{"id":16303,"date":"2021-04-29T08:26:04","date_gmt":"2021-04-29T13:26:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev?p=16303"},"modified":"2021-04-29T08:26:52","modified_gmt":"2021-04-29T13:26:52","slug":"belize-business-bureau-calls-for-a-commission-of-inquiry-on-questionable-contracts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/belize-business-bureau-calls-for-a-commission-of-inquiry-on-questionable-contracts\/","title":{"rendered":"Belize Business Bureau calls for a Commission of Inquiry on Questionable Contracts"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The Belize Business Bureau is calling for a commission of inquiry into a contract that may have been facilitated with insider information and influence.\u00a0 The Bureau\u2019s President Arturo Lizarraga has written the Contractor General Omar Mitchel expressing concerns with a specific tender process and bid selection. In the letter, Lizarraga tells Mitchel that the Bureau has (quote) been made aware that the Belize Electricity Limited (BEL) was assigned the procurement responsibility for the purchase of weather stations for the Belize Meteorological Office (BMO) back in 2020 under the ERCAP project via the tender process. (unquote) According to the letter, the Belize Business Bureau did some investigation and found out that the original weather station and pricing was obtained from Campbell Scientific and that they became the benchmark for the tender assessment. The Bureau also found out that this same company, Campbell Scientific was allowed to bid and subsequently selected even though they were not the lowest of the 4 bids. Reporter Hipolito Novelo has the story.<\/p>\n<p>On its website the National Meteorological Service says that in an effort to standardize the sensors and equipment used in automatic weather station network it uses equipment from Campbell Scientific, an international brand with offices in dozens of countries. It began operations in Central America in 2009 and its specialty is hydrology, meteorology and agriculture.<\/p>\n<p>The company is still active and tonight the Belize Business Bureau is calling for a commission of inquiry into a contract the company received in 2020. This is a copy of a letter dated March third sent by the Bureau\u2019s president Arturo Lizarraga to the Contractor General Omar Mitchel who is informed of a contract between BEL and Campbell Scientific. It has an estimated value of $1.8 million and is for the procurement of weather stations for the met office. Concerns are being expressed regarding the tendering process and the bid selection and that\u2019s because the Bureau\u2019s investigation revealed that the original weather station and pricing was obtained from Campbell Scientific which then became a benchmark for the tender assessment. The investigation also revealed that Campbell scientific not only submitted a bid but also won the contract even though the company\u2019s bid was not the lowest of the four submitted. In fact, a local company\u2019s bid was lower and the Bureau says that the local supplier\u2019s bid was soundly rejected for no substantive reason. Allowing, Campbell Scientific created an unfair playing field and it begs the question was this contract may have been facilitated with insider information and influence? We asked Mitchel this and he told Love News, that is a fear and refused to comment further. However, Mitchell did assured our Newsroom that he is on \u201ctop of things\u201d and will not approve anything until his mind is clear, that it\u2019s transparent and that the interests of the people of Belize are being served at all times. He says that he will not endorse any contract documentation unless he is certain that the interests of the people of this country are being served.<\/p>\n<p>Lizarraga also wrote to BEL CEO, Andrew Marshalleck, telling him that having an unfair or rigged bidding procurement process does not bode well for any enterprise. Lizarraga is asking for BEL to investigate the matter to ensure that it was done right with a procurement process that is transparent and not a fixed bid, where the local business cannot win.<\/p>\n<p>Mitchel has written to the Financial Secretary, procurement officer in the Ministry of Finance, the CEO of BEL, Belize Meteorological Office, asking for clarification on four areas. The Office of the Prime Minister has been made aware of the matter.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/lovefm.com\/belize-business-bureau-calls-for-a-commission-of-inquiry-on-questionable-contracts\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">more<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><em>Image: Pexels, Brust\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Belize Business Bureau is calling for a commission of inquiry into a contract that may have been facilitated with insider information and influence.\u00a0 The Bureau\u2019s President Arturo Lizarraga has&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1091,"featured_media":16304,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[112],"tags":[160,128,121],"class_list":["post-16303","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-newsdevelopments","tag-belize","tag-bids","tag-caribbean"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/pexels-burst-374899-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1707&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6u9Qa-4eX","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":18111,"url":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/gob-switches-to-smart-for-licenses-of-microsoft-office-365\/","url_meta":{"origin":16303,"position":0},"title":"GOB Switches to Smart for Licenses of Microsoft Office 365","author":"Mayra Bonilla Lopez","date":"August 26, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Belize\u00a0 And with all the questions and concerns expressed by UDP Leader, Patrick Faber the government was quick to issue a press release. According to the release local and regional authorized resellers of Microsoft Office 365 Products were invited to submit quotes for the renewal of the Government\u2019s Office 365\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News\/Developments&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News\/Developments","link":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/category\/newsdevelopments\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":18779,"url":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/pm-briceno-responds-the-bcci-over-issues-surrounding-gobs-contract-with-smart\/","url_meta":{"origin":16303,"position":1},"title":"PM Briceno Responds the BCCI Over Issues Surrounding GOB\u2019s Contract with Smart","author":"Mayra Bonilla Lopez","date":"October 7, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Belize Prime Minister John Briceno has responded to the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) on the issue of SMART\u2019s contract on the Microsoft 365 contract. Briceno told the BCCI that their claim for a fair and level playing field would mean giving all suppliers an unbiased opportunity to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Articles&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Articles","link":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/category\/articles\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":5834,"url":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/doing-business-in-belize-a-procurement-perspective\/","url_meta":{"origin":16303,"position":2},"title":"Doing Business in Belize: A Procurement Perspective","author":"Michele Marius","date":"June 8, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"An interesting event went unnoticed this past week. It was Belize Social Investment Fund (BSIF)Sensitization Workshop held at the Best Western Belize Biltmore Plaza last Thursday. It was organized with the objective of sensitizing suppliers, contractors and service providers of available procurement opportunities under its Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News\/Developments&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News\/Developments","link":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/category\/newsdevelopments\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Procurement-in-handwriting-The-Blue-Diamond-Gallery.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Procurement-in-handwriting-The-Blue-Diamond-Gallery.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Procurement-in-handwriting-The-Blue-Diamond-Gallery.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Procurement-in-handwriting-The-Blue-Diamond-Gallery.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":16501,"url":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/contractor-general-takes-strong-stance-on-procurement-practices\/","url_meta":{"origin":16303,"position":3},"title":"Contractor General takes Strong Stance on Procurement Practices","author":"Mayra Bonilla Lopez","date":"May 12, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Contractor General Omar Mitchell is taking a strong stance on procurement practices. Love News received an internal memo from the Office of the Contractor General which explains the rules to awarding of contracts and procurement practices. Hipolito Novelo reports. On page three of this memo, under \u201cConfidentiality\u201d it reads that\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Articles&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Articles","link":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/category\/articles\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Contract-agreement-signature-Pixabay-Pexels.jpeg?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Contract-agreement-signature-Pixabay-Pexels.jpeg?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Contract-agreement-signature-Pixabay-Pexels.jpeg?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Contract-agreement-signature-Pixabay-Pexels.jpeg?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":36028,"url":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/belize-and-us-virgin-islands-progress-large-scale-bess-projects\/","url_meta":{"origin":16303,"position":4},"title":"Belize and US Virgin Islands progress large-scale BESS projects","author":"Mayra Bonilla Lopez","date":"August 29, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Belize and United States Virgin Islands The Central American country of Belize is seeking services related to the procurement of a 40MW battery energy storage system (BESS) project. The Ministry of Finance, Economic Development and Investment is seeking expressions of interest (EOI) from consultants and experts to assist it with\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Articles&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Articles","link":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/category\/articles\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/pexels-pok-rie-33563-189524-scaled-e1724976802906.jpg?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/pexels-pok-rie-33563-189524-scaled-e1724976802906.jpg?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/pexels-pok-rie-33563-189524-scaled-e1724976802906.jpg?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/pexels-pok-rie-33563-189524-scaled-e1724976802906.jpg?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":33043,"url":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/belize-explores-an-integrated-approach-to-improve-financing-for-sustainable-development\/","url_meta":{"origin":16303,"position":5},"title":"Belize explores an integrated approach to improve financing for sustainable development","author":"Mayra Bonilla Lopez","date":"March 7, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Belize Over 40 personnel from the public and private sectors as well as development agencies came together for a three-day technical workshop to improve development financing and planning towards accelerating the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and climate objectives. This is being considered through the implementation of the Integrated National Financing\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Articles&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Articles","link":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/category\/articles\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/pexels-markus-winkler-18475692-scaled-e1709849420430.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/pexels-markus-winkler-18475692-scaled-e1709849420430.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/pexels-markus-winkler-18475692-scaled-e1709849420430.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/pexels-markus-winkler-18475692-scaled-e1709849420430.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16303","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1091"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16303"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16303\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16308,"href":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16303\/revisions\/16308"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16304"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16303"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16303"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16303"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}