Northern B.C. is expecting $60 billion worth of investment in the coming years, according to the Northern Development Initiative Trust (NDIT), and it is urging B.C. contractors and suppliers to get in on the bonanza through bootcamps designed to teach them to make successful bids.
The region's industrial boom is being fuelled by the Northern Gateway pipeline, new mines, liquid natural gas plants and pipelines, new transmission lines, the Site C dam and various renewable energy projects.
However, small and medium-sized businesses may not know how to make successful bids with large corporations or may not have the required certification, said Renata King, director of business development for NDIT.
"The challenge now is that the contractor and supplier companies aren't quite ready," said King.
"There's a lot of business requirements and certifications that have to be in place in order for a company even to be considered to be on a preferred supplier list. Our intent is to raise the awareness of what those requirements are, and also provide them resources to help them get those certifications."
About 30 businesses participated in the trust's first contractor-supplier bootcamp in Burns Lake last month. The Village of Burns Lake, the Burns Lake Chamber of Commerce and the Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako joined forces to attract participants from across northern B.C.
Chuck Holyk, sales manager at Net-Zero Structures Ltd in Smithers, took part in the bootcamp. His two-man company was established earlier this year to focus on manufacturing energy-efficient buildings for residential, commercial and industrial sectors.
"With the amount of industry kicking off in the north, we want to play in those markets and have a better understanding of what is required from a small businessman to do business with these multibillion-dollar companies," Holyk said.
The next contractor-supplier bootcamp is expected to be held in the fall. A location has yet to be decided.
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