Guyana plans to fully digitise its public procurement system before the end of 2026, in a move President Dr. Irfaan Ali says will make the tender process more transparent, easier to track and better suited to the country’s expanding public investment programme.
Speaking during a press conference on Tuesday, Ali said the Finance Secretary is leading the effort to complete and integrate the new e-procurement system by year-end. The system will include a digital bidders’ register, an e-tender lifecycle module, a national e-tender portal and an e-marketplace.
The country’s President said the reform will move Guyana away from what is still a heavily paper-based procurement process and toward a fully electronic system that can be tracked throughout the tender cycle.
The announcement is significant for businesses and investors monitoring Guyana’s procurement environment, as the country continues to roll out large infrastructure, energy, housing, health and public works projects supported by its fast-growing oil economy.
According to Ali, the existing bidder register will be expanded to capture more detailed information on each contractor, supplier and consultant. That will include beneficial ownership, Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) and National Insurance Scheme (NIS) compliance, company classification, past performance, debarments and suspensions.
The e-tender portal will also upgrade the current procurement website into a single window where public procurement plans, tender notices, bidding documents, clarifications, bid submissions and award notices are uploaded.
Ali said the e-tender lifecycle module will be a major part of the overhaul, noting that the present system is largely manual, fragmented and dependent on paper-based approvals.
Under the proposed system, the module will create a secure end-to-end digital workflow covering procurement planning, tender creation, publication, bid submission, evaluation, contract award, contract administration, variations, payment processing and real-time tracking.
The President said the system will also automate routine checks, flag compliance risks, support evaluation teams with structured scoring tools, detect anomalies and potential red flags, and generate dashboards for management oversight.
At the same time, Ali said the platform will preserve the existing statutory approval system.
For international and local businesses, the planned reform could make it easier to follow opportunities, understand tender requirements and monitor the progress of bids from submission to award. It could also increase scrutiny of contractors with delayed projects, poor performance records or compliance issues.
“Anyone can go on the electronic system, any bidder, and see from the bidding all the way to the award of the contract, every aspect of the bidding process,” he said.
He said the government and Cabinet do not decide which contractor receives an award, noting that evaluators and the tender board make recommendations, while Cabinet may offer a no-objection or withhold one under the current system.
