Dear Editor
SOMETIME in March 2018, there was an open invitation to bid for the provision of security services for three locations of the Ministry of Education in the Stabroek or Chronicle newspapers, or both.

It is important to note that only one publication for the provision of security services was advertised, if my memory serves me correctly and for unknown reason(s), this information is not on the ministry’s website.

Every time contact was made with the ministry’s staff, either personally or by telephone as regards the purchasing of the bid document, they would tell you that the document was not available, but the ministry would call bidders or bidders could continue to make contact with the ministry to find out if or when the document would be available to be purchased by interested bidders.

This back and forth was tiresome; the process ultimately took too long, which was probably designed to frustrate bidders; some bidders focused their attention elsewhere (Dependant’ Pension Fund and Ministry of Public Health) expecting that the ministry would have called them when the document was available but this never happened.

On Tuesday, April 10, 2018, bidders who went to the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) to witness the opening of the received sealed bids for the provision of security services for the Dependants’ Pension Fund, learnt by chance that there was another open competitive bidding for the provision of security services for the Ministry of Education. While perusing page 11 of Kaieteur News dated Wednesday, April 11, 2018, I noted that on Tuesday, April 10, 2018, the Ministry of Education had received bids for the provision of security services from Neville Spencer and Inter Service Enterprise Security.

I just couldn’t wrap my mind around what I had read. There are currently 100 security companies — give or take — registered in Guyana and we conside only 12 of these companies as competition, because our representatives would rub shoulders with their representatives when they attend bid openings for government contracts at the NPTAB. I have never heard of Neville Spencer and Inter Service Enterprise Security is not a consistent bidder for government contracts. Let’s check the records.

Only the aforementioned two security companies attended the bid opening; the most casual observer would ask why was bidders’ interest for the provision of security services for the Ministry of Education so low. Was it a deliberate act to prevent all qualified bidders with a fair opportunity to enter the bidding process? In order to eliminate the perception of favouritism, fraud and corruption in the awarding of Ministry of Education contracts, I am respectfully calling on the Ministry of Education to repeat the tender procedure, this time ensuring that all qualified bidders participate. The bids that were opened on Tuesday, April 10, 2018 should be rendered ineffective.
I am also respectfully calling on the Public Procurement Commission (PPC) to take note.
Regards
Julius Williams