Teixeira and Patterson clash over Public Procurement Commission’s work and increased subvention
Guyana
The Government has defended the $270.9M in subvention that has been set aside for the Public Procurement Commission (PPC), even as Opposition Member of Parliament, David Patterson continues to question whether Guyana is getting value for money.
The Parliamentary Committee of Supply was told today that the Public Procurement Commission has completed just four investigations over the past 18 months, and of the four investigations completed, only two of them have been published.
As he scrutinized the operations of the PPC during the Consideration of the Budget Estimates, MP Patterson pointed out that the $270.9M budgeted for the Constitutional agency represents an increase of $35M or 15% when compared to subvention it received in 2023.
“Mr Chairman, this agency spent $199.8M in 2022; $235.3M in 2023, and was only able to publish two reports during this report,” the APNU+AFC MP pointed out.
The PPC received a total of 12 requests for investigations to be done following its reconstitution in July, 2022.
Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira, in responding to the series of questions posed by the Opposition MP, told the Committee of Supply that the Public Procurement Commission is tasked with other responsibilities outside of conducting investigations into Government procurement.
“I wish to remind the Honourable Member that under Article 212 of the Constitution, the PPC has 13 functions, one of which is investigation, one of which is investigation. It has 13 functions, and the Procurement Act also details its roles on a number of issues in compliance with the Constitution. So, you are focusing on one issue, yes. Do we think we are getting value for money? Yes! In the anti-corruption field and being able to investigate and have an authority that is constitutional and independent of the Government or of you the Opposition or anybody else so, be it. The money is well used because it allows for that oversight function,” Minister Teixeira said.
Further, she disclosed that the Commission has visited a number of the Administrative Regions, and has also completed training programmes and other initiatives.
Pressing the Governance Minister for more answers, MP Patterson inquired about the salaries and benefits paid to the Chairman and Commissioners of the Public Procurement Commission.
It was then that the Minister revealed that the Chairman of the PPC receives a salary of $1.3M monthly or $15.6M per annum in addition to travel, telephone, entertainment and security allowances, pushing it to a total of $20.3M annually.
The Deputy Chairman receives a monthly salary of $1.1M along with a number of allowances, while the Commissioners get a salary of $900,000 along with entertainment allowances per month
“Based on the response given by the Minister, quick calculations, for the 18 months that they would have existed, the Chairperson would have received about $30M, the Deputy Chairperson would have received $24M, and the three commissioners combined, in the 18 months since they have been established, would have received $50M in salaries to produce two single reports. Sir, does this agency consider THIS value for money,” MP Patterson questioned as he registered his concern.
But the question from Patterson did not sit well with Minister Teixeira, and in her response she pointed out that during the 2018 to 2020, the PPC produced only two reports.
“Two reports from 2018 to 2020, sir. And you know the two reports. You know one very well sir. You know one extremely well which had to do with the new Demerara Harbour Bridge, which you know now is a matter in Court sir, and so, that was one of the investigations of the PPC then and was made public and was then removed from the website. The second one, had to do with the Ministry of Health, and the purchase of $600M worth of drugs without going to tender,” Minister Teixeira pointed out.
She said back then, officials of the PPC were receiving similar salaries.
Further, she told the Committee that the current Commission is responding to requests for investigation as they come, however, the progress of those investigations is based on availability of documents needed.
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