Jamaica
member of the debate team that represented the governing Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), Richard Creary, has asserted that there is a “clear” and “transparent” process in awarding contracts at all municipal corporations locally.
Creary was responding to a question from social media at Thursday night’s local government debates on what would be implemented to establish a more transparent process of awarding contracts so that friends of those in authority, or dons, do not receive such contracts.
Creary, the current mayor of Port Maria in St Mary, said each municipal corporation has a procurement committee.
“No councillor chairs that procurement committee, so there is a clear and transparent process in the awarding of contracts,” he declared.
Further, he said a quarterly report has to be submitted to the Integrity Commission on the process surrounding the awarding of contracts.
“… Based on the process, it does not allow for this level of corruption that is being perceived by the public,” said Creary, the JLP’s councillor-candidate for Richmond Division in St Mary South Eastern.
Adding to the response, Senator Charles Sinclair, the JLP’s councillor-candidate for Montego Bay North East in St James, pointed out that advertisements are placed in the Sunday Gleaner, where persons make submissions for contracts.
He said these applicants also have to satisfy certain conditions and satisfy the internal auditors, or Auditor General Pamela Munroe Ellis.
In relation to the latter, Charles said she can step into any municipal corporation to ensure that contracts are awarded in compliance with the respective laws.
“… And now we have the Integrity Commission; they can do the same (as the auditor general) and when we take note that the Integrity Commission Act was passed by the Jamaica Labour Party, we stand firm that there will be no corruption in the awards of contracts and the giving of contracts to dons,” Charles argued.
However, People’s National Party (PNP) councillor-candidate for Maxfield Park Division in St Andrew, Dennis Gordon, was not convinced by those arguments, as well as claims of mismanagement under the past PNP-led Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation (KSAMC), which were leveled by former PNP coucillor-turned-JLP-parochial-candidate, Venesha Phillips.
Gordon alleged that the former personal assistant of a high-ranking official at the KSAMC is now the procurement manager there.
“We have not had consecutive meetings either of the accounts committee or the property’s committee,” he further claimed.
“We, as PNP, will say to the Jamaican people, our accountability, (and) our inclusiveness will ensure you (the citizens) are at the table,” Gordon stated.
The PNP representative also scoffed at claims by the JLP-led KSAMC for launching an internal investigation into the alleged construction breach by National Water Commission President Mark Barnett, and his wife, Annette, relative to an apartment complex.
“I find it a clear mockery,” said Gordon, who also suggested that the Integrity Commission’s report into the matter has not been tabled at the KSAMC.
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Guyana
The Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Upper Berbice) administration breached Section 43 of the Fiscal Management and Accountability Act 2003 in 2019 since 228 cheques totalling $131.8 million were prepared for work that was still to be completed.
This information was revealed on Monday, February 12, during the 59th meeting of the Public Accounts Committee on the 2019 Auditor General’s (AG) report.
According to the AG’s report, the Regional Administration breached Section 43 of the Fiscal Management and Accountability Act 2003, which requires that at the end of each fiscal year, any unexpended balance of public monies issued out of the Consolidated Fund shall be returned.
This raised eyebrows of both government and opposition parliamentarians of the Committee, who proceeded to take the current regional official, Dwight John, and other representatives to task for allowing this to be swept under the carpet.
Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill, who was visibly frustrated remarked “The cheques were cut for works not completed. The work didn’t do, how the cheques were cut if the work didn’t do.”
Former Regional Executive Officer (REO) Orrin Gordon, in his defence, told the PAC that actions had been taken in response to “situations confronting the administration at the time.”
Gordon explained, “There are some projects which are not going to be rolled over, and once it is not [rolled over], the (maximum) payment has to be made.”
The former REO reasoned that the regional administration opted to have these cheques prepared beforehand so the payments could be made once the work was completed. He also requested that the system of disbursing funds for projects not rolling over be reviewed so that such issues do not reoccur.
However, several committee members including Ganesh Mahipaul, Edghill, and Chairperson Jermaine Figueira, deemed this unacceptable, pointing out that this should not have occurred in the first place.
Mahipaul asserted, “Engineers, you must not subject yourself to instructions that are against the financial laws of this country… you cannot pay for work that is expected to be completed.”
The AG’s report cited that “Audit checks conducted on 20 January, 2020, revealed that there were 228 cheques on hand totalling $131.848 million.”
It added, “These cheques should have been refunded to the Consolidated Fund and the necessary adjustments made to the Appropriation Accounts. As a result, the Appropriation Accounts were overstated by the said amount.”
Further analysis of the cheques showed that the Ministry of Finance (MoF) cut 5,325 cheques totalling $4.425 billion for current and capital expenditure incurred by the Regional Administration.
However, 1,053 cheques totalling $775.817 million or approximately 18% of total expenditure were cut in December 2019 as shown in the table below.
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Guyana
APNU+AFC MP, David Patterson on Monday grilled Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira on whether the public was getting value for money from expenditure on the Public Procurement Commission (PPC) which he has frequently accused of not doing its work.
The start of the consideration of estates for the 2024 budget saw a back-and-forth between Patterson and Teixeira with regard to the PPC’s current expenditure.
When given the chance after the Committee of Supply had been convened, Patterson raised concerns over the PPC’s budget allocation, noting a substantial increase. Patterson’s inquiry focused on the number of reports completed and published by the PPC since its re-establishment in 2022.
Teixeira stated that the PPC had completed four investigations in response to specific requests, with two reports published on their website. She detailed the staffing of the investigation unit, consisting of two investigators and five staff members in operations.
Patterson further questioned the use of external private consultants and pressed on the projected number of reports for 2024. To this, Teixeira stated that the projected reports were based on the requests received and highlighted factors such as document availability influencing their ability to meet the target.
The exchange also touched on the history of the PPC, challenges faced during its reestablishment, and the staffing levels. Patterson scrutinized the agency’s expenses, including salaries and benefits for the Chairman, Deputy Chairperson, and Commissioners. He further questioned the value for money, emphasizing the agency’s expenditure of $435 million over 18 months to produce only two reports. In response, Teixeira defended the PPC, emphasizing its role in anti-corruption efforts and oversight.
The discussions also covered various aspects, including the legal department and external consultations. In response to Patterson’s inquiry about the delay in report submissions, Teixeira said it was not a matter suitable for parliamentary discussion.
As the discussion progressed, Patterson’s questions seemed to rile Teixeira. On one such occasion, the MP asked about the operating units and whether they are currently functioning from within the Public Procurement building.
In response, Teixeira stated: “Mr. Speaker, I’m not sure what the honourable member is trying to get to. There’s one office that they have. He knows where the building is. It’s on New Garden Street. And that is the centre in the Office of the public procurement commission. And that’s where the staff is… where would they be elsewhere, as he tried to hint at something else. What is it? Don’t be conspiratorial, my dear friend, they have an office. They have started. Everybody goes to work. Everybody gets paid. Done the story”.
The exchange revealed a range of perspectives on the PPC’s performance, expenditures, and challenges encountered since its reestablishment.
Patterson has strongly criticised the PPC over what he sees as its inaction over the investigation into the award of a pump station contract to Tepui. He has said it did not meet the requirement for the award as it was formed in August 2022. One of Tepui’s principals also has privileged access to Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo. Since October last year, Patterson has been pressing the PPC to probe the matter. The PPC has written the procuring agency, the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority and the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) seeking information to enable an investigation but there has been no further word.
Patterson has also strongly criticised the PPC over its handling of a complaint by Akamai Inc over the award of a contract for line equipment.
Last month, Patterson’s party, the Alliance For Change (AFC) criticised the PPC, accusing it of abdicating its responsibility in probing the complaint by Akamai Inc and ignoring its powers as accorded by the Constitution of Guyana.
Responding to statement from the PPC criticising Patterson, the opposition party charged that the Pauline Chase-led Commission which was established in July 2022 was ineffective.
Patterson had accused the PPC of “whitewashing” the complaint by Akamai Inc in relation to the award of the line equipment contract. The PPC found that based on the information provided by NPTAB, Akamai had not been compliant with two requirements. The PPC made no attempt to interrogate the NPTAB or the evaluation committee that scutinised the bids and said that it currently did not have the legislation framework for this.
The AFC vehemently disagreed with this, pointing out that the previous PPC conducted investigations which entailed speaking to the NPTAB and the evaluation committees.
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Guyana
Guyana Power and Light has awarded work for utility-scale solar capacity and associated battery energy storage program Guysol.
The winner of the 18-month contract was a consortium of Chinese companies Sumec and XJ Group, procurement information shows.
BNamericas previously reported that eight groups had submitted offers in the call for eight plants in three lots and a combined 33MWp. The tender was launched in December 2022.
The joint venture picked up lots two and three to build the infrastructure in the areas of Linden and Essequibo, specifically, five plants for lot two (US$19.3mn) and energy storage for lot three (US$18.6mn). Additional information was not disclosed.
Funds from the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation and administered by IDB are being used to finance Guysol, project summaries for which were released by Guyana’s Environmental Protection Agency in November.
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Guyana
In a significant move aimed at bolstering the capabilities of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), the Guyana Government has inked a Line of Credit (LOC) Agreement worth US $23.27 million with the Export-Import Bank of India (EXIM Bank) for the procurement of two aircraft.
“Government is investing heavily in strengthening the capabilities of the GDF, in particular, in some of its specialised wings, such as the Air Corps and the Coast Guard,” asserted a statement released by the Guyana government.
This investment underscores New Delhi’s commitment to modernising and equipping the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) for evolving security challenges in the region. The agreement also marks India’s continued commitment to bolstering Guyana Defence Force (GDF) capabilities, stemming from President Irfan Ali’s 2023 visit to India’s Hindustan Aeronautics Limited.
The procurement agreement was signed between Ashni Singh, Senior Minister in the Office of the President of Guyana, and Sanjay Lamba, Deputy General Manager of the Line of Credit Group at Indian EXIM Bank last week.
The ceremony was attended by the High Commissioner of India to Guyana, Dr. Amit Telang, Chief of Staff of the GDF, Brigadier Omar Khan, and Chief Planning Officer, Dr. Tarachand Balgobin.
The acquisition of two aircraft under this agreement marks the largest-ever investment in the capitalisation of the force, signifying a pivotal moment in Guyana’s defence modernisation efforts. This strategic move aligns with the broader cooperation between the two nations, as evidenced by the $100 million line of credit extended to Guyana during the visit of Indian External Affairs Minister Jaishankar.
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