Muscat: In keeping with its robust commitment to In-Country Value (ICV) creation, Business Gateways International (BGI) has launched a multi-city roadshow called ‘Meet-JSRS’ spanning Oman and the United Arab Emirates as part of a vigorous drive to engage directly with suppliers eager for procurement opportunities linked to the Omani Oil & Gas industry by obtaining the JSRS Certification. On 31st May 2022, Ibri played host to the inaugural stop of the 13-city roadshow, that will potentially cover hundreds of Omani SME, Large and International suppliers over the course of the summer season.   

The next leg of the roadshow will take place on 9th June in Muscat at the Centara Muscat Hotel in Ghala Heights. Invitations have gone out to registered members of the JSRS network encouraging them to be part of an event that will have a game-changing impact for their businesses. The initiative ‘Meet-JSRS’ exemplifies the ongoing efforts of Business Gateways International (BGI) to help the vast and diverse suppliers unlock procurement opportunities offered by Oil & Gas operators and leading oilfield contractors. Certification under the Joint Supplier Registration System (JSRS) is a compliance prerequisite for national and international contractors or vendors to qualify to bid for oilfield tenders or procurement requests. It’s a process designed to ensure a transparent, equitable and credible procurement system governing all oilfield contracts.

With resurgent international oil prices promising to usher in a fresh tide of investment inflows into Oman’s hydrocarbon sector, BGI is eager to make sure that the suppliers community makes the most of the business opportunities that are expected to flow from these investments. To this end, the national roadshow has been organised with the support of the Ministry of Energy and Minerals, Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OCCI) and the SMEs Development Authority (Riyada). 

Comprehensive in its geographical scope and substantive in its intended impact, the ‘Meet-JSRS’ Roadshow will traverse the length and breadth of the Sultanate of Oman, with an event scheduled in Dubai as well. 

At its heart is BGI’s goal to connect the JSRS-Certified suppliers community, as well as prospective suppliers, with Oil & Gas operators and leading oilfield contractors. Seminars and interactive engagements scheduled at every stop will enable Omani SMEs and LCCs to understand the procedures that must be complied with in order to secure business opportunities offered by the Oil & Gas industry. 

As an event that strongly aligns with In-Country Value (ICV) development objectives, the Meet-JSRS roadshow will target Local Community Contractors (LCCs) and SMEs operating in the concession areas of the major operators to avail the numerous ICV Obligation opportunities that are exclusively awarded to them on the JSRS.   

The inaugural event at Ibri on 31st May 2022 saw a sizable number of local suppliers turn out for a programme steered by officials representing a number of oilfield and government stakeholder entities. Following opening remarks by Mr. Salim Al Farsi, Assistant Manager (Ibri), Riyada and his colleague Mr. Ahmed Al Hanai, provided an overview of oilfield related ICV opportunities primarily targeted at SMEs. These opportunities were broadly summed up by Mr. Ahmed Al Rawahy, ICV Local Business Development Advisor at PDO and Mr. Bader Al Rahbi, ICV Analyst at Daleel Petroleum. Investment opportunities linked to the establishment of a new industrial cluster at Ibri were outlined by Mr. Nasser Al Mabsili, General Manager of Ibri Industrial City. BGI’s Corporate Project Department executive Mr. Ibrahim Al Sadi conducted an introductory session of the JSRS platform. In the one hour long Panel Discussion which followed, the suppliers had a highly interactive session, where multiple points of interest were discussed with the speakers.  Many Suppliers from the Al Dhahira Governorate benefited from the open support sessions conducted by BGI.

Over the course of the three-month-long roadshow, BGI anticipates the attendance of its JSRS-registered suppliers from across Oman and the UAE and interact on their various issues and identify solutions. By updating their compliance procedures, JSRS-registered suppliers are uniquely placed to tap into an abundance of procurement opportunities that are routinely tendered out by the operators and major contractors.