Oman launches ‘Rabt’ platform to boost local content in government procurement

MUSCAT : This innovative platform, launched under the patronage of His Excellency Eng. Salim bin Nasser Al Aufi, Minister of Energy and Minerals, features more than 5,000 industrial products and services.

It aims to connect government entities with over 300 factories and companies based in Oman’s industrial cities, facilitating access to locally produced goods and services. It will focus on enhancing integration between government agencies and the private sector by maximizing the impact of localizing industries and linking them to government tenders and procurement.
It also contributes to supporting national products and services and enhancing their competitiveness in local markets.

Eng. Sulaiman bin Salem Al-Jabri, Director of the ‘Rabt’ Platform Project at the Industrial Innovation Academy, emphasised that the platform’s development was the result of a joint effort spanning more than two years, with the participation of several government agencies and the private sector.

He stated that the project went through two main phases. The first phase included a comprehensive field survey of factories and companies operating in Madayn’s industrial cities to identify local products and determine the proportion of raw materials used in manufacturing processes.

The second phase saw the platform developed and programmed in collaboration with a company specialising in such interactive platforms, to ensure its efficient operation and sustainability. He noted that the platform requires a mechanism that obligates companies that win tenders to purchase and supply local products included in the ‘mandatory list’, granting them priority in use and supply, and affirming government agencies’ commitment to supporting national products.