Local businesses to connect with LNG opportunity

Part of the 2nd International LNG Conference taking place in Vancouver this week, the trade show is a key element of the LNG-Buy BC program announced by Premier Christy Clark in 2013, to help link B.C. businesses with LNG proponents looking to build projects in the province.

Close to 100 B.C. companies are registered to take part at the trade show organised by the LNG-Buy BC program, including 14 Aboriginal businesses.

Online tool

A new online tool to connect B.C. businesses with LNG proponents is also being demonstrated for the first time throughout the three-day tradeshow. The tool is designed to:

• Facilitate connections between proponents/contractors and B.C. companies.
• Provide a channel for communicating proponents’ requirements.
• Support the promotion and marketing of B.C. companies to global businesses for both export opportunities and for foreign direct investment projects in B.C.
• Provide a platform for supply-chain connections for other sectors and projects critical to B.C.’s economy.

LNG connections

LNG-Buy BC’s programming at the conference is aimed at demonstrating what the province’s companies have to offer and to making sure connections are made between B.C. businesses and LNG proponents. More than 100 business-to-business meetings are scheduled to take place on the trade-show floor.

Seminars/workshops

The LNG-Buy BC program will also offer supplier boot camps and RFP seminars across all three days of the trade show. Over 300 B.C. companies have already benefitted from LNG-Buy BC workshops, and 11 more of these workshops will be held after the conference. These free workshops help companies better understand the procurement opportunities and processes associated with serving major LNG projects and guide them through the RFP process to secure contracts.

Skills training/jobs

The conference is highlighting skills training and the jobs of LNG as a part of the recently launched B.C.’s Skills for Jobs Blueprint. This is the government’s 10-year plan to ensure education and training programs are aligned with the labour market demands.

Comments

Shirley Bond, Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training, commented: “LNG-Buy BC is focused on ensuring B.C. businesses have the tools they need to connect with the opportunity LNG offers. The boot camps and seminars at the conference and throughout the province afterwards will provide valuable insights into how B.C. companies can be part of the incredible generational opportunity of LNG. The new online tool we are demonstrating at the conference and formally launching later this year is the platform British Columbia will use to showcase to LNG proponents what local businesses have to offer.”

Adapted from press release by Katie Woodward

Read the article online at: https://www.lngindustry.com/liquid-natural-gas/23052014/lng-buy_bc_program_helps_businesses_connect_649/