Bulkan, GWI clash over single sourcing of filtration units

May 13, 2018 News

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A senior government Minister and the head of a government company are at odds with one threatening actions.
At the centre of the matter is the purchase of filtration units by the Guyana Water Inc. (GWI) for indigenous communities in the hinterlands.
However, Minister of Communities, Ronald Bulkan, has warned that proper procedures for procurement of the units must be followed.
Bulkan, as part of his portfolio, oversees water and housing. He is also responsible for representing matters of GWI to the Cabinet of Ministers, which includes President David Granger.
Insiders said that Bulkan has been fighting GWI to ensure procurement rules are followed.
GWI, on the other hand, is insisting that it does follow those rules.
Based on a request for approval for the purchase of those units, Bulkan on April 25, last, wrote to GWI’s Managing Director, Dr. Richard Van West-Charles.

According to copies of the fiery correspondence between the two officials, Bulkan noted that application for the approval for the filtration units would have followed two letters, warning of the integrity of the procurement process at GWI. The proposal was issued by his Ministry in June last year.
“This proposal is a feeble attempt at repackaging a process that was tainted from its inception with not only the suspected procedural mis-step of management seeking and astonishingly receiving the GWI Board’s approval retroactively for single sourcing but is reek with impropriety.”
Bulkan was also critical of GWI’s Board, which seemed “relatively unconcerned with its belated endorsement of such a flagrant violation”, the Minister said in his response to the Managing Director.
GWI’s Board is headed by Georgetown Mayor, Patricia Chase-Green.
The correspondence was copied to Finance Minister, Winston Jordan and Berkley Wickham, Chairman of the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB).
Bulkan noted that GWI could also face a possible conflict of interest situation with the Lifesaver C2 filter, since management adopted the role of “salesman” for a product, which allegedly has no alternative.
Bulkan, nevertheless, in the letter to Van-West Charles, stressed that the project would benefit the residents of the communities in keeping with the government policy of equitable services to coastlands and hinterland regions.
He recommended the procurement of the units be done through open tendering to ensure transparency and accountability.
However, it appears that GWI was not too happy with Bulkan and his letter.
On May 2, Van West Charles in response, made it clear that the April 25 letter was tantamount to “unwarranted and unsubstantiated attacks” on his character and that of the Board and the Management of GWI.
He accused Bulkan of continuing to level allegations of “misconduct and impropriety” against the Board and its members which are of a very “serious nature”.
“These allegations you continue to make against the board and myself have serious legal implications. I call upon you to withdraw your statement or produce proof of your allegations. If you do not, then I will be forced to take such steps, as I am advised to do, to safeguard my character and integrity,” the Managing Director warned.
He also told the Minister that the senior management of GWI is “quite frankly tired” of the “harassment and abuse” which has a severe negative impact on important expansion works of the company.
“As always, your letter will be put to the board for its consideration. You are respectfully reminded the procurement is a matter of law. As with all our undertakings and projects, GWI intends to observe proper procurement procedures as set out by law.”
Yesterday, when contacted, Minister Bulkan refused to confirm or deny receipt of the “threat” of actions by the Managing Director.
When pressed, he said, “Firstly, I wish to be clear that I am not casting aspersions against anyone or in this case the Managing Director of GWI. I expect that investigations will reveal if there is any misconduct in public office, whether by me or by Dr. Van West Charles.”
Bulkan made it clear that unchecked; the issue could have dire implications for the Coalition Government.
“I will say this at this time, however, and it is that as an Administration, we do not have the luxury of being ambivalent on the issue of corruption; that would be terminal to our tenure.
The President has stated publicly that corruption will not go away if ignored. Taking this one step further, I would say that we have to determine where we stand. Will we confront corruption, sweep it under the rug or condone it? Imminent oil revenues make this matter even more important for us as a nation.”
Bulkan said that he would not be “pleased” if his integrity was impugned.
“Same for Dr. Van-West Charles; I am sure he considers himself an honourable man.”
The two had clashed in the past over procurement.

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