Investors are also mandated to “conduct half-yearly workshops to educate Guyanese nationals and Guyanese companies about the procurement process, qualification criteria, bid evaluation criteria, performance standards, and lessons learnt from previous bidding processes.” [3]
The legislation sets out the minimum local content levels to be attained by the ending of the year 2022. For example, with respect to construction work for buildings onshore, the requirement is a 50% minimum level. Under the topic of local legal services, the law sets out a target of 90% and for manpower and crewing services, a minimum of 50% – see First Schedule in the LCA.
The LCA establishes its own regulatory mechanisms to implement, investigate, supervise, co-ordinate, monitor, and evaluate participation in local content in Guyana. These mechanisms include, but are not limited to, the establishment of the following:
- The Local Content Secretariat. The secretariathas several functions such as ‘developing and maintaining measures for the effective implementation of local content by Contractors, Sub-Contractors and Licensees’: s.5(4)(a).
- Prerequisites for contractors, sub-contractors and/or licensees setting up business in Guyana (s. 9 of LCA): the law mandates that these individuals and entities will have to submit to the Minister a Local Content Master Plan which must include an Employment Sub-Plan, Procurement Sub-Plan and Capacity Development Sub-Plan. Additionally, the Master Plan must indicate the quality criteria and quantity criteria required for the supply of goods, and the provision of services. Further, it must contain a statement on, and an estimate of the
[3] Ibid section 13 (6)
