With more procurement opportunities extended to Qatar’s small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), many local businesses have expanded their product manufacturing capacity and have adapted to the needs of the local market, an official of the Ministry of Finance (MoF) had said.
According to Government Procurement Regulations director Abdulaziz Zeid Rashid al-Taleb, the MoF witnessed an improvement in the learning curve of SMEs in terms of supplying the local market of much needed commodities.
Speaking to Gulf Times on the sidelines of Moushtarayat 2019, al-Taleb underscored Qatar’s business infrastructure, saying that under a strong foundation it has grown on a daily basis. 
“It is very encouraging especially for the SMEs and international firms and factories that want to partner with local companies…the facilities in the country are very much comprehensive and it allows for business owners to take a very much courageous step to participate in businesses in Qatar,” he pointed out.
Al-Taleb said many of the products initially offered by SMEs are not related to the 58 government entities involved in Qatar Development Bank’s (QDB) annual Government Procurement and Contracting Conference and Exhibition ‘Moushtarayat’, which aims to create opportunities for local suppliers and SMEs by providing access to a network of prominent buyers and suppliers for government, semi-government, and large private entities.
“But after they had noticed that the nature of the tenders covers various commodities, which are light, mid, and heavy industries, they started to accelerate and divert their business to support these industries,” al-Taleb said.
“Preference is given to local companies over any other foreign company. And also, we have a law that puts pressure on international companies to give preference or 30% of their business or contracts through local companies,” al-Taleb said, adding that more government entities awarding contracts to local companies.
Citing the impact of Moushtarayat on the country’s local business community, al-Taleb said SMEs had learn to adapt to the needs of the local market, adding that they developed their commodity manufacturing services or supplies and are “now very much aligned to growth of their businesses.”
During the opening of Moushtarayat, QDB CEO Abdulaziz bin Nasser al-Khalifa said the event is expected to offer 2,600 business opportunities worth QR5.8bn.
He said Moushtarayat aims to provide small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) access to large procurement governmental projects. It also serves as a platform to grow and develop Qatar’s SME sector. This year’s event featured 10 workshops with the participation of 40 exhibitors.