PHILIPSBURG:---The St. Maarten Chamber of Commerce & Industry (COCI) is appealing to the business community to register for an interactive webinar that will take place on Wednesday, May 9 concerning the reconstruction of the country via the Trust Fund managed by the World Bank.
The Government of the Netherlands along with the Chamber of Commerce & Industry of the Caribbean part of the Kingdom, are hosting a series of information sessions starting with the first one on May 9.
The Sint Maarten National Recovery Program Bureau (NRPB), the World Bank and the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) will be providing information about Tenders and Procurement Rules of the World Bank.
COCI is assisting by encouraging the Sint Maarten business community to participate in the webinar and learn more about the reconstruction opportunities that exist for construction companies, engineer bureau’s, building material suppliers, environmental and management consultants and other types of businesses.
Those interested should register by Tuesday, May 8 by visiting the website: www.nrpbsxm.org/register
The virtual presentation will take place at the Convention Room of Simpson Bay Resort & Marina on May 9 from 8.30am to 11.30am.
"These information sessions are an excellent opportunity for local businesses, who may not be familiar with international tender regulations, to gather that much-needed knowledge.
“As more tenders are released in the next months it is our desire to have as many local companies as possible participate, be it in joint ventures or as individual companies," NRPB Director Claret Connor expressed.
The programme entails on-site attendance registration 8.30am to 9.00am; Opening words by Erwin Arkenbout 9.00am to 9.05am; Presentations World Bank, RVO and NRPB 9.05am to 10.15am; Questions & Answers 10.15am to 10.45am; Closure of the Webinar and Announcement follow-up 10.45am.
The presentations by the World Bank, RVO and NRPB will cover the following subjects: Functioning of the World Bank; Tender process (timeframe, size, formats and what’s expected from participating companies); Procurement rules; Collaboration and possible opportunities to form joint ventures; Practical information; and Information sources.
The National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) has posted damages caused by Hurricane Irma at approximately US$1.38 billion. The NRRP serves as the roadmap for investments related to the Recovery, Reconstruction and Resilience Trust Fund (SXM TF) which was established to respond to the devastation caused by the September 6, 2017 hurricane.
The SXM TF is financed by the Government of the Netherlands for up to US$553.4 million and managed by the World Bank. The Government of Sint Maarten implements the activities financed by the fund in partnership with the World Bank.
The top priorities for the NRRP are the basic needs of the people of Sint Maarten which includes food, shelter, health and livelihood. The plan also focuses on medium and long-term dealing with the revitalization of the economy in a sustainable manner such as infrastructure – building back better –, waste collection and processing.
COCI believes that this is a great opportunity for the Sint Maarten business community to participate in the medium to long-term reconstruction of the country and encourages them to register for the webinar where they can receive information and ask questions.
