Marape plans bill to help local firms

Finance Minister James Marape, is calling on MPs to support a bill he will table to allow local companies to bid for multi-million kina infrastructure projects.
He said local contractors should be able to bid for projects worth up to K10 million.
He will table the National Procurement Commission Bill in Parliament which will favour local contractors over foreign-owned companies.
He urged MPs to be in parliament “so we can make a law for local companies to bid for contracts up to K10 million”. “Local contractors can bid for stand-alone projects up to K30 milion. If they can’t, then they can go into joint ventures with foreign-based companies. For K30 milion and above, it is an open bid for local and international contractors.
“Since our economy has improved, and government contracts are expanding to billions of kina, it is appropriate that we give special emphasis to local contractors.”
Angoram MP Salio Waipo said that foreign contractors were winning all the projects that local contactors could do.