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State auditors to probe Nat’l Printers sole-sourcing of exercise, text books from T&T
The Audit Office of Guyana yesterday confirmed that it is preparing to launch a probe into recent spending of hundreds of millions of dollars to
purchase exercise and text books.
GNPL’s GM, Trevor Bassoo
Speaking with Kaieteur News, Auditor General Deodat Sharma explained that he had conducted an audit a few years ago on the procurement of books. The report was scathing in its criticisms of the breaches that were found, including short supply and the manner in which delivered books were stored.
The Audit Office is now set to conduct another audit to determine if the correct procedures were followed in awarding contracts, and to determine whether Guyana received value for its dollars.
Under the government programme, hundreds of millions are spent annually to print exercise and text books for the scores of state-run schools across the land. However, procurement over the years has come under fire, especially in relation to mismanagement and questions about transparency.
Recently, there were reports that the state-owned Guyana National Printers Limited (GNPL) bypassed local printers and went to Trinidad suppliers, without any tenders being advertised.
GNPL, despite its promises, has not issued any statements denying any of the allegations that it deliberately bypassed procurement procedures so that the corporation can buy from Trinidadian suppliers.
According to Sharma, the investigations will among other things, determine whether the correct procedures were followed.
Management of GNPL has been silent on accusations that it spent hundreds of millions of dollars in the past year to order text and exercise books via sole-sourcing from Trinidad, bypassing local printers.
Already, the Ministry of Education, as the client, has denied that it contracted any entity other than the GNPL, for text and exercise books.
GNPL’s General Manager, Trevor Bassoo, declined to comment recently and promised a statement since last week, but has failed to send one.
The La Penitence-headquartered operation has come under fire after a number of printers complained bitterly of losing out on hundreds of millions of dollars in work.
The printers had no problems with GNPL, as a state-owned company, doing the work.
In early 2016, during a visit, President David Granger had committed resources to upgrade the equipment of the 80-year-old printing company. Some $100M was subsequently released for a new printing press, but it has not been in operation because of one problem after the next.
Under arrangements, according to the Ministry of Education, it has been contracting GNPL to supply the text and exercise books.
It was discovered that someone approved the state-owned corporation to bypass local printers and go to Trinidad where exercise and textbooks were ordered. The books are for the government-run schools across the country.
The bypassing of local printers would mean that GNPL breached local procurement procedures where suppliers are to be notified in the print media that the Ministry of Education wants the books. It appears that GNPL took the decision on its own to sole-source from Trinidad.
The issue has brought other matters to light on how the entity is being run.
According to officials, the Board of Directors is chaired by a Ronald Alert, who lives in New York. In fact, he appears to have been conducting the business of GNPL from where he lives.
Insiders said that for the past year, there were three board meetings. Instructions on board policies and even instructions for payments were reportedly made via the telephone.
There appears little scrutiny on the management, Kaieteur News was told.
The Ministry itself last week made no mention of the exorbitant prices being paid and how it was able to determine that GNPL provided value for money.
The Coalition Government has been insisting that it has zero tolerance for wastage of taxpayers’ dollars. In fact, it was this argument that was used that saw the closure of four sugar estates in the country over the last four years. Consecutive governments had been pouring billions of dollars into the sugar industry with little to show.
Since last year, GNPL has been engaging suppliers in Trinidad and Tobago to produce exercise books and textbooks. Local printers are saying they have the capacity to print for way cheaper than what is being produced and shipped from Trinidad to Guyana.
The number of exercise books needed annually is said to be over 500,000.
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