The University Council of Jamaica has given approval for the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service (MoFPS) and the International Procurement Institute (INPRI), Jamaica Limited to launch Jamaica’s first accredited training and certification series in Public Procurement.
The Public Procurement Training and Certification Series; is a training programme designed by INPRI Jamaica Limited to provide current and practical coverage of internationally recognized best practices, key concepts, principles and applications in the field of Public Sector Procurement (PSP).
The Series is a single undertaking consisting of four levels that will equip participants with the information necessary to enhance their knowledge from the basic essentials of good procurement to international cutting-edge value enhancement strategies. At the close of the series, participants will have completed a total of 96 hours of instruction and performed 4 hours of examinations.
Financial Secretary (Assigned) Everton McFarlane notes that, as part of the broader Government of Jamaica’s (GoJ) modernization programme, the stakeholders in the field of public procurement, are considered to be important links in the chain as GOJ seeks to create greater efficiency in the delivery of service. In this regard, the Government has embarked on a comprehensive re-structuring and institutional strengthening exercise geared towards making Procurement officers more aware of international best practices in their field. It is anticipated that the outcome will result in more effectively managed public funds and satisfied customers” he said.
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The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is encouraging the government to bring its procurement systems in line with international best practices so as to enhance the quality of public investment.
The global body made this statement in its 2017 report on Guyana’s economy.
According to the IMF, enhancing the efficiency of public investment management could help foster economic growth. It noted that public investment has been relatively low for the past two years. The IMF believes that this is due to the 2015 elections, and delays in the procurement and execution of projects in 2016.
It said, “This has been a drag on construction, with spillovers to other sectors. It is therefore important to avoid similar delays in 2017. Bringing project selection, public procurement and investment management in line with international best practices would enhance the efficiency, timeliness and quality of public investment, including through Public Private Partnerships (PPPs).”
In the near term, the IMF said that the government could help to unlock additional external concessional financing, reduce domestic financing needs and bring foreign exchange into the economy.
The officials noted that the IMF’s Public Investment Management Assessment (PIMA) could help streamline the appraisal, selection and execution of projects. So far, the Government has expressed an interest in that assessment.
Perceptions of corruption and favouritism have for years, sullied the image of Guyana’s public procurement system.
However, the APNU+AFC Government and top officials at the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) have made it clear that while there remains room for improvement, they are very satisfied with the progress they have made in arming the system with effective anti-corruption mechanisms.
This was supported and reiterated by NPTAB Head, Berkley Wickham.
Wickham had informed this newspaper on some of the key initiatives and interventions made since he assumed office as Chairman of the NPTAB.
He said that every initiative or intervention undertaken thus far was aimed at changing the long held perception of a tainted public procurement process.
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THE National Procurement and Tendering Administration Board (NPTAB) evaluators are likely to receive a pay hike.
Currently, the evaluators, who review bids ranging into the millions, are paid $3,000 per bid, but according to Board Chairman Berkley Wickham, this fee will soon be increased. However, he was unable to give specifics. “I have spoken to the minister about it. It will be raised. I am sure it will be raised,” Wickham assured reporters on Thursday on the sideline of an orientation for potential evaluators. The orientation was organised by the NPTAB, Ministry of Finance.
However, he made it clear that becoming an evaluator should not be about the money. “People can be influenced regardless of what they are paid. The money that is being paid, is not being paid to…ascertain people’s honesty, it is just to defray any expenses they may have,” he said.
The NPTAB Chairman added, “It is not based on how much you get, it is based on your integrity and your willingness to participate in something worthwhile.”
Meanwhile, during the opening ceremony of the orientation, Wickham emphasised that the tenets of Guyana’s public procurement system must be upheld, noting that the country’s performance in this area has national and international implications.
The key principles that govern the process of evaluation of tenders are: non-discrimination, equal treatment, transparency and confidentiality.
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Reforming the public procurement process within the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) could allow governments to better manage the use of scarce public funds. Such reforms also have the potential to contribute to inclusive growth by encouraging the participation of small- and medium-sized local businesses. However, many OECS countries have not yet fully implemented the necessary measures to foster reform, which has sometimes led to delays in project implementation and optimum value for money outcomes not being realised.
From June 20 to 21, 2017, the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) hosted a workshop to support and advance public procurement reform in the OECS, at its headquarters in Barbados. The workshop provided a forum for representatives from OECS countries, the OECS Commission and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) to review the current state of public procurement and to facilitate agreement on a unified approach to procurement reform within the OECS.
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Minister without portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Dr Horace Chang has assured the small business sector that the Government remains committed to a new procurement process to benefit Micro, Small and Medium-size Enterprises (MSME).
“Importantly this Government is facilitating a new procurement process that will set aside a proportion of government contracts for MSMEs,” Dr Chang told last Wednesday’s MSMEs’ Caribbean conference, hosted by the Small Business Association of Jamaica (SBAJ) at the Hilton Rose Hall hotel in Montego Bay. Representatives from at least 18 Caribbean countries attended the conference.
The Government had indicated last year that recommendations in relation to the Procurement Offset Regulations would be expanded to include the private sector and enable greater participation of MSMEs in public procurement.
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