Public Procurement Commission a step in the right direction

Public Procurement Commission a step in the right direction – GCCI Head

Nov 04, 2016 News

President of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Vishnu Doerga, believes that

GCCI President,
Vishnu Doerga

the swearing in of the Public Procurement Commission is a step in the right direction. That commission will benefit private sector companies who bid for Government contracts.
Yesterday, Doerga said that the existence of the Commission can build confidence among local and international entrepreneurs in doing business with the local public sector to provide goods and services.
He said that for the Commission to be effective it must seek to operate in a manner void of external influences, politics, lobbyists or otherwise.
The Commission will replace Cabinet’s role in approving state contracts and complaints from dissatisfied contractors. Doerga’s advice to the Commission is that projects should be awarded to contractors who meet both the basic requirements and can deliver the results sought of all projects.
He said that what is important when awarding contracts is getting value for money even though it may not be the cheapest option.
One week ago, President David Granger swore in the members of the PPC. Those taking the oath of office were Emily Dodson, a lawyer by profession; Carol Corbin, wife of former Opposition Leader, Robert Corbin; Dr. Nanda Gopaul, a trade unionist and former Labour Minister under the previous administration; University of Guyana lecturer, Sukrishnalall Pasha, and Ivor English, former head of the Maritime Administration and an official of the Critchlow Labour College.
At the swearing in, President David Granger said that the purpose of the Commission is to guarantee that the procurement of goods and services as well as the performance of works are done in a competitive, transparent and fair manner according to the law and policy guidelines determined by the National Assembly.
He told the Commissioners that they are to uphold their constitutional duty and to be independent, impartial and fair. Within the joint manifesto of the A Partnership for National Unity and Alliance for Chance, the establishment of the PPC was identified as an entity necessary for improving governance in relation to procurement.
In addition, the coalition had promised to implement the Public Procurement Laws and to enact legislation for the registration of professionals, including architects, engineers, contractors and quantity surveyors.
The parliamentary opposition, the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPPC), had said that one of the first matters which the Commission would have to investigate is the controversial Sussex Street Drug bond scandal and other questionable contracts which are in violation of the Procurement Act and regulations implemented by all levels of government and state agencies.