{"id":29706,"date":"2023-08-31T23:51:39","date_gmt":"2023-09-01T04:51:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev?p=29706"},"modified":"2023-08-31T21:43:28","modified_gmt":"2023-09-01T02:43:28","slug":"four-months-to-buy-a-drinking-glass-under-current-law","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/four-months-to-buy-a-drinking-glass-under-current-law\/","title":{"rendered":"Four months to buy a drinking glass under current law"},"content":{"rendered":"

Trinidad and Tobago<\/p>\n

FINANCE Minister ColmImbert on Thursday justified a new procurement bill by saying under the current law it could take a state body as long as four months to buy an item as simple as a drinking glass. He was in the Senate piloting the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Property (Amendment and Validation) Bill, 2023 to the amend the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Property Act 2015.<\/p>\n

\u201cHyperbole and nonsense\u201d were how he dubbed Opposition fears that the bill would gut TT\u2019s procurement legislation.<\/p>\n

Regarding criticism of proposals to exempt acquisitions\/disposals of up to $1 million from the procurement act, he said a threshold has existed since 1961. He said under the Central Tenders Board Ordinance, in 1961 the exemption threshold for an accounting officer\u2019s minor purchases was $10,000.<\/p>\n

It had been increased to $100,000 in 1983, $500,000 in 1984, and now $1 million since 2010. He added. \u201cThat threshold is subject to regulation.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said the World Trade Organisation (WTO) had recommended exemption thresholds in areas including aid, troops and international agencies, while the Caribbean nations of Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados and Belize have thresholds of US$150,000, virtually equivalent to the bill\u2019s proposed $1 million.<\/p>\n

\u201cExemptions are part and parcel of modern procurement laws.\u201d<\/p>\n

Imbert warned that reports from Jamaica were of a 25 per cent decease in the government\u2019s development programmes under their national budget simply because public service accounting officers were \u201cafraid, unfamiliar and unsure of what they should do\u201d regarding procurement rules which impose hefty fines and imprisonment.<\/p>\n

He detailed at length how a procurement procedure \u2013 inclusive of a pre-qualifying period \u2013 for an item as simple as a drinking glass could take up to four months.<\/p>\n

Imbert said a procurement process entailed the registering of companies for pre-qualification inclusive of them ensuring their taxes (VAT and corporation tax) and National Insurance Scheme contributions were all up to date. He said the total period of up to four months did not include any additional time delay incurred by a challenge to a particular procurement exercise. \u201cThere must be a simplified procedure for routine matters.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said it could not be the case that one had to wait four months just to buy toner for a photocopier.<\/p>\n

Imbert noted that Coast Guard vessels need constant upkeep and so under a restrictive procurement regime could be out of service due to acquisition problems for items as trite as a seal, ring or screw. \u201cAn entire vessel can be immobilised because it needs a ball bearing.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said the Coast Guard now has a credit card facility to buy such items up to a value of US$15,000.<\/p>\n

Imbert lamented that a child in need of urgent surgery might apply to the Children\u2019s Life Fund but this facility was subject to procurement rules. He said if the child needed to be treated at a hospital such as in South America or the US, the hospital must first pre qualify and register under the Procurement Act, which he did not think they would wish to bother to do.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat is an example we need to look at urgently,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you going to tell a hospital in Miami, \u2018Produce your audited financials or we\u2019ll not let you deal with a child with a hole in his heart?'\u201d<\/p>\n

Imbert then wondered at the logic of a competitive bid and a sole select bid taking the same period of time under the procurement rules.<\/p>\n

Predicting what would happen without the bill\u2019s passage, he said, \u201cThe procurement of routine items could become impossible and grind the country to a halt.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Image: CQF-Avocat (Pexels)<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Trinidad and Tobago FINANCE Minister ColmImbert on Thursday justified a new procurement bill by saying under the current law it could take a state body as long as four months…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1091,"featured_media":3644,"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":[305,137],"class_list":["post-29706","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-articles","tag-food-beverage","tag-trinidad-and-tobago"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Law-scrabble-tiles-CQF-Avocat-Pexels-e1649276824460.jpeg?fit=1024%2C684&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6u9Qa-7J8","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":30459,"url":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/minority-leader-concerned-about-tha-adherence-to-procurement-law\/","url_meta":{"origin":29706,"position":0},"title":"Minority Leader concerned about THA adherence to procurement law","author":"Mayra Bonilla Lopez","date":"October 12, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Trinidad and Tobago Tobago Minority Leader Kelvon Morris has revealed plans to write to the Chief Administrator expressing concerns that the procurement laws are not being adhered to by the Tobago House of Assembly (THA). 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It marks the first serious attempt since the passing of the 1961 act establishing the Central Tenders Board to eradicate sleaze in public affairs. Under the Public Procurement and Disposal of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News\/Developments"","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\/02\/Trinidad-and-Tobago-Procuement-Board-2018-Newsday-TT.jpg?fit=1024%2C716&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/Trinidad-and-Tobago-Procuement-Board-2018-Newsday-TT.jpg?fit=1024%2C716&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/Trinidad-and-Tobago-Procuement-Board-2018-Newsday-TT.jpg?fit=1024%2C716&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/Trinidad-and-Tobago-Procuement-Board-2018-Newsday-TT.jpg?fit=1024%2C716&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":21774,"url":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/young-confident-new-laws-will-improve-trinidad-and-tobagos-corruption-ranking\/","url_meta":{"origin":29706,"position":2},"title":"Young confident new laws will improve Trinidad and Tobago’s corruption ranking","author":"Mayra Bonilla Lopez","date":"April 21, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Trinidad and Tobago \u00a0 Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister Stuart Young says he is optimistic that Trinidad and Tobago's global Corruption Perception Index (CPI) ranking will improve during the next annual report to reflect the work done by the government in implementing legislation to improve transparency and\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\/10\/Law-scrabble-tiles-CQF-Avocat-Pexels-e1649276824460.jpeg?fit=1024%2C684&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Law-scrabble-tiles-CQF-Avocat-Pexels-e1649276824460.jpeg?fit=1024%2C684&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Law-scrabble-tiles-CQF-Avocat-Pexels-e1649276824460.jpeg?fit=1024%2C684&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Law-scrabble-tiles-CQF-Avocat-Pexels-e1649276824460.jpeg?fit=1024%2C684&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":12329,"url":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/tt-chamber-renews-call-for-implementation-of-procurement-legislation\/","url_meta":{"origin":29706,"position":3},"title":"T&T Chamber renews call for implementation of procurement legislation","author":"Michele Marius","date":"March 18, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"The T&T Chamber of Industry and Commerce (T&T Chamber) is again appealing to the Government to operationalise the substantive provisions of The Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Property Act. 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