Business

Transport Ministry awards contracts worth RO 41 million to SMEs

 
Muscat: The Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology awarded several contracts to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to the tune of RO 41 million in the fields of transport, communications and information technology.

Turki bin Sulaiman al Hasani, Director of Tenders and Contracts at the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology, pointed out that those contracts constitute 50 per cent of the tenders that were awarded during the years 2022/2023.

He further stated that the direct cost of contracts signed with SMEs in the communications and information technology sector reached RO 1.45 million, accounting for 95 per cent of the total contracts awarded in this sector during the first half of the current year 2023.

The director of the Tender and Contracts Department emphasised that the ministry, in cooperation with the Small and Medium Enterprises Authority, has provided employment opportunities for SMEs as suppliers or main contractors in various areas, including port and road construction, information technology services, traffic signals, street lighting, barriers, road markings, and other related products in the construction and technology sectors.

The ministry, through the Tender and Contracts Department, is actively working to promote local added value by monitoring the value of contracts awarded to SMEs in the transportation, communications and information technology sectors. Additionally, the department aims to classify specialised companies to enhance their performance in the assigned projects. — ONA