Trinidad and Tobago
T&T Unified Teachers’ Association (TTUTA) president Martin Lum Kin has met with Belmont Secondary School teachers, following their protest action at the school recently.
During a lunchtime meeting yesterday, Lum Kin told the teachers that the Ministry of Education had sent out tenders and that work would begin on a permanent fence during the July/August vacation.
This was subsequently confirmed by Education Minister Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly, who, in a response to Guardian Media, said the procurement process for the contractor was ongoing. She said once this was complete, repairs would begin.
On another issue, Lum Kin yesterday said the union would make representation at the level of the Permanent Secretary to see whether the teachers could forego having to apply for the days they missed during a refusal to work protest action over the broken fence and their security concerns after two gunmen entered the compound and accosted a safety officer recently.
He said they should not have to apply for the days, as the teachers were under duress and physiologically impacted by the incident.
Lum Kin told Guardian Media that the teachers were much better yesterday but the fear was still there. He said, however, the teachers would abide by the law.
Last week, the teachers appealed a refusal to work action that was turned down by the Occupational Safety and Health Authority and Agency (OSHA). The action was taken because the teachers were unsatisfied with the fence repairs done by contractors hired by the Education Ministry.
“When they came back out and saw the patchwork, they say nah,” a source connected to the school said.
“They used BRC wire and tie wire, it could basically be untied with your hand…Anybody who wants to get in can easily get in.”
The security breach by the gunmen also caused parents to keep the 400-plus children away from school. They protested outside the school on May 2 and 5 for the fence to be repaired.
Contractors started work on May 6 and some students returned on May 8.
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Jamaica
he National Gas Company of Trinidad and Tobago Limited (NGC) says its collaboration with the National Information and Communication Technology Company Limited (iGovTT), is assisting the Ministry of Education to save millions of dollars in a recent laptop procurement exercise, through the use of a “Reverse Auction” on NGC’s e-auction platform.
In a statement, the company explained it began using e-auctions to procure goods and services in May 2019.
The NGC explained the basic premise of an e-auction is competitive bidding where participants compete on a digital platform to outdo competitors in terms of pricing offered.
‘Forward Auctions’ are used to sell items (highest bid wins), whereas ‘Reverse Auctions’ are used to purchase items (lowest bid wins).
NGC added that it has been using reverse auctions to allow suppliers present bids on certain project scopes or tenders, for the opportunity to supply the requested good or service.
The company further explained, “Having saved millions of dollars relative to in-house estimates since its first e-auction, NGC has
recognised the value of the e-auction procurement methodology and has contemplated extending the availability of its e-auction platform to other state entities to generate savings and help streamline public procurement practices.”
Earlier this year, NGC approached iGovTT, the implementation arm of the Ministry of Digital Transformation to demonstrate the utility of e-auctions in a public procurement exercise for the Ministry of Education.
Specifically, iGovTT was assisting the MOE with the purchase of 8000 laptops for the students.
Speaking on the intent behind the collaboration, NGC’s President Mark Loquan said the company sees itself in a position to leverage technologies utilised at NGC for the use and benefit by other State entities.
“This includes not only E-auctions, but also the adoption of satellite
services. We are continuously seeking opportunities to cut new paths, to help Trinidad and Tobago achieve its development goals. “We believe the impact of our innovations and learnings can be multiplied if shared with other companies, particularly in the State enterprise sector, which faces similar challenges. If we can collaborate with other State companies and ministries to help them work more efficiently and cost-effectively, then all of Trinidad and Tobago wins.”
On March 3 2023, the NGC hosted the e-auction event on behalf of iGovTT and the ministry of education, where representatives witnessed the functionalities of the e-auction platform and potential
applications of the system for future procurement activities.
According to the NGC not only did the Reverse Auction
result in significant savings for the ministry and by extension the public’s purse, but representatives left with valuable insights on the e-auction process and platform that can be replicated at other ministries.
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Bahamas
NATIONAL Security Minister Wayne Munroe said it was the Minnis administration that initially awarded a no-bid, multi-million dollar contract to Walker’s Industries to build a high-medium security facility at the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services (BDOCS).
“I met Walker’s engaged,” he said yesterday. “Perhaps you should call Marvin Dames.”
Under the current legal regime, failing to open such projects to bids could put the government afoul of the Public Procurement Act. However, Mr Munroe said the Minnis administration signed off on it before the original procurement law came into force in September 2021. That law has since been repealed and replaced.
Mr Munroe said initially the project was expected to use the wagon-wheel design that was once the standard among corrections facilities.
“What they were looking at the wagon-wheel thing, when you priced it at pre-COVID, prices was $45m pre-COVID before supply chain interruption, without renewables,” he said.
The wagon-wheel design has since been nixed, and the Davis administration has expanded construction plans from a $40m high-medium facility to a $90m correctional institution, administrative, housing and medical facility.
Mr Munroe defended the administration’s decision not to open the project for bids once their plan expanded.
“Why would you,” he said, “go out to tender if you were going to select somebody to build something inadequate for $40m? Why would you suddenly go out to tender if the American Correctional Facility tells you what you have there won’t be certified? You’re missing two clinics. You’re missing special housing for psychiatric people. You’ve set it out wrong. If you accept that you could select a person to build an inadequate $40m design project, why would the fact when you design it properly you suddenly have to go out to tender?”
Sources have told The Tribune that Walker’s Industries has no reputation for large-scale projects like the one slated for the BDOCS.
Mr Munroe said the company specialises in electrical work critical to corrections facilities.
“It’s prefabricated steel cell and SteelCell, the US company who build these all over the US, they’re the contractor to put together the steel cells,” he said. “The other part of it is cable and control systems to open doors, to use spaces.”
“When you look at the plan,” he continued, “the biggest part of the plan other than prefabricating the cells are the control systems, what people seem to say Walker’s do. The part that aren’t related to that basically are creating a concrete shell, putting in the water treatment, because we had to add the water treatment, and the solar stuff because we have a government policy on renewables.”
East Grand Bahama MP Kwasi Thompson, the last state minister of finance in the Minnis administration, said yesterday he could not recall the Minnis administration signing off on a contract with Walker’s Industries for anything related to the BDOCS.
“I can’t see that he’s saying he met something in place, but the work is supposed to start,” he said.
Former National Security Minister Marvin Dames could not be reached for comment.
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Turks and Caicos Islands
The Office of the Deputy Governor of the Turks and Caicos Islands is pleased to announce that a contract has recently been signed with Ernst and Young (Kingston, Jamaica) to undertake a wholistic review of Public Service salaries in the Turks and Caicos Islands.
A total of Six (6) bids were received through open tender for this work, with Ernst and Young having been selected as the preferred bidder.
The review includes developing the following objectives and execution of deliverables:
Objectives
- The Pay and Grading Policy, including criteria for allowances
- Job Description Template and Guidelines for Completion
- Job Evaluation Committee Terms of Reference
- Grade Level Standards for Job Evaluation and Grading
- Grade levels for jobs
- Grades, Pay Points and Pay Rates
- Compensation Market Survey
Deliverables
- Deliverable 1 – Execution Plan:This shall detail the approach to meeting the objectives of the project/initiative, including initial scoping, assumptions, work plan, methodology, literature review, timelines and a stakeholder engagement plan.
- Deliverable 2 – Full Draft Report of the Proposed Pay and Grading System: This shall clearly and concisely present a full draft of the proposed Pay and Grading System with Strategic Considerations for review.
- Deliverable 3 – Final Report – Proposed TCI Public Service Pay and Grading System: This shall present the final and agreed Report, taking into account feedback from the Draft Report Briefing session as well as comments and feedback from key stakeholders.
A initial envelope of 2.5 million has been budgeted in the 2023/2024 Budget in order to facilitate the first phase of the implementation of the anticipated recommendations in December 2023, with additional funds being budgeted as necessary.
Acting Governor and Head of the Public Service Her Excellency Anya Williams in commenting on the Public Service Pay and Grading Review stated:
“The Public Service plays a vital role in ensuring that the objectives of the government are met, that approved policies are implemented and that services are carried out on behalf of the government for the benefit of its residents and visitors.
The last comprehensive Public Service Pay and Grading Review in the Turks and Caicos Islands was undertaken in 2012 and was implemented in 2014.
Since then the Public Service received a 2.5% across the board salary increase in 2016 and a 4% across the board salary increase in 2022, along with a 6% fully funded investment by the Government in 2022 in the new TCIG Pension and Gratuity Program.
As the demands and expectations of the Public Service continues to expand, alongside increased costs of living due to inflation and other factors, it is important that Public Service salaries are comprehensively reviewed to ensure that staff are appropriately compensated for the work that they do.
My office looks forward to working with Ernst and Young on this key initiative.
A kickoff meeting was held on April 21, 2023 ahead of the official commencement of the contract on April 24, 2023 to finalize the schedule of works. Subsequently, follow up meetings are held once a week, every Monday.
On island works are expected to commence on May 15, 2023, when the consultants are expected to travel to the islands to not only collect additional data, but to also meet in person with key agencies such as the Civil Service Association, Police, Education, Health and other sectors.
The work is expected to be carried out over the course of the next 6 months, with the final report and recommendations expected to be completed in November 2023, followed by the first phase of implementation depending on the recommendations in December 2023.
As we work to continue to improve not only service delivery, but also the salary and working conditions of staff across government, my office is grateful to the Government for the financial support provided and looks forward to delivering on this key initiative for the benefit of the Public Service of the Turks and Caicos Islands.”
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Trinidad and Tobago
More than a year after she took office, Chief Executive Officer of the Siparia Regional Corporation Ann Hosein has came under fire from PNM and UNC councillors who have accused her of “hiding pertinent information, failing to fill technical vacancies, taking too long to award contracts and failing to repair dysfunctional equipment.”
At the Corporation’s monthly statutory meeting on Thursday, councillor for Avocat/San Francique, Doodnath Mayrhoo asked Hosein to explain why the mid-year review report was not given to the Council before it was submitted to the Ministry of Local Government on March 17.
“How can you prepare a midyear report asking for $19, 350,143 million and not inform the council? This document is supposed to be ratified by the council and gotten council approval before it was submitted to the Ministry,” he said.
Mayrhoo also said the CEO failed to refurbish machinery.
“We have one backhoe working in this Corporation out of six. One! The excavator has been down since December last year but our CEO pursues the cutter and wacker allowance to take away $10 from female labourers who have been working for us,” Mayrhoo added.
He explained that the allowance was given to workers to purchase fuel and string following a series of increases in the price of fuel. Mayrhoo said the CEO needed to get her priorities right andcomplained that even though tenders were invited more than a month ago, it is uncertain whether any contracts were issued.
“The contractors told me they had only two days to submit tenders in the box and it is my understanding that it was opened so quickly that the Council didn’t know when it was opening. Yet that is more than a month and we do not know whether the contractors were awarded,” he said.
Mayrhoo also asked about the number of people who had been employed over the past year.
Councillor for Siparia West/Fyzabad Jason Mohammed said burgesses experienced flooding but there was no equipment to assist them as the excavator is down. In the Los Iros/Erin district, flooding also occurred and the councillor requested a vehicle but did not get any assistance.
Councillor for Cedros Shankar Teelucksingh said according to the Municipal Corporation Act, the CEO is responsible for the administration of all department heads.
“Everything has to go through her. We do not know why there is an issue with the wacker and blower allowance and why she wants to stop it. She sent a letter from the Chief Personnel Officer stating that she wants clarification on the wacker allowance and blower allowance. This allowance was passed after the increase of the gas price from $10 to $25,” Teelucksingh said.M
Hosein said the error of not bringing the mid-year review to the council was not her doing.
“It may have been an oversight on the part of the Chief Financial Officer that she did not bring it to Council before submission. When documents are signed off by the Chief Executive Officer, it is onerous on chief officers and the heads of department to bring it to the attention of the Council,” she said.
On the issue of the brush cutter allowance, Hosein said a motion was moved by the Council on the 34th Finance Planning and Allocations meeting on October 20 seeking clarification from the CPO. She also said it was not true that tenders bids were opened quickly.
“Tenders were advertised for 14 days and it was sent to council members through the Secretary’s office,” she said
Hosein denied that certain contractors were given special preference noting that the Procurement Act has been proclaimed and the Council should be cautious when making statements that are not true.
She said it was the responsibility of the Engineering Department to ensure that road-building materials are received noting: “ When the chief officers don’t perform, direct your questions to them.”
A source said the councillors are preparing a vote of no confidence against the CEO
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