BP as the operator of Azerbaijan's major oil and gas development and transportation projects on behalf of its partners recently extended its engineering and design services contract with the local company Encotec, Trend reports citing an official announcement by the company. This new agreement provides extension of the existing contract with Encotec until March 2008 with a value increase up to $1million.
The new contract is in line with BP's and its partners' efforts to maximize local content in their projects through increasing both the number of companies participating in their contracts, and the value of contracts awarded locally.
Under the extended contract Encotec will manage small engineering and modification projects in support of the Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli (ACG), Shah Deniz, Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) and South Caucasus Pipeline (SCP) facilities. Services provided by Encotec may include site survey and inspection, preparation of detailed technical specifications and method statements for materials and installation work, as well as preparation of detailed resource and work execution plans, provision of documentation, design engineering, drawings, layout, and final installation and commissioning report.
Encotec was founded in 2000 and today it is a well-managed multi-discipline engineering company. It provides design-engineering services, project management and supervision for construction, installation and commissioning primarily to Azerbaijan's oil and gas industry. The company's expertise, however, extends far beyond this sector embracing civil engineering and other engineering fields.
Among other achievements Encotec has received ISO 9001:2000 certification by DNV (Den Norske Veritas) for engineering, design and project management services for the oil and gas sector, as well as other industrial and construction sectors.
BP as the operator of Azerbaijan's major oil and gas development and transportation projects on behalf of its partners has set an ambitious new target to double the value of contracts placed with Azerbaijan-owned companies by 2010. To reach this target, BP and its partners have opened the Enterprise Centre in Baku to support local companies and encourage their participation in BP projects. BP and its partners are also working to develop a number of other plans as well to encourage the non-oil sector and support enterprise development throughout Azerbaijan to assist the country in diversifying its economy. It is believed that this along with other initiatives, will create innovative and transparent practices of support to local businesses