that if you want to get rich you should sell to the masses, and the easiest way to sell to the masses is to sell to the Government because they buy the most. That is the reality,” he stated.
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According to Bailey, of the $20 billion in government contracts awarded in 2023, only a few companies were able to gain access via restrictive bidding.
“Over 5,000 contracts were issued… If you think about that—$20 billion in over a year, 5,000 contracts—can you imagine if you were able to earn at least one per cent of that $20 billion?” he questioned.
“[If] you have a construction company, one per cent is what you want to target. Probably you’re a caterer, one per cent, [or] probably you just provide some social media services, one per cent. What would that look like for any family in Jamaica right now?” he further asked.
Bailey, who has more than a decade’s experience in procurement in the public and private sectors, recommends the Ministry of Finance and Planning as a first resource for people searching for more information to support their understanding of procurement. He also suggests seeking the assistance of the Public Procurement Commission.
The procurement professional also shares information on his personal podcast, the Procurement Pulse on YouTube, his website procurementpulse.com, and workshops conducted under the same banner. One such workshop, the Winning Bid, held December 14 and 15, targeted helping suppliers understand the intricacies of the government procurement process so that they are well positioned to compete for contracts in 2025.
“Stop being afraid of government procurement. Yes, they (government) are a giant and there are big processes, but the kind of processes most used by Government are not those,” Bailey advised, noting that for contracts below $1.5 million, all entrepreneurs need to have to participate and do business with government entities is a tax registration number.
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“It’s that easy. You just need to now figure out and explore what the services are that Government buys and once you figure out what they buy, you just switch on as an entrepreneur and do what entrepreneurs do, which is chase opportunities,” he counselled.
Bailey further emphasised that opportunities were not simply available to awardees based on connection or proximity. Rather, entrepreneurs can qualify for contracts by simply marketing themselves to government entities and registering on the Government of Jamaica Electronic Platform (GOJEP) at gojep.gov.jm. The platform is a repository of contractual opportunities and portal for submitting bids.
“Say you’re a farmer… Do you know a lot of hospitals buy farm produce? You can sell farm produce to the hospitals. Sometimes it’s hard to find people who can do it. RADA exists yes, but what you can do is use your RADA certification and start to market yourself,” he encouraged.
“A lot of people think that you must know somebody because the fact is, some entrepreneurs are lazy. If you want business, it won’t fall into your lap. For an entity to know that you exist you have to go and advertise to those people, just as how you would have to put an ad in the paper,” he underscored.
Additionally, Bailey divulged that many suppliers who participate in the restrictive bidding process for contracts are invited because they are known to government. Restrictive processes are limited to contracts valued at more than $1.5 million for suppliers of goods and services, and above $2 million for works. A maximum of five suppliers are directly invited by government procurement practitioners to bid.
“So, if you offer the service and you say, ‘The Government buys this service clearly; why am I not being called to participate?’ You need to start marketing your services to procurement practitioners so you can participate,” he insisted.
Bailey said many entrepreneurs are misinformed about the procurement process by others and urged them to do their research and not only rely on what other suppliers have told them.
“Sometimes the people who are profiting the most, are the ones selling misinformation,” he warned.
“We’re targeting those who really want to stop making excuses about how hard the process is. It’s a process that anyone can navigate by being prepared,” he maintained.
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