Page 12 - Corporate Responsibility Report 2018

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2018 Corporate Responsibility Report
Members of the management team at WAMCOL, a San Martín- based contractor, which has participated in Gran Tierra’s Key Partners program and now employs over 100 people in support of Gran Tierra’s operations in the south
of Cesar Department.
LOCAL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
In 2018, Gran Tierra continued its successful approach to vendor engagement and development, even as it expanded its vendor base to service increasing operations, particularly in the Middle Magdalena Valley. While the company’s approach to local vendors won a prestigious award in Colombia, GTE continued to advance three initiatives that are designed to provide even more support for these vendors:
Strengthening relationships with local vendors at the management and site level and connecting them with national or international contractors where possible. According to Colombian regulations, contractors have the authority to hire any vendors they choose, but GTE encourages them to give local vendors priority in their purchasing of goods and services.
Competency development through courses developed in partnership with the University of Madrid and the Technology Institute of Putumayo. The training provides vendors, many of whom are located in areas without access to institutions of higher education, with a high-quality curriculum and online tools tailored to
meet their needs.
Fostering operational excellence by vendors through GTE’s “Key Partners” program of performance evaluations and recognition of vendors.
Key Partners – Developing and Supporting Local Vendors
Gran Tierra executes all contracting processes based on both national laws and international standards. The company’s competitive and transparent bidding processes apply to contracting of both goods and services. Also, the company has implemented a fair and transparent bidding process for local suppliers that maximizes local participation in goods and services.
One example of how GTE supports local suppliers is through a cross-functional program called Key Partners: The Best Allies; The Best Operations, which was started in 2013 and in 2018 won an award from ANH, the National Hydrocarbons Agency. As one of the few major operators in Putumayo Department, an area that has suffered from decades of armed conflict, Gran Tierra realized in 2013 that its economic strength could be used to help reverse the long-standing impediments to development and improve conditions for growth by local businesses. At the same time it would be strengthening its supplier and service provider network.
Based on the success of this program in Putumayo, GTE in 2018 expanded the scope to include its operations in the Middle Magdalena Valley as well.
“When we started, we didn’t have the experience necessary to meet GTE’s requirements. But the company was willing to work with us through the Key Partners program. On-the-job and classroom training helped us gain experience. Since then, we have qualified for increasingly significant assignments.”
– Diana Diaz, Administrator from Architecture Construction SAS, Villagarzón