Minister of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson on Wednesday denied a claim by People’s Progressive Party (PPP) frontbencher, Juan Edghill that GYD$79 million extra was disbursed for a Dutch feasibility study that has been mired in controversy.
“What you are saying there is absolutely untruth,” Patterson told the House in rebutting Edghill. The Minister, however, did not go into details about disbursements that Edghill said was made.
T he Dutch company, LievenseCSO Engineering Contracting BV, had recommended that government builds a low three-lane bridge with a retraction area to allow ships to pass. Government has since scrapped that plan and has decided to construct a four lane high-span crossing. In the 2019 National Budget, another GYD$100 million have been allocated for a feasibility study.
In his contribution to debate on the 2019 National Budget, Edghill called on Patterson to explain how was it that a total of GYD$148 million were paid to the Dutch company, for an unsolicited feasibility study, but figures show that GYD$227 million were paid over by the Demerara Harbour Bridge for that job.
Based on a finding by the Public Procurement Commission that Patterson had allegedly breached the Procurement Act and Guyana’s Constitution by sole-sourcing the contract without going through the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board, the PPP has gotten the Guyana Police Force’s Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) to conduct an investigation. Patterson has since been questioned by SOCU agents and the matter has gone for legal advice.
In the House on Wednesday, Edghill said in the Procurement Commission Report on the issue states that on November 25, 2016 Cabinet approved GYD$161, 514,420 to pay for the study. He highlighted that in December, 2016 the General Manager of the Demerara Harbour Bridge inked a contract without approval of that entity’s board.
Edghill claimed that in 2017 the Asphalt Plant of the Demerara Bridge paid GYD$153,250,385 on the feasibility study and in January, 2018 an additional GYD$14,728,000 and in February GYD$59,340,00 was spent on the project.
Minister of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson on Wednesday ignored a call by People’s Progressive Party (PPP) frontbencher, Juan Edghill to explain why another GYD$100 million is need for feasibility studies for the proposed new Demerara Harbour Bridge and to account for GYD$79 million related to the first study that has been mired in controversy.
In his contribution to debate on the 2019 National Budget, Edghill called on Patterson to explain how was it that a total of GYD$148 million was paid to the Dutch company, LievenseCSO Engineering Contracting BV, for an unsolicited feasibility study, but figures show that GYD$227 million were paid over by the Demerara Harbour Bridge for that job.
“We were told that the Dutch company only got 148 million. Where did the rest of the money go? We want to know today, not that we will get the information to you. Get it to us today…even the accounting from the asphalt plant is not accurate. How much did you send? Please tell the Honourable House this afternoon because you asking for another 100 million for the Demerara Harbour Bridge from the budget,” Edghill said.
However, when it was the Public Infrastructure Minister’s turn to speak, he merely confirmed that GYD$100 million was indeed set aside for feasibility studies for the new Demerara Harbour Bridge link from Houston, East Bank Demerara to Versailles, West Bank Demerara.
Based on a finding by the Public Procurement Commission that Patterson had allegedly breached the Procurement Act and Guyana’s Constitution by sole-sourcing the contract without going through the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board, the PPP has gotten the Guyana Police Force’s Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) to conduct an investigation. Patterson has since been questioned by SOCU agents and the matter has gone for legal advice.
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The Government of Saint Lucia (GOSL) has received financing from the World Bank toward the Health System Strengthening Project, and intends to apply part of the proceeds for consulting services for engagement of a Procurement Specialist to manage and oversee procurement activities for the implementation of the Saint Lucia Health Systems Strengthening Project.
The consulting services (“the Services”) include
- Procurement Planning
- Bidding Process
- Monitoring and Evaluation
- Reporting
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The Government of Saint Lucia (GOSL) has received financing from the World Bank toward the Health System Strengthening Project, and intends to apply part of the proceeds for consulting services for engagement of a Financial Management Specialist to maintain the financial management system for the Project.
The consulting services (“the Services”) include
- Budgeting and Planning
- Expenditure/Payment Processing
- Monitoring
- Financial Reporting
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The Government’s planned electronic procurement and supplier registry will create “fairness, equity and equal access” in bidding on public contracts, the deputy prime minister said yesterday.
KP Turnquest, pictured, addressing a seminar on the e-procurement and supplier registry, said it will help to level the playing field between small, medium and large businesses and ensure a minimum 20 percent of all government contracts go the former category.
“I know that for most businesses in The Bahamas that I have come across, one of the things that they have been concerned about is fairness and access,” said Mr Turnquest.
“We know how it worked in the past, where if your party is in power you get the contracts, and when your party is not in power you’re out of luck. This system seeks to try to create some balance, some equity and fairness across the system, so that we can take out these kinds of bias.
“If we allow the system to work the way it has been designed to work, it is going to create equity and it will result in savings and GDP business growth for all Bahamians.”
Mr Turnquest said the recently-launched Small Business Development Centre will aid the Government’s goal of ensuring public sector contracts are more widely spread among the business community.
“I think we all know that there are those entities who, because of their resources, have been able to corner the market on procurement and economic activities in this country,” Mr Turnquest said.
“Through the efforts of the Small Business Development Centre, we are hoping to empower the ordinary Bahamian who doesn’t have a rich parent or some connected source [so] that they will be able to obtain the kind of support and resources that will allow them to enter the mainstream and compete with the ‘big boys’ and the legacy institutions.
“That is very important. Because as we move into a more modern society, and as we have more and more of our young people coming into the sector with very high expectations, it is important that they have an opportunity to compete and fulfill their visions without unfair bias. So, we are extremely happy with what the Small Business Development Centre is doing, particularly in Grand Bahama.”
Mr Turnquest said the Ministry of Finance has spent months engaged in a reform effort to transform the entire system of government procurement. This, he added, involves legislative reform and the establishment of the online e-procurement and supplier registry system (E-PSR).
“When we speak of government procurement, we are literally referring to goods and services which central government or state-owned enterprises purchase,” said Mr Turnquest.
“Government procurement accounts for a substantial portion of the Bahamian economy. Naturally, that means that it also accounts for a substantial portion of taxpayer’s money. Rightfully so, taxpayers expect us to carry out public procurement fairly, transparently, efficiently and with high standards of conduct.
“Recognising the weaknesses in our current system that expose the Government to waste and corruption, the public procurement reform that is currently underway is aimed at modernising the public procurement process by developing a strong and unified legal framework.
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(CNS): The finance ministry has recruited a new director for the Central Procurement Office (CPO), which is tasked with saving public money on necessary expenditure and ensuring value for money for the public purse by using appropriate procurement methods. Taraq Bashir is from the UK but came to Cayman from Montserrat, where he was head of government procurement and had helped review, develop and implement key reforms of the British Overseas Territory’s procurement regulations.
Now heading up one of Cayman’s newest departments, which was formally established under legislation implemented in May, Bashir will be expected to improve service and produce considerable savings for the Cayman Islands Government in its purchases of goods and services.
Officials said the new procurement boss, who has worked all over the world, has a track record of making significant savings in public entities, including saving one London authority £46 million by slashing procurement costs and renegotiating contracts.
Financial Secretary Kenneth Jefferson, who is chief officer at the ministry, said he was looking forward to Bashir achieving cost savings while “allowing all bidders a fair opportunity to supply the public sector with the goods and services it requires, and, in so doing, bring about increased public confidence that the procurement process is fair and will result in benefits for the Cayman Islands”.
Bashir has 30 years procurement experience in both the private and public sectors in North America, Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the Caribbean. He has developed professional procurement functions at the national and local government levels, including strategies, laws and regulations.
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