THE implementation of the rigorous training sessions by the Public Procurement Commission (PPC) has effectively heightened awareness, facilitated informed decision-making, and promoted enhanced accountability within the procurement system.

This is according to the PPC’s Chairman, Pauline Chase in a recently invited comment to the Guyana Chronicle.

The training by the Commission, according to her, targets various components of the procurement system in Guyana and its best practices. In this regard, she said that these main elements include, the PPC’s role and responsibilities, the legislative framework under which it operates and the debarment process.

Adding to this, she said that the training sessions also cover tendering tips, the tender opening and evaluation process, and the complaint process.
She said: “By providing comprehensive training on these aspects, our efforts have significantly enhanced awareness, based on our feedback. Participants are better equipped to manage contracts effectively, ensuring compliance with regulations and best practices. Additionally, increased awareness leads to more informed decision-making and greater accountability within the procurement system.”

Furthermore, recently, People’s Progressive Party (PPP) General Secretary, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, highlighted how the Government of Guyana is committed to ensuring transparency prevails and corruption is stamped out.
For quite some time, the government has been rolling out measures to enhance the procurement system, and during his weekly news conference, Dr. Jagdeo remained firm on this stance, and highlighted the outcome of his recent interactions with the contractors in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam).

The PPP General Secretary, who also serves as Guyana’s Vice President, said that during his visit to Region Two, the tendering authorities were given a stern warning not to operate outside of the Procurement Act.
The PPP General Secretary then firmly stated that there is no room for departure from the Procurement Act unless “explicit approval” has been given by the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) and the Ministry of Finance (MoF).
Dr. Jadgdeo further stated that too often the government has found departures from the standard bidding documents that are part of the legislation.

The PPP General Secretary later said: “Sometimes, depending on who is the procuring officer who heads the procurement system, they can alter the bidding document, which should be standard.
That should not happen, and so they asked for more training because they said there’s a high turnover of staff, and therefore a lot of people are doing this because they need better training. So, we are committing to better training of the staff who are doing procurement and to make sure that they have a clear understanding of what our expectations are and how the system should operate. It should be fair.”
The PPP General Secretary then issued a stern warning to contractors once again and outlined the government’s expectations.

He said: “We intend to rigidly enforce the law. We expect good quality work, and we intend to blacklist people who do shoddy work.”
Dr Jagdeo recently disclosed that the government has plans to conduct ‘sting’ operations to clamp down on officers and other personnel who engage in procurement breaches.
Dr. Jagdeo told local journalists that the government has undertaken a review of the procurement system at every level.

The government, he said, is examining the procurement procedures for compliance, and activities for compliance with the laws.
If persons are found to be in breach of the law, Dr. Jagdeo affirmed, they will be held accountable.

“Let me make it clear, if we find that those officers are skirting the provisions of the procurement law, then there shall be consequences for them, because too often we hear people come and they complain that in some remote parts of this country, somebody is doing something,” he said. The government, he also related, will be scrutinising delays in processing contract payments, and dishonest supervisory on projects.