The Sultanate of Oman has been a frontrunner in terms of implementing localisation or In-Country Value addition schemes in the GCC, having initiated pioneering policies particularly in its oil and gas sector. It is hardly surprising then that the ICV department at the Oman Oil Refineries and Petroleum Industries Company (Orpic) has won the In-Country Value Strategy of the Year Award at the Oil & Gas Middle East and Refining & Petrochemicals Middle East Awards in Abu Dhabi on October 5th.
The winning nomination from Orpic impressed one of the judges of the jury panel as “having a focus on training and skill development, in addition to the strong focus on SMEs.”
Orpic established the In-Country Value (ICV) department in 2013 in order to achieve its objective of becoming a leading performer with respect to localisation. According to the award entry, ‘the ICV department at Orpic comprises 10 members who are assigned to the following areas:
1. Operations
2. Strategy & Planning
3. Policy & Procedures
4. Projects (Sohar Refinery Improvement Project (SRIP) – 2016, Muscat Sohar Product Pipeline (MSPP) – 2017, Liwa Plastics Industries Complex (LPIC) – 2020)’.
“I think this is a recognition of our effort by the esteemed (judging) panel and them considering the success of the initiative is motivational. And this award has motivated us to deliver further on this initiative,” Mazen Al Ansari, a communications specialist at Orpic, who represented the company at the award, said after receiving the trophy on stage.
“The hard work that we did is reflected in the numbers and figures that we have achieved. The initiative has several elements that has contributed to its success,” Al Ansari added.
On being asked about what he thinks might have appealed to the judges about Orpic’s nomination for the ICV Strategy category, he said: “Orpic works really hard to ensure that all ICV elements are adhered to. In aspects of employment and contracts awarding, Orpic sees to it that all ICV elements are covered; whether in terms of Omanisation, contribution of SMEs, etc.”
“Part of our ICV strategy is also to impart training courses and run several programmes. There are major steps that our HR department is taking. We believe in setting a benchmark and then strive to raise the standard.”
Saudi Aramco was highly commended in this category for its strategy of employing drilling products utilising local resources, which the jury praised for “promoting local resources, manpower and research.”
