OCCI Launches “Tamkeen” Initiative for Enabling SMEs to Contest Government TendersMuscat, 16 Dec 2025 (ONA) — Oman
Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OCCI) today launched an initiative codenamed “Tamkeen”
(empowerment) to enable small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to opt for
government tenders.

The initiative was launched at the OCCI premises in Muscat Governorate, in
cooperation with “Oman Vision 2040 Implementation Follow-up Unit” and the “Projects,
Tenders and Local Content Authority”.

As part of the initiative, two
training programmes will be implemented in the governorates of the
Sultanate of Oman during 2025 and 2026. The programmes are designed to raise the
standards of SMEs so that they could benefit from 10 percent allocated to them in
government purchases and tenders. The move will enhance the contribution of SMEs
to national projects and enable them to support economic growth and expansion.

Faisal Abdullah Al Rawas, Chairman
of OCCI Board of Directors, said that the new initiative constitutes a
milestone in the Chamber’s ongoing efforts to empower the private sector and boost its readiness to actively engage in the business environment that, he
observed, is undergoing rapid development.

Al Rawas added that the active engagement in the government procurement system has become a fundamental pillar
for the growth of SMEs and the sustainability of their businesses.

For his part, Eng. Badr Salim
Al Maamari, Chairman of “Projects, Tenders and Local Content Authority”, described Tamkeen as a “model of institutional
integration between government and private establishment”. Al Maamari pointed out that
the initiative would bolster the readiness of SMEs and enable them to efficiently
compete within the government projects and procurement system.

In further comments, Zakaria
Abdullah Al Saadi, CEO of the OCCI, said that Tamkeen
initiative was one of the key outcomes of a “Strategic Approaches Workshop” organized
earlier by the OCCI. The workshop, he explained, focused on three basic themes:
“Improving the business environment”, “Expanding the base of economic
diversification” and “Consolidating partnership in the economic development of Omani
governorates”.

In February 2025, the OCCI launched 14
initiatives to achieve its strategic approaches, within the context of the Chamber’s cooperation with the Oman
Vision 2040 Implementation Follow-up Unit to support the private sector and
enhance its role in developing the national economy.

The first training programme of Tamkeen
initiative kicked off at the OCCI premises in Muscat Governorate today. The programme
included working papers on steps to apply for government
purchases and tenders, and on how to register companies on the government
portal “Esnad platform”.

The training programme will be
implemented in the governorates as follows: It will be implemented in South Al Batinah Governorate on 17
December 2025; in A’Dakhiliyah Governorate on 18 December 2025; in Al Wusta
Governorate on 21 December 2025; in A’Dhahirah Governorate on 24 December 2025;
in Al Buraimi Governorate on 25 December 2025; in North A’Sharqiyah Governorate
on 28 December 2025; in Musandam Governorate on 1 January 2026; in Dhofar
Governorate on 4 January 2026; in South A’Sharqiyah Governorate on 7 January 2026
and in North Al Batinah Governorate on 8 January 2025.

— Ends/Bishara