Seminar on subcontracting opportunities in Iraq held

A seminar called "Subcontracting opportunities in Iraq" was organised in the Turkish commercial capital, Istanbul, on Thursday, bringing together US prime contractors and Turkish companies to provide them with information on how to participate in the reconstruction work in Iraq. "This is a good opportunity for Turkish firms, which are particularly skilled in the construction and energy sectors and are able to provide extensive services not only towards the reconstruction of Iraq's infrastructure but towards the future economic development of the country," Halim Neyzi, chairman of the board with the American Business Forum in Turkey (ABFT), told IRIN from Istanbul on Friday. The conference was organised by the ABFT and the US Commercial Service Turkey, together with the Turkish-US Business Council (DEIK). Senior officials from the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) in Iraq, Project Management Office (PMO), the US Department of Commerce and the US Army Acquisition Office attended the meeting. In addition, nine US companies made presentations on the contracts they had already won. "The big US companies [which won the primary contracts] explained to the Turkish firms what kind of opportunities are in Iraq, what kind of projects are available and how can they access these contracts, so now Turkish enterprises can try and apply for subcontracting opportunities," Basak Kizildemir, coordinator with DEIK, told IRIN from Istanbul. More than 400 people representing Turkish enterprises participated in the one-day seminar. "Turkish firms showed a lot of interest in the projects offered [by the US companies], but they are concerned about security in Iraq after the recent kidnappings and after two Turkish enginees were killed," the DEIK coordinator said. However, the ABFT chairman said that while there were risks in doing business in Iraq, some Turkish firms were willing to take them, as they believe the rewards are high and that its part of the cost for being involved in the reconstruction process in a post-war country. "We are interested in working in Iraq," Haluk Bilgi, vice-president of TEPE Insaat, a Turkish construction company, told IRIN from the Turkish capital, Ankara. "Insecurity is a risk we consider not only in Iraq, but also in Afghanistan, where we are currently working." Organisers are also planning to take the conference to other countries, such as Italy, Spain, Australia, UAE and Kuwait, to offer subcontracting opportunities to foreign companies.