Qualified small contractors to get atleast one contract each- VP

May 11 2026

Vice President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo on Monday said a large number of persons attending his Public Day outreach at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre were seeking information about government contracts valued at $15 million and below under the administration’s small contractors programme.

This program was designed to expand opportunities for small contractors across the country and encourage wider participation in public procurement.

Speaking with reporters during the outreach, Jagdeo said many attendees were interested in securing contracts through the programme as the government continues efforts to decentralise contract awards and support small businesses.

The Vice President explained that the administration introduced a nationwide pre-qualification exercise to allow smaller contractors to qualify for projects without going through the formal tendering system required for larger contracts.

According to the VP, thousands of applications were submitted during the exercise, resulting in a massive verification process.

During the review, it was discovered that several irregularities, including duplicate submissions, multiple companies linked to the same household, and attempts by larger contractors to enter the small contractors pool despite restrictions.

Jagdeo said verification exercises are ongoing to clean up that list and ensure genuine small contractors benefit from the programme.

He noted that the government’s objective is to spread opportunities across all ten regions rather than concentrate contracts among a small group of established contractors, adding that the initiative was intended to help smaller operators grow their businesses.

Jagdeo maintained that the government remains committed to ensuring equal access to procurement opportunities and indicated that efforts are being made to ensure qualified contractors benefit over the course of the year.