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Breach in tender process continues in Region 7 – PAC finds
Kaieteur News – Regional Executive Officer (REO) of Cuyuni/Mazaruni (Region Seven), Kerwin Ward faced a series of questions as it relates to the tendering process used in the award of contracts for his region. Ward and his team were, however, unable to respond to the queries made by members of the Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC) before whom they appeared on Monday.
REO of Region Seven, Kerwin Ward and his team at the PAC meeting on Monday.
The questions surrounded the 2018 award of contract for the maintenance of doctors’ accommodation at the Regional Health Office in Bartica, according to the briefing notes contained in the Auditor General’s report. The report outlined that $5.733M was paid to a contractor for the maintenance works.
The report outlined nonetheless that, “As at 31 December, 2018, amounts totalling $5.721M were paid. No details regarding the tendering process and award of this contract were presented for audit examination. Physical verification of the project revealed overpayments totalling $324,000. The contractor was contacted and he promised to repay the amount overpaid.”
When asked about the specific transaction, Ward told the PAC that he and his team were ill- equipped to provide the information.
“I want to know what sort of tender process was used…Was it open tender, was it selective, was it sole sourced… where is the document to support,” Minister of Public Works and PAC member, Juan Edghill enquired.
“I believe it is at the office … I was not the person in charge when the contract was awarded, I don’t have any information about the tender process,” Ward said. Edghill then followed up, “So you’re saying, you don’t have details so you can’t help us out here this morning?”
“No I cannot!” the REO said as his team remained silent.
“It is becoming more obvious why some of these things happened and documents are not available…we are here asking the wrong people,” Edghill added.
As a result, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira then suggested that the team returns to the Region and forwards the necessary documents to the PAC.
She asserted that a lot is amiss in the region but without the record, the PAC could not scrutinise or come to any conclusions about the transactions listed in the audit report.
“There are so many questions I would like answers for. For instance, the audit record says a contractor signed a contract today and within two days time, he is in receipt of full payment for works that has not been carried out,” observed Teixeira.
She noted too that there are many instances where current Accounting Officers for the various regions have repeatedly complained of missing documentation while others could not remember the transactions from that period.
“It is very unfair to the present officers who have to answer for the tenure of another person. I would like to have a talk on that issue to consider how we will deal with it internally in the PAC,” Teixeira said.
A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) Member of Parliament, Ganesh Mahipaul agreed that such a discussion must take place.
“I fully support and endorse against that backdrop that we speed up the process…,” he said.
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