As many as 26 Qatari small and medium enterprises (SMEs) have been shortlisted to tender for six business opportunities offered by Qatar Development Bank (QDB) and Qatar Shell.
The successful SMEs will become part of the supply chain for Pearl GTL, the world’s largest gas-to-liquids plant developed in partnership between Qatar Petroleum and Qatar Shell. The successful SMEs will be announced at an awarding ceremony on December 5, 2016.
The shortlisted SMEs will tender for Compressor Dry Gas Seals Refurbishment and Testing Services; CO and Industrial Gases – Manufacturing; Plastic and Glass Sample Bottles – Manufacturing; White Metal Bearing Refurbishment – Services; Active and Healthy Lifestyle, CSR (corporate social responsibility) Programme Delivery; and Translation Services.
Initially, 43 companies expressed interest to bid and submitted documents for qualifications. In addition, 18 firms submitted formal bids.
“QDB is fully committed to providing those SMEs and entrepreneurs with all the  management, advisory and financial support that they need as they bid for contracts that will help raise their operating standards to meet global requirements,” according to Bader Shaheen al-Kuwari, business localisation support manager at QDB.
Buoyed by Qatari SMEs and entrepreneurs’ growing interest in joining Qatar Shell’s supply chain, Amro Ahmed, Qatar local content and SME manager at Qatar Shell said, “By supporting their development, we are seeking to promote and accelerate the development of the private sector in Qatar, in line with the economic pillar of the Qatar National Vision 2030.”
More than 250 SMEs and entrepreneurs attended the fourth annual ‘Qatari SME Business Opportunities Workshop’ in May. At the workshop, they were presented with the upcoming tenders and pre-qualification process to compete for the opportunities on offer.
Since the Local Content/SME programme began in 2013, Qatar Shell has contracted with 14 Qatari SMEs to become part of Qatar Shell’s supply chain. Last year, seven new business opportunities with an estimated total value of QR15mn were presented to more than 150 local SMEs and entrepreneurs, with six contracts successfully awarded to Qatari businesses.