TOUGH talk on the shortcomings of Guyana’s public procurement process, from tendering to the award of contracts, was the order of the day at yesterday’s procurement symposium, held at the Guyana International Conference Centre (GICC), Liliendaal.

Addressing over 100 local stakeholders in the procurement process, Minister within the Ministry of Finance, Bishop Juan Edghill made no bones about it that the Government’s policy on the award of contracts for goods and services is clear and must be followed to the letter.
The symposium was held under the theme, ‘Empowering bidders, ensuring responsiveness; advancing accountability, fairness and transparency in public procurement’.
“We want to realise the essence of the theme,” the Minister stressed, adding that the empowerment of stakeholders and avoiding misconceptions are important to improving the procurement process.
He reiterated the need for the prescribed process for procurement to be followed, since strict adherence will facilitate positive change.
“The only consideration must be what is on the evaluation criteria (part of the procurement process), and politics is never part of the evaluation criteria; let’s leave the politics out of the procurement process and get on with national

development,” Edghill said.

CHALLENGES WITHAWARDS

The Minister detailed the process of awarding of contracts for goods and services, and stated that the entire process must be open, fair and transparent.
“We cannot condone skullduggery; we cannot cover up for contractors, bidders or suppliers. We want a fair, open and transparent process,” he said, adding that the Government will not fund failure.
That said, he appealed to heads of agencies and accounting officers to ensure that the process of procurement, which is made clear in Guyana’s laws, is followed.
“Anyone who believes they have a God-given right to a particular job; that the Government will have to park and wait until they finish one job to come on another, I have news for you: It will not happen, “ Minister Edghill said, adding:
“This is not government’s policy; we want our work to be implemented, and the best person available, with all the necessary technical capabilities, must be given the job.”
If such practices are occurring, he said, moves will be advanced to have them halted. “If it is happening, it will stop,” the Minister stressed.
The Minster acknowledged the existence of other malpractices in the system, but assured stakeholders that anyone suspected of wrongdoing will be investigated and dealt with accordingly.
“This is not the way development comes…Once we have open competitive bidding, let the chips fall where they may,” Mr. Edghill said.
IMPORTANT PARTNERS
He highlighted that once this happens, once Government’s policy is executed, greater competition, by way of an increased number of bidders, will be encouraged.
The importance of this, the Minister said, must not be understated since stakeholders in the procurement process are important partners for development.
“The Government values you as important partners for national development,” he said, adding that the implementation of the plans in Government’s annual national budget is dependent on the stakeholders,” Mr. Edghill said.
On this note, he charged those at the symposium to ask the necessary questions, take advantage of the opportunities available to become more knowledgeable about the procurement process and engage the relevant authorities with their concerns.
“Bidders must be responsive (follow all the procurement process) and evaluators must be objective and responsible,” the Minister said.
According to him, despite the challenges, progress is being made.“We have to have a new approach to our procurement process,” he said.
Additionally, those at the symposium engaged several presenters who made presentations on various aspects of procurement. The presenters included Mr. John Seeram, Mr. Michael De Jonge, Mr. Fedrick Flatts and Mr. Donald De Clou, who is the Chairman of the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB).
Yesterday’s symposium follows similar sessions held annually over the past few years.