Businesses urged to participate in GNBS’ 5th National Quality Awards

Last Updated on Tuesday, 25 February 2025, 22:20 by Writer

The Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA) on Tuesday teamed up with the Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) to encourage businesses to participate in the 5th National Quality Awards (NQA).

Applications are open until March 31, 2025 and the awards would coincide with National Quality Week and National Standards Day on October 14.

Those eligible include large manufacturers, banking and finance, tourism as well as small businesses with less than 25 employees and micro- or agro-processors who have less than 10 employees.

GNBS Executive Director, Trevor Bassoo said the award criteria are focussed on international quality management principles which means that businesses must be customer-focussed, leadership oriented, demonstrate improvement and relationship management among other areas.

He said businesses that win National Quality Awards receive an image boost, demonstrate their commitment to quality and inspire others. “Those businesses will receive bragging rights. Those businesses that are successful have an opportunity to say that ‘we have received a National Quality Award for our business success in the year 2025’.”

He said all participants must meet several quality criteria such as a quality manual or a policy handbook that guide their business processes. “That by itself makes those businesses a winner. It means they’re doing things right. They’re willing to improve in their business practices and they want to do better,” Mr Bassoo said.

The GNBS chief said participating businesses would have to be assessed on their business process and their existing quality manuals for a “very small fee”.’

The NQA started in 2017 with 18 participants and in 2023 that figure grew to 61, making Mr Bassoo optimistic that over 100 businesses would sign up this year.

President of the GMSA, Ramsay Ali said while large companies might not participate because they are internationally recognised, he promised to push the need for smaller businesses to participate in the NQA. “It’s important for their businesses when you can say ‘I participated in this system and I was given this award’. It will help their products, it will help their companies, it will help them develop,” he said. He said several companies that are wearing the MADE IN GUYANA brand are GMSA members and this makes them standout in a competitive market.