The General Secretariat of the Tender Board has issued the mandatory list to support local products, industries, and professions that non-Omanis are prohibited from practicing, as issued by the Ministry of Labour. The mandatory list is one of the tools for implementing local content on both the level of local and national products and job Omanization, aiming to create positive competition among local companies and qualifying them to compete with foreign companies. The issuance of this list is part of achieving the goals of Oman Vision 2040, which aims to diversify income sources and enhance the economy by relying on national resources.

The General Secretariat of the Tender Board pointed out that the second update of the mandatory list includes 2,084 items with national product identity, 127 small and medium-sized enterprises with an entrepreneurship card, and 249 Omanized jobs.

The Secretariat also mentioned that registration in the mandatory list is done through the Esnad platform, which allows local companies to register their products with national identity in the mandatory list. Small and medium-sized enterprises with an entrepreneurship card can also register their services. Furthermore, the mandatory list includes Omanized jobs issued by the Ministry of Labour, requiring contractors with government entities to employ Omanis in the mandatory positions and purchase and use products and services listed in the list from national factories, as well as prioritize sub-contracting with small and medium-sized enterprises listed in the mandatory list.

The General Secretariat of the Tender Board is committed to innovating the latest methods and tools to enhance local content and optimize spending in ways that contribute to economic development, social welfare, and effective sustainability.

The Secretariat clarified that the mandatory list in its first phase included 9 categories of products: 57 items in construction materials, electrical materials, petroleum and chemical materials, oil equipment, and iron and plastic equipment, in addition to food items, paper goods, and furniture. The list also included 96 services, such as electrical work, civil and construction works, traffic safety and general building maintenance, initial equipment for work sites, engineering and professional design services, workforce services, IT services, machinery and equipment supply, cable transfer services, and supply of general goods and services. In the second phase, the General Secretariat of the Tender Board issued Circular No. (9/2024) regarding the implementation of the mandatory list of national products and jobs in government tenders, given its role in enhancing local content.

To implement the mandatory list, government entities are required to include mandatory items in the documents of tenders and government procurements, giving preference to goods and services listed in the mandatory list with a price advantage of no more than 10% compared to goods and services not included in the list. Entities are also tasked with monitoring and ensuring the compliance of implementing companies with the mandatory list, preparing a report detailing the actual support for goods, services, and jobs listed in the mandatory list, and sending the report to the General Secretariat of the Tender Board to prepare a comprehensive report on the support resulting from the mandatory list and its contribution to the Omani economy.