{"id":38122,"date":"2025-01-23T23:19:38","date_gmt":"2025-01-24T04:19:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev?p=38122"},"modified":"2025-11-05T15:54:39","modified_gmt":"2025-11-05T20:54:39","slug":"no-accountability-opposition-concerned-over-award-of-govt-contracts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/no-accountability-opposition-concerned-over-award-of-govt-contracts\/","title":{"rendered":"No accountability Opposition concerned over award of Govt contracts"},"content":{"rendered":"[et_pb_section fb_built=\u201d1\u2033 _builder_version=\u201d4.16\u2033 global_colors_info=\u201d{}\u201d][et_pb_row _builder_version=\u201d4.16\u2033 background_size=\u201dinitial\u201d background_position=\u201dtop_left\u201d background_repeat=\u201drepeat\u201d global_colors_info=\u201d{}\u201d][et_pb_column type=\u201d4_4\u2033 _builder_version=\u201d4.16\u2033 custom_padding=\u201d|||\u201d global_colors_info=\u201d{}\u201d custom_padding__hover=\u201d|||\u201d][et_pb_text _builder_version=\u201d4.16\u2033 background_size=\u201dinitial\u201d background_position=\u201dtop_left\u201d background_repeat=\u201drepeat\u201d global_colors_info=\u201d{}\u201d]Trinidad and Tobago<\/p>\n

Opposition MP Davendranath Tancoo has challenged the Government on its spending, claiming that in its almost ten years in office million-dollar contracts were being awarded to contractors without accountability.<\/p>\n

Referring to the 472-page Procurement Regulator Report which was laid in Parliament last week, Tancoo said the Government needs to say how contracts valued at just about $5 billion were awarded by government institutions.<\/p>\n

Speaking yesterday at the United National Congress (UNC) weekly media briefing, the Oropouche West MP and Opposition shadow minister for finance said the figure represented 10% of the annual budget for the whole country.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Regulator reported that some of the practices observed included the inappropriate and unjustified use of limited and non-competitive procurement methods. Further it was found that single and sole source methods were frequently used, indicating a refusal to follow fair, transparent and fully accountable and openly competitive process,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Tancoo called on the Government to explain why government agencies were not providing required information about contracts being awarded by them, although this was a requirement of Section 37 of the Procurement Act.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn other words, more than half of the contracts awarded in this one year by the PNM Government through State boards and statutory bodies were in violation of the Procurement Act,\u201d he alleged.<\/p>\n

A country run<\/p>\n

by criminals<\/p>\n

Tancoo said while taxpayers\u2019 dollars were being spent on these contracts, citizens were being denied proper services.<\/p>\n

\u201cToday we have a fire service with 2,000 active firemen having to share ten breathing apparatus amongst themselves in case of a fire. So 200 men have to use one breathing apparatus. So what will happen in a fire? Think of the idiocy of the situation, and the danger to fire officers. Today we have a police service which is short-staffed, lacking vehicles, bulletproof vests, computers, even furniture and basic stationery in stations. The prison service is similarly compromised because they too are severely underfunded. Our coast guard has been crippled by the absence of working vessels,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Tancoo asked the Government to take a serious look at how their mismanagement of the funding has been affecting citizens.<\/p>\n

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

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Image: Contract-agreement<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0
\n[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_blog _builder_version=\u201d4.27.4\u2033 _module_preset=\u201ddefault\u201d hover_enabled=\u201d0\u2033 sticky_enabled=\u201d0\u2033][\/et_pb_blog][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[et_pb_section fb_built=\u201d1\u2033 _builder_version=\u201d4.16\u2033 global_colors_info=\u201d{}\u201d][et_pb_row _builder_version=\u201d4.16\u2033 background_size=\u201dinitial\u201d background_position=\u201dtop_left\u201d background_repeat=\u201drepeat\u201d global_colors_info=\u201d{}\u201d][et_pb_column type=\u201d4_4\u2033 _builder_version=\u201d4.16\u2033 custom_padding=\u201d|||\u201d global_colors_info=\u201d{}\u201d custom_padding__hover=\u201d|||\u201d][et_pb_text _builder_version=\u201d4.16\u2033 background_size=\u201dinitial\u201d background_position=\u201dtop_left\u201d background_repeat=\u201drepeat\u201d global_colors_info=\u201d{}\u201d]Trinidad and Tobago Opposition MP Davendranath Tancoo has challenged the Government on…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1091,"featured_media":6598,"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":[173,125,137],"class_list":["post-38122","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-articles","tag-contracts","tag-public-procurement","tag-trinidad-and-tobago"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Contract-agreement-signature-Pixabay-Pexels.jpeg?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6u9Qa-9US","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":37951,"url":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/opposition-mp-tancoo-exposes-5b-corruption-scandal-in-tts-national-security-ministry\/","url_meta":{"origin":38122,"position":0},"title":"Opposition MP Tancoo exposes $5B corruption scandal in T&T’s National Security Ministry","author":"Mayra Bonilla Lopez","date":"January 9, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago:\u00a0The Opposition Member of Parliament,\u00a0Davendranath Tancoo,\u00a0spoke about the alleged corruption in the Ministry of National Security of\u00a0Trinidad and Tobago. He claimed that 5 billion dollars was awarded in government contracts to businesses that did not go through the entire competitive procurement process, according to 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\/2025\/01\/pexels-markus-winkler-1430818-19835552-scaled-e1736464330757.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/pexels-markus-winkler-1430818-19835552-scaled-e1736464330757.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/pexels-markus-winkler-1430818-19835552-scaled-e1736464330757.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/pexels-markus-winkler-1430818-19835552-scaled-e1736464330757.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":36211,"url":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/regulator-yet-to-receive-complaints-on-hdcs-santa-rosa-project-tender\/","url_meta":{"origin":38122,"position":1},"title":"Regulator yet to receive complaints on HDC’s Santa Rosa project tender","author":"Mayra Bonilla Lopez","date":"September 12, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Trinidad and Tobago Despite several contractors vowing to challenge the intention of the Housing Development Corporation (HDC) to award a contract to Chinese firm China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC), none have done so. 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