IN an effort to reinforce Guyana’s public procurement infrastructure, the Public Procurement Commission (PPC) met with representatives of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) on Wednesday.

This meeting underscored a growing partnership focused on enhancing the efficiency and transparency of procurement processes within the country.

Held at the PPC’s office, the engagement was part of a broader initiative to refine procurement practices, ensuring that government and state-owned enterprises can secure goods, services, and works more effectively from the private sector.

The discussions concentrated on implementing international best practices, including the development of Standard Operating Procedures (SoPs) and enhancing the skills of procurement evaluators.

The IDB pledged to assist the PPC by guiding the establishment of robust monitoring frameworks for the procurement process, overseeing the execution of contracts, and the drafting of standard bidding documents. Moreover, emphasis was placed on evaluator training, an area where the IDB committed to collaborating closely with the PPC. This involves bringing PPC’s evaluators up to speed with global standards in bid evaluation and reporting, building on past training supported by the IDB.

Present at the meeting were PPC’s Chairman Ms. Pauline Chase, Deputy Chairman Mr. Berkley Wickham, Commissioners Dianna Rajcumar, Joel Bhagwandin, and Rajnarine Singh, along with its CEO, Mr. Michael Singh. The IDB was represented by Ms. Lorena Solórzano Salazar, its Guyana Representative; Mr. Iván-Alonzo Gaviria, Chief of Operations; and Ms. Patricia Yamilee Payen, Procurement Specialist.

Public procurement plays a crucial role in accessing a broader spectrum of suppliers, achieving better value for money, and delivering high-quality products and services to taxpayers. The PPC, vested with oversight of the public procurement system by Articles 212W and 212AA of the Constitution of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, and enabled by Section 17(2) of the Procurement Act, is pivotal in organising training seminars on procurement and recommending legislative amendments to enhance process efficiency.

The collaboration builds on the foundation of prior engagements between the PPC and the IDB, particularly focusing on legislative reform aimed at improving Guyana’s public procurement framework, a commitment highlighted in the 2018 IDB report “Strengthening of the Public Procurement Framework in Guyana” by Ms. Sabine Engelhardt, IDB Consultant, Attorney-at-Law, and Procurement Specialist.

Historically, the IDB has supported the PPC through various initiatives, including training for contractors and suppliers involved in IDB-funded projects, emphasising the ongoing relationship between the two organisations to continually strengthen public procurement systems.

This meeting reaffirms the PPC’s commitment to fostering collaboration and implementing best practices to optimise procurement procedures, which is crucial for the nation’s development and ensuring that the public procurement system benefits all stakeholders efficiently and transparently.