{"id":22447,"date":"2022-06-02T22:02:52","date_gmt":"2022-06-03T03:02:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev?p=22447"},"modified":"2022-06-02T21:17:35","modified_gmt":"2022-06-03T02:17:35","slug":"govt-to-amend-procurement-act","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/govt-to-amend-procurement-act\/","title":{"rendered":"Govt To Amend Procurement Act"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bahamas<\/p>\n

ECONOMIC Affairs Minister Michael Halkitis said government is hoping to amend the Public Procurement Act in the upcoming budget period with a view of making it \u201cuser friendly\u201d to ensure better compliance and greater transparency of the country\u2019s procurement process.<\/p>\n

The law, which was passed under the Minnis administration last year, requires the government to publish details of approved contracts and procurement activities within 60 days of the award of the contract.<\/p>\n

However, since assuming office, the Davis administration has yet to comply with the reporting requirements of the law, often facing criticism from the opposition over the issue.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re addressing that,\u201d Mr Halkitis said before going to a Cabinet meeting yesterday.<\/p>\n

He reiterated that a lack of standard operating procedures relating to the legislation has affected the government\u2019s ability to comply with the law.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat has happened is, and I\u2019ll repeat it, it was a major piece of legislation that was put in place without all the foundational pieces in terms of the manual or training, the staffing of the office,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you would recall the law was passed and then it was a long period and then it was brought into effect in September of 2021. We are totally interested in total transparency and being able to provide the public with that sort of information but the government needs to be able to operate.\u201d<\/p>\n

The minister continued: \u201cYou have to build capacity when you\u2019re making those sort of changes. You just don\u2019t pass a law today and it starts work. It has to be training throughout the ministries and you would know that even the state-owned enterprises of the public corporations \u2013 they are covered. The ministries there need to be training straight down the line.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere need to be manuals and standard operating procedures. You know those things we\u2019re not done and so what we\u2019re doing, as has been said, we\u2019re revisiting the legislation to make sure we can tweak it to make it user friendly for the government, but at the same time, maintaining that transparency and availability of information and so that will come.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd you know, we\u2019re striving to have it done during this budget period. Going forward, there will be no question of compliance or non compliance but it\u2019s just a matter of you have this major piece of legislation, transformative piece of legislation put in and none of the foundational pieces \u2026 so we just want to assure the public that we\u2019re committed to transparency and we\u2019re making the changes to keep that intact but also government has to be able to operate.\u201d<\/p>\n

The passage of the Public Procurement Act was partly a response to long-term criticisms of the country\u2019s procurement processes.<\/p>\n

In its 2020 investment climate statement on The Bahamas, the US State Department said this country lacks modern procurement legislation and that companies have complained its tender process for public contracts is inconsistent.<\/p>\n

\u201cUS firms have identified corruption as an obstacle to FDI (foreign direct investment) and have reported perceived corruption in government procurement and in the FDI approvals process,\u201d the report said.<\/p>\n

more\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

image: pexels-sora<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Bahamas ECONOMIC Affairs Minister Michael Halkitis said government is hoping to amend the Public Procurement Act in the upcoming budget period with a view of making it \u201cuser friendly\u201d to…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1091,"featured_media":18381,"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":[250],"tags":[166,153],"class_list":["post-22447","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-articles","tag-bahamas","tag-legal"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/pexels-sora-shimazaki-5668481-scaled-e1654222643649.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6u9Qa-5Q3","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":30925,"url":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/govt-should-be-compliant-on-procurement-law-by-years-end\/","url_meta":{"origin":22447,"position":0},"title":"Govt should be compliant on procurement law by year\u2019s end","author":"Mayra Bonilla Lopez","date":"November 9, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Bahamas THE government is still not complying with the Public Procurement Act\u2019s requirement to be transparent about contract awards, with Economic Affairs Minister Michael Halkitis saying this should change before the end of the year. The law requires the government to disclose the name and address of winning bidders, the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Articles"","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\/2020\/07\/Legislation-gavel-sign-Alpha-Stock-Images-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\/2020\/07\/Legislation-gavel-sign-Alpha-Stock-Images-The-Blue-Diamond-Gallery.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Legislation-gavel-sign-Alpha-Stock-Images-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\/2020\/07\/Legislation-gavel-sign-Alpha-Stock-Images-The-Blue-Diamond-Gallery.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":27626,"url":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/go-bonfire-digital-procurement-platform-has-saved-government-2-6m-since-launch\/","url_meta":{"origin":22447,"position":1},"title":"Go Bonfire digital procurement platform has saved government $2.6m since launch","author":"Mayra Bonilla Lopez","date":"April 27, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Bahama ECONOMIC Affairs Minister Michael Halkitis said government had saved about $2.6m since launching a new digital procurement platform in November. He said 1,490 vendors have registered on the new Go Bonfire platform, and 299 opportunities have been posted there. \u201cThese numbers are expected to grow as more agencies move\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Articles"","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\/2023\/04\/Computer-code-coding-programming-pexels-pixabay-270360-e1731337253847.jpg?fit=1025%2C682&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Computer-code-coding-programming-pexels-pixabay-270360-e1731337253847.jpg?fit=1025%2C682&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Computer-code-coding-programming-pexels-pixabay-270360-e1731337253847.jpg?fit=1025%2C682&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Computer-code-coding-programming-pexels-pixabay-270360-e1731337253847.jpg?fit=1025%2C682&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":31235,"url":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/pintard-criticizes-government-over-saudi-loan-and-non-compliance-with-procurement-act\/","url_meta":{"origin":22447,"position":2},"title":"Pintard criticizes government over Saudi Loan and non-compliance with Procurement Act","author":"Mayra Bonilla Lopez","date":"November 23, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Bahamas NASSAU, BAHAMAS \u2013 Opposition leader Michael Pintard is slamming the Davis administration over recent comments regarding a $70 million Saudi loan and the government\u2019s delay in complying with the Procurement Act.\u00a0 Pintard said in a statement, \u201cInstead of doing the right thing and offering a heartfelt apology for them\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Articles"","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\/2023\/08\/pexels-sora-shimazaki-5673488-scaled-e1692322490716.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/pexels-sora-shimazaki-5673488-scaled-e1692322490716.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/pexels-sora-shimazaki-5673488-scaled-e1692322490716.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/pexels-sora-shimazaki-5673488-scaled-e1692322490716.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":32702,"url":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/govt-on-target-for-60-day-contract-unveiling-by-march\/","url_meta":{"origin":22447,"position":3},"title":"Gov’t ‘on target’ for 60-day contract unveiling by March","author":"Mayra Bonilla Lopez","date":"February 22, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"The Bahamas The Government's top procurement official yesterday predicted that it will be \"on target\" to disclose all contract awards within 60 days - as required by law - come March 2024. Carl Oliver, the acting chief procurement officer and Ministry of Finance's deputy director of economic planning, told Tribune\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Articles"","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":31240,"url":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/pintard-publish-procurement-report\/","url_meta":{"origin":22447,"position":4},"title":"Pintard: Publish procurement report","author":"Mayra Bonilla Lopez","date":"November 23, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Bahamas Free National Movement (FNM) Leader Michael Pintard yesterday called on the Davis administration to follow the law\u00a0and report on the millions of dollars worth of contracts it has awarded. \u201cWhat is stopping the prime minister from publishing the first annual procurement report due October 2022?\u201d Pintard asked in a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Articles"","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\/2023\/11\/pexels-sora-shimazaki-5668858-scaled-e1699564529399.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/pexels-sora-shimazaki-5668858-scaled-e1699564529399.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/pexels-sora-shimazaki-5668858-scaled-e1699564529399.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/pexels-sora-shimazaki-5668858-scaled-e1699564529399.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":21395,"url":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/bahamas-struggling-with-the-execution-in-corruption-fight\/","url_meta":{"origin":22447,"position":5},"title":"Bahamas \u2018Struggling With The Execution\u2019 In Corruption Fight","author":"Mayra Bonilla Lopez","date":"March 24, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Bahamas \u00a0 The Bahamas is \u201cstruggling with the execution\u201d of anti-corruption safeguards, governance reformers are warning, with accountability and transparency \u201caspirational\u201d rather than real concepts. 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