THE Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) launched the second edition of its National Quality Awards at the National Exhibition Centre, Sophia on Thursday.

The launch was attended by representatives of agencies within the Ministry of Business and key private sector organisations such as the Georgetown Chambers of Commerce (GCCI), the Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana (THAG), and the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA).

The National Quality Awards (NQA) programme is Guyana’s first quality system based award programme, which seeks to recognise local businesses that demonstrate commitment to implementing quality systems and best practices in the production of goods and services.

GNBS Public Relations Officer, Lloyd David, said the NQA is based on an impartial and comprehensive assessment of the operations of participating businesses and is geared towards promoting competitiveness of local products and services.

He noted that the awards will help businesses to strive for excellence, be at a competitive edge, enhance growth and development, and encourage their sustainability.

In 2017, David said 16 companies vied for the first National Quality Awards in the categories of manufacture and services. The companies were assessed and evaluated based on the seven ISO Quality Management Principles.

These principles are Customer Satisfaction, Leadership, Engagement of People, Use of Process Approach, Improvement, Evidence-Based Decisions and Relationship Management.

For the 2019 awards, in addition to the aforementioned principles, companies will also be assessed for their adherence to basic environmental requirements (sustainable business practices) and safety requirements.

The categories of awardees were revised.

The new categories are manufacturing, services, small business (manufacturing and services) and agro-processing.

In addition to other specific requirements, participating companies must have a Valid GRA Tax Compliance, a Valid NIS Compliance and be registered with the Deeds Registry.

The GNBS is encouraging companies that can fulfill the entry requirements to participate.