(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Deepak John |
The Peninsula
Doha, Qatar: With the participation of several ministries and government bodies, Ministry of Finance launched the first edition of the government procurement forum yesterday at an event organised by the Ministry in cooperation with the Ministry of Commerce and industry and Qatar Development Bank, which will last from September 24 to October 2.
The forum is based on presenting the general plan for government procurement for the year 2024 in order to evaluate the work and expected needs. It will discuss many working papers presented by the cooperating parties. The forum was launched in the presence of Minister of Finance
H E Ali bin Ahmed Al Kuwari, Minister of Commerce and Industry (MoCI) H E Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad bin Qassim Al Abdullah Al Thani, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Qatar Chamber, Sheikh Khalifa bin Jassim Al Thani, President of Ashghal Saad bin Ahmed Al Muhannadi and other senior officials.
Delivering the opening remarks during the forum, Nayef Moaid Al Hababi, Director of Government Procurement Regulations Department at the Ministry of Finance, gave a presentation on the general plan for state procurement for the year 2024 during which he indicated that 2,528 tenders are expected to be issued for the year 2024, distributed among 16 economic sectors, and more than 100 economic activities according to International Standard Industrial Classification (ISIC).
“The first quarter will witness the issuance of 1,570 tenders, or 65 percent of the total tenders for the year 2024, and in the second quarter, 642 tenders will be offered, and in the third, 240 tenders, while the last quarter, 76 tenders,” he said.
Saif Jassim Al Kuwari, Director of National Product Competitiveness Support Department at MoCI discussed about the framework contracts and its role in supporting the national industry and production. He said, the national industries play major role in diversifying the national economy, to ensure self sufficiency in the country and build better future for generations to come in accordance with Qatar National Vision 2030.
In last few years, Qatar has made many accomplishments that support the national products and to promote the supply chain, he added.
“We at Ministry of Commerce and Industry have launched the framework contract in collaboration with Ministry of Finance and HMC where we have started with pharmaceutical industry and our plan is to cover other sectors in collaboration with relevant entities.”
Al Kuwari said,“Currently we are witnessing significant increase in number of factories operating in the country as we have more than 800 factories where they are able to design and build new products. The participation of MoCI in this forum is evidence of true commitment and support to national businesses and to promote the Public Private Partnership (PPP).”
Also speaking during the forum, Engineer Youssef Abdul Rahman Al Emadi, Director of Project Affairs at Ashghal, reviewed achievements of Ashghal in a number of its affiliated sectors such as developing existing and new land plots, connecting and improving roads, projects for sewage and marine outfalls for rainwater drainage, as well as road maintenance and sanitation projects, in addition to projects to beautify public places.
The organisation of this forum comes within the framework of Qatar's endeavor and keenness to strengthen initiatives aimed at providing a stimulating environment for the work and growth of local companies, as it aims to attract private sector companies, entrepreneurs, investors, owners of multi-level companies, and economic institutions.
The forum is a continuation of the government support provided to local companies, in addition to enhancing the investor's role in preparing a study of projects and operational plans, as the State of Qatar has existing projects and major projects to come that serve the achievements that the state aims to achieve, and state agencies have several development projects that serve multiple areas such as Technology projects, existing and new land development projects, road improvement and connectivity, sanitation.
Several ministries and government bodies are participating in organising this first edition of the forum, including the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, the Ministry of Municipality, the Public Works Authority, the Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation (Kahramaa), the Hamad Medical Corporation, the Primary Health Care Corporation and the Qatar Chamber.