Close to 600 persons from the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) and beyond participated in the latest procurement fair hosted by the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB, the Bank), the World Bank and the OECS Commission. This initiative is part of an ongoing drive to increase accessibility to public procurement opportunities by regional businesses. The event also provided invaluable information to potential bidders to ensure they better understand and can easily access available opportunities while satisfying the requirements in public procurement under projects financed by the respective institutions.

According to William Ashby, Portfolio Manager, Economic Infrastructure Division, CDB, who spoke at the opening session of the 2025 OECS Procurement Fair, “Our goal is clear: to demystify procurement and broaden access to public procurement opportunities. When businesses – large, small, women led and youth owned – can confidently engage in procurement processes, we stimulate job creation, foster innovation, and ensure that development projects reflect the diversity and talent of our region. By doing so, we strengthen transparency, competitiveness, and inclusivity in the way projects are delivered.” 

Held on October 28 and 29 in Saint Vincent and Grenadines, the fair exposed participants to a variety of project opportunities in infrastructure, health, green energy, education, gender, youth empowerment, digital transformation, solar energy, mangrove restoration, sargassum strategies, skills and innovation, and environmental development. In person sessions examined common pitfalls and errors from bidders, the rights of bidders, available complaints mechanisms, distinguishing quality submissions and the costing of bids. 

Mr. Ashby added that the Bank sought to emphasise its commitment to inclusion by ensuring that women-owned and controlled businesses, as well as enterprises from underrepresented groups, had equal access to procurement opportunities on hand. This event follows the recent Procurement Fair held in Belize earlier this year. It expands on CDB’s ongoing response to private sector requests for greater assistance manoeuvring bidding and proposal processes.