Georgetown, Guyana – (January 19, 2016) Minister of State, Mr. Joseph Harmon, on Monday, met with members of the General Contractors Association of Guyana (GCAG) where he committed to working closely with the Ministries of Public Infrastructure and Business to ensure that small contractors are awarded 20 per cent of all government contracts as enshrined in the law.
“If the country gives out $10 billion in contracts per year, 20 per cent of that should go to small contractors,” Minister Harmon said.
The Minister explained that this year, the government will be addressing a number of issues related to the award of public tenders, including the qualifications of contractors to execute government projects. Additionally, the government is working on policy decisions with regard to compliance in National Insurance Scheme (NIS) and the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA).
“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 said.
The Association recommended that a fund or some financing mechanism be established to lend support to small contractors. Minister Harmon said that he is pleased with the GCAG’s efforts to date and added that they can make a significant contribution in ensuring that standards are upheld in the construction industry.
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