AS THE Rural Electrification Programme (REP) strives to become a more dynamic organisation, the state-owned company is aggressively seeking out income-generating jobs on the open market, as part of its plans to become self-financing.
The agency wants to wean itself from Government funding and generate its own income to ensure its long-term existence even after completing the mandate of providing rural communities with electricity.
HIGHLY COMPETITIVE
Although cognisant of the highly competitive playing field, the company will be banking on its vast expertise and 28 years of experience in the business of providing the infrastructure for electricity to compete for jobs on the open market.
"It is a challenge on the board, on management and the staff at REP to become more innovative, more creative so that the life of the company will continue long beyond what it looks like now."
However, venturing into the open market at this time becomes an attractive option as "we are thinking of moving the company closer to (achieving) executive-agency status in which we can earn enough money to keep it going," said managing director Keith Garvey.
To this end the company has been successful in capturing a few sizeable contracts on the open market. "We have done work for Cable and Wireless, Digicel, the National Housing Development Corporation (NHDC)," Mr. Garvey said.
He is confident that the company has the capacity and expertise to compete with private sector firms in securing contracts.
"With near 30 years experience we should be able to provide services that are needed in Jamaica... and compete with any private electrical firm out there in doing electrical work," Mr. Garvey said.
MARKETING STRATEGY
"We have done a few jobs and we plan to come up with a marketing strategy to sell ourselves strongly... so we have to be looking beyond our mandate to see how we can keep the company afloat and running."
The money earned from partnerships with both public and private sector companies will be rechanelled into the Revolving Fund, he said, which will be used to expand and improve efficiencies within the company.
