{"id":24596,"date":"2022-10-13T22:33:40","date_gmt":"2022-10-14T03:33:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev?p=24596"},"modified":"2022-10-13T11:39:53","modified_gmt":"2022-10-13T16:39:53","slug":"chasing-procurement-perfection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/chasing-procurement-perfection\/","title":{"rendered":"Chasing procurement perfection"},"content":{"rendered":"

Trinidad and Tobago<\/p>\n

Harvard Business \u00adReview (April 2019) warned that perfectionism is a double-edged sword that can either motivate you to deliver high-quality work or cause you much anxiety and slow you down.<\/p>\n

Are we witnessing this play out with the many iterations of the procurement legislation saga, or is it something else? Have we moved unwisely and sadly to entangle the Judiciary to get a \u201cperfect\u201d solution?<\/p>\n

In March 2014, Mr Greg Christie, former Jamaica contractor-general (the equivalent of our Procurement Regulator), gave an important speech to the local Transparency International (TI) chapter that ought to be reprinted to benefit our nation\u2019s discourse. He quoted Mr Jim Young Kim, then-president of the World Bank, \u201cLet us not mince words. In the developing world, corruption is Public Enemy #1\u201d. He named Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and Guyana as possessing systemic corruption. Christie presciently identified, \u201cIn monetary terms, the illicit manipulation of the award of government contracts, and licences, as well as the divestment of publicly-owned assets, have long been considered to be possibly the largest opportunity that exists for corruption in any country.\u201d TI estimated the cost of corruption in public contracting to be ten to 25 per cent and, in the worst cases, as much as 50 per cent of the total contract cost.<\/p>\n

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Unknown to all in the audience, that reality was lurking. By April 2022, Justice Rahim ruled that there was an attempt to rob us, the citizens, of almost TT$873 million! Justice Aboud\u2019s 2021 observation is equally chilling in a case involving $200 million. As Mr Christie observed, \u201cit simply means that there will be significantly less public funds available to build schools and hospitals, to fight crime, and to provide for the much needed public infrastructure and services, such as housing, roads, water and electricity, which\u2026 are today at sub-standard levels\u201d.<\/p>\n

In May 2019, Mr Imbert noted the need to raise $900 million to complete 27 schools. (Guardian, May 24, 2019). Yet in January 2019, he blasted the Express for an article and an Editorial on the draft procurement regulations. He promised fervently \u201cthis publicly announced timeline of the first quarter of 2019 for implementation of the act is still on track\u201d! Since then, we have been seeing a zig-zagging and unproductive inter-party squabbling.<\/p>\n

Do we have the political will to do what is proper and necessary? It appears neither political party is ready to do right by the citizens. WASA could demote their acting CEO for not following the board\u2019s instructions, but our regulator\u2019s year-long work with State institutions could perish. Why?<\/p>\n

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Jamaica\u2019s Justice Batt\u2019s 2013 ruling in the Paymaster v Postal Corporation case noted, \u201cExclusions are listed in Regulation 4, and in Regulation 5, it is stated that \u201cthese Regulations do not apply to the tendering and other procurement activities in relation to contracts that are below the approval threshold lawfully prescribed from time to time including special thresholds prescribed for specific entities.\u201d<\/p>\n

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How will we benefit from implementation? The World Bank speaks to a 400-per cent governance dividend or a four-fold increase in per-capita income. Private sector businesses will grow by as much as three per cent annually. The cost of corruption is a 20 per cent regressive tax.<\/p>\n

Let us listen to Greg Christie if we do not wish to listen to Afra Raymond. Let Moonilal Lalchan get cracking!<\/p>\n

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

\u00a0<\/p>\n

image: Transparency-magnifying<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Trinidad and Tobago Harvard Business \u00adReview (April 2019) warned that perfectionism is a double-edged sword that can either motivate you to deliver high-quality work or cause you much anxiety and…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1091,"featured_media":10099,"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":[157,153,71],"class_list":["post-24596","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-articles","tag-anti-corruption","tag-legal","tag-procurement"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Transparency-magnifying-glass-files-HonestReporting-flickr-e1565992586412.jpg?fit=620%2C348&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6u9Qa-6oI","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":36954,"url":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/senior-bangor-university-law-lecturer-calls-for-more-sustainable-procurement-practices\/","url_meta":{"origin":24596,"position":0},"title":"Senior Bangor University law lecturer calls for more sustainable procurement practices","author":"Mayra Bonilla Lopez","date":"November 3, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Jamaica ST JAMES, Jamaica \u2014 Senior law lecturer at Bangor University in Wales, Dr Ama Eyo, is calling for more sustainable procurement practices that shun corruption, bribery and collusion. According to Dr Eyo, research shows that an estimated 10 to\u00a020 per cent of the entire money spent on public procurement\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\/2024\/11\/pexels-fauxels-3184328-scaled-e1731337056955.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\/11\/pexels-fauxels-3184328-scaled-e1731337056955.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/pexels-fauxels-3184328-scaled-e1731337056955.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/pexels-fauxels-3184328-scaled-e1731337056955.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":25702,"url":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/regulator-lock-up-for-corrupt-politicians-if-procurement-law-proclaimed\/","url_meta":{"origin":24596,"position":1},"title":"Regulator: Lock-up for corrupt politicians if procurement law proclaimed","author":"Mayra Bonilla Lopez","date":"January 12, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Trinidad and Tobago If the legislation to give the Office of Procurement Regulation (OPR) is fully proclaimed to give it teeth, corrupt politicians engaging in illegal procurement practices will face the full brunt of the law, said OPR chairman Moonilal Lalchan. \u201cFinally someone in TT, under the office of 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\/2017\/08\/PSU-Law-Gavel-Penn-State-flickr-e1699564513757.jpg?fit=1025%2C802&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/PSU-Law-Gavel-Penn-State-flickr-e1699564513757.jpg?fit=1025%2C802&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/PSU-Law-Gavel-Penn-State-flickr-e1699564513757.jpg?fit=1025%2C802&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/PSU-Law-Gavel-Penn-State-flickr-e1699564513757.jpg?fit=1025%2C802&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4887,"url":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/corruption-favouritism-and-racism-persist-in-the-public-procurement-process\/","url_meta":{"origin":24596,"position":2},"title":"Corruption, favouritism and racism persist in the public procurement process","author":"Michele Marius","date":"March 16, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Dear Editor, Despite the establishment of the Public Procurement Commission (PPC) in 2016, Guyana\u2019s procurement process is still infested with prejudice, inequality, unfairness, discrimination, nepotism and racism and, even worse, there is no proper mechanism to deal with appeals and complaints. 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