THE five members of the Public Procurement Commission (PPC) were on Friday sworn into office by President David Granger amid a charge to be “fair, equitable and transparent” in carrying out their functions.At a simple ceremony held at the Ministry of the Presidency (MoTP), the President made it clear that the holders of the Constitutional Office must be “faithful to the oath” of office.
“I charge you to uphold the constitutional duty of the Commission, in being independent, impartial and fair,” he told Emily Dodson, Carol Corbin, Sukrishnalall Pasha, Ivor Burnette English and former Labour Minister, Dr Nanda Gopaul.
“The Government of Guyana iterates its commitment to the principles of accountability and transparency in the conduct of public business. The establishment of the Commission evinces the importance of ensuring equity and fairness in public procurement,” said President Granger.
Article 212W of the Constitution of Guyana speaks to the establishment of the PPC aimed at monitoring public procurement and the procedure in order to ensure that the procurement of goods, services and execution of works are conducted in a fair, equitable, transparent competitive and cost-effective manner, according to the law and policy guidelines, as determined by the National Assembly.
The Commission is an independent body which must consist of five members who are experienced and have the expertise in procurement, legal, financial and administrative matters.
The aforesaid members were appointed by President Granger following nominations made by the Public Accounts Committee and approved by at least two-thirds of the elected members of the National Assembly.
Meanwhile, Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan, was elated by the appointment of the Commissioners and said he is proud that the Commission has been enacted during the first quarter of the APNU+AFC coalition Government’s tenure.
He said the PPC has been inactive for more than a decade and the Government is happy to fulfil its campaign promise.
“This is one of our biggest lobbying points, to get proper accountability in this country and I am so proud that it has happened in the first half of our term after waiting for more than a decade,” he said.
Given the establishment of the PPC, Cabinet no longer has a role to play in the awarding of public contracts.
“I am also happy now that the decisions in relation to contracts will have to be made by this body rather than Cabinet, because contract-awarding in my view is an occupational hazard for a minister and the members here now to get that opportunity to make their selections, choices as to who should be awarded.”
Ramjattan noted that there are some likely challenges, but said that the members of the PPC are experienced persons who through training will handle their mandate well.
BIG PLUS
“It will be a big, big plus for governance in this country and of course it is in keeping with the Constitution. The Cabinet’s role will fade away and it will now be the task of the Procurement Commission,” the minister added.
Asked to explain the relationship between the Bid Protest Committee and the PPC, Ramjattan said the Bid Protest Committee will fade as well.
He explained that the Committee will fulfil its mandate, but the PPC will be the superior body.
“… the PPC, that will have the overarching responsibility,” the Public Security Minister told reporters. He said too that the PPC will have to build a relationship with the National Tender Board, so as to acquaint itself with the rules and regulations governing the entities.
“They have to be very much collaborative…If they have difficulties they can always go back to the PAC to seek guidance, and if there is need for changes in regulations, they come back to Parliament,” he added.
Speaking to the apparent slothfulness of some of the constitutional agencies, Minister Ramjattan said “with democracy comes bureaucracy.”
“I would like to think we are going to have things more operational, well-oiled political machinery and administrative machinery for all these units, but sometimes we see them not operating in accordance with some of our desires and we have a lot of desires,” he said, noting that challenges will always exist.
NO ‘YES MEN’
Disagreements, he said, must be welcomed and noted that when members of boards are appointed, they were not intended to be “yes men.”
“We wanted people who know the industry and we put them in there and just like the words of the oath, to faithfully and independently as possible do what you think is right.
“We will have dissenting views …you can’t have one ideal situation and it is in that chaotic scenario your best decisions will come out.”
Meanwhile, former Labour Minister, Dr Nanda Kishore Gopaul, in an invited comment said that he is happy with the confidence reposed in him and the other members of the Commission by both Parliament and the Government.
Dr Gopaul said the Commission will work to ensure that its integrity and the interests of citizens are priority.
“I would do my utmost to ensure that the integrity is upheld and we are happy that the democratic system has worked. We are happy that the Parliament has put confidence in us, the members of the PPC and that the President has put the necessary systems in place to have the Commission established. We will work to ensure that the interests of the Guyanese people and the country as a whole are protected,” he said.
The Chairman of the Commission is to be selected by the five appointees during their first meeting. The PPC serves to monitor and review all public procurement systems to ensure they are in accordance with the law, promote awareness of the rules, procedures and special requirements of the procurement process among suppliers, constructors and public bodies, safeguard the national interest in public procurement matters, monitor performance of procurement bodies, approve procedures for public procurement, disseminate rules and procedures for public procurement, monitor and review all legislation and policies, investigate complaints from suppliers, contractors and public entities, investigate irregularities and mismanagement, liaise and refer matters to the police and the Auditor General.
Adrian Narine Photos saved as PPC