Choosing a local oilfield partner in Iraq and Kurdistan

Start with a commercial case you can test

Select one product or service category and a manageable set of target accounts. Explain the operational problem you solve, the specifications you can meet, comparable work and the resources available for quotations and delivery. Treat a project announcement as a research lead, not proof of an available order.

For each account, establish whether the operator buys directly or an engineering, procurement and construction contractor, integrator or service contractor buys your package. Identify who issues the purchase order, who approves the technical offer and who owes payment. Ask which registrations apply to your company and any proposed subcontractor.

Keep federal Iraq and the Kurdistan Region separate in that assessment. For example, DNO directs prospective Kurdistan suppliers to MNR, while Rumaila publishes its own Avetta registration route. Neither is a market-wide approval. DNO supplier guidance · Rumaila supplier guidance

Separate equipment supply from work on the ground

Write down the complete supply boundary. Include shipping, import coordination, storage, installation, commissioning, training, warranty visits and maintenance wherever they form part of the offer. Name the entity responsible for each activity before selecting a partner around it.

This can affect eligibility. MNR's Foreign Supplier category is restricted to specified Premium Supply products supplied from abroad by manufacturers or qualifying sole licensed traders without a KRG corporate registration certificate. It excludes on-ground services in the Kurdistan Region. An equipment offer that includes local installation therefore needs a scope-specific review. MNR category definitions

For services, establish who employs and supervises personnel, provides equipment and carries the execution obligations. Check corporate, activity, tax, employment and import requirements with qualified advisers for the intended territory. Representation alone does not settle those questions. The market-entry guide covers the separate establishment review.

Choose the role before choosing the company

Use these working commercial distinctions when comparing proposals. The contract, actual activity and applicable licensing requirements must determine the final arrangement.

A useful representation mandate provides active commercial coordination: checking whether an enquiry fits, resolving buyer questions, tracking qualification gaps and keeping approved submissions moving. It can also define local mobilisation and delivery-support coordination, with logistics, accommodation, security or other providers identified where relevant. Your company remains responsible for approving its technical offer, pricing and commitments. Forwarded tender notices alone do not demonstrate that this work is being done.

Check evidence behind the partner's claims

Request evidence proportionate to the proposed role:

• Identity and authority: legal entity, ownership, authorised signatory and relevant registrations or licences.
• Comparable work: references for the same type of product, service or delivery responsibility, with permission to verify them.
• Available resources: named personnel, actual facility access, equipment and subcontractors. Distinguish owned resources from arrangements still to be secured.
• Conflicts: competing principals, existing territorial commitments and how confidential information will be handled.
• Commercial controls: documented fees, payment triggers, expenses, reporting and approval limits.

Apply your compliance checks to intermediaries and delivery subcontractors. DNO's published business-partner code, for example, requires third-party due diligence and anti-bribery commitments for DNO work. It also prohibits facilitation payments and gifts or hospitality during bidding, evaluation and award. These are buyer-specific obligations, not a universal tender checklist. DNO Business Partner Code of Conduct

Treat promised awards, unverifiable buyer relationships and unexplained payments as reasons to stop and investigate. An introduction does not establish procurement authority or an entitlement to win.

Agree a focused mandate before broad exclusivity

Define the territory, product or service category, target buyers, duration and review points. Any exclusivity should have an explicit scope, performance expectations and exit arrangements reviewed for the applicable law. Record who controls buyer accounts, submitted documents and opportunity records when the relationship ends.

Measure early progress through useful outputs: verified buying routes, relevant buyer responses, resolved qualification gaps and opportunities your team has decided to pursue. Meeting counts and tender emails provide an incomplete picture. Agree how much engineering time, travel and local support you will fund before committing resources.

Use this checklist before committing

Record verified answers and assign owners to unresolved questions. Resolve eligibility, authority and delivery blockers before committing:

1. Market fit: What specific need does the offer address, and which buyers should assess it?
2. Buying route: Which entity could purchase, qualify the supplier and approve the product or service?
3. Delivery: Who supplies, imports, mobilises, performs site work and supports the warranty?
4. Partner fit: Which responsibilities are covered by verified capability, and which remain gaps?
5. Bid readiness: Are relevant references, specifications, manufacturer authorisations, quality and HSE evidence, and requested financial records available?
6. Commercial decision: Who approves costs, pricing, exceptions and a decision not to bid?

This is a preparation framework. The buyer's current documents determine mandatory submissions. Keep registration, qualification, invitation and award as separate milestones. Rumaila explicitly states that Avetta registration guarantees neither tender invitations nor contracts. Rumaila registration disclaimer

Sources and scope

Sources reviewed 21 October 2026. This guide uses public information and recommended preparation questions. It does not identify live tenders or replace the buyer’s current instructions or scoped legal advice.