…business opportunities provided for upcoming projects
ExxonMobil on Wednesday said that it has nearly 1900 Guyanese supporting the company’s activities and has spent some $45.7 billion in Guyana since 2015.
According to the company, the $45.7B was spent with hundreds of local vendors, adding that in 2019 alone, more than $24 billion was spent directly on more than 700 Guyanese vendors providing goods and services ranging from food to engineering. The oil giant stated that 74 per cent increase in expenditure compared to $14 billion spent with Guyanese vendors in 2018. 
“Concurrently, the number of Guyanese supporting ExxonMobil Guyana’s exploration, development and production activities has grown by 77 per cent in 2019, now representing more than half of the total workforce,” the oil company said.
List of planned 2020 tenders
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, the Centre for Local Business Development released a list of planned 2020 tenders to provide goods or services related to ExxonMobil Guyana and its prime contractors.
Uploaded to the Centre’s Supplier Registration Portal, the list supplements ongoing efforts to provide Guyanese businesses information regarding upcoming opportunities available in the oil and gas industry. 
“Local suppliers are important to the success of our operations, and through the Centre, we continue to strengthen the capabilities of Guyanese businesses; improving their competitiveness and the country’s overall industrial base,” ExxonMobil Guyana’s Rod Henson said.
The statement noted that the Centre continues to be a reliable resource for information on safety, technical standards, procurement opportunities, tendering processes and project-specific information. It provides mentoring, access to financial support services, and business-to-business networking opportunities.
Planning, it added, is underway for a Supplier Forum later this year which will allow for direct engagement with ExxonMobil Guyana and its prime contractors. The Centre held a similar forum in December 2018.
The Centre was established in 2017, to assist small and medium-sized Guyanese businesses to build capacity and improve their competitiveness.
Henson added that using a multi-tiered approach, ExxonMobil focuses on building workforce and supplier capabilities as well as a strategic community investment. The continued growth of local content is exactly what we want to see as we continue to partner with Guyana.
Looking ahead, he noted that a steady phased approach to future development projects such as Liza Phase 2 and potentially Payara will help further progress local content.
The Liza Phase 1 project began oil production in December 2019, while the Liza Phase 2 start-up is anticipated by early 2022. A third project, Payara, is currently undergoing Government approval processes and could start up as early as 2023.
