Thursday, October 26 2006

Trinidad and Tobago Transparency Institute (TTTI) chairman, Reginald Dumas, said while he welcomed the government’s declared commitment to reform public procurement, the institute was disappointed that the introduction of the new regime has been further delayed.

“This leaves the door to corruption, especially on the big state enterprise projects,” said Dumas in his post-Budget analysis.

“We are also very disappointed,” adds Dumas, “that the new procurement legislation has not yet been laid in Parliament and that there are no provisions in the Budget Estimates for the implementation of the new regime.” TTTI, he said was happy that, the Prime Minister Patrick Manning in his 2006/7 Budget statement, has repeated his government’s commitment to implement a regime that will ensure “greater flexibility, open competition and ethical and fair dealings in respect of public sector procurement”.

TTTI, he said, was pleased with the Prime Minister’s assurance, first given in his 2005/6 Budget statement, that the new reform regime is to apply to all Government Ministries, Statutory Boards, Regional Health Authorities, Regional Corporations and State Enterprises.

At the same time, TTTI, he said, was disappointed and concerned that the introduction of the new regime, which was expected to be already in place, may now be further delayed.

“Such delay,” he said, “could provide additional opportunities for corruption and abuse of the public purse.”

TTTI also urged the government to ensure that the relevant draft legislation is laid in Parliament not later than the end of next month, and hoped that the provisions and principles of the White Paper will not in any way be diluted or weakened in the draft legislation. What about the state enterprises? Dumas asked. Where the so-called “special purpose state enterprises” are concerned, Dumas noted the Prime Minister comment that they have become “efficient and effective mechanisms” with “accountable and transparent procedures.”

Minister Conrad Enill is reported as saying at a news conference that “we have put out a procurement policy” that “all of the companies must follow” and that there is a central audit team set up to “go out and determine on an ongoing basis how contracts are being dealt with and whether or not they follow the procurement procedures.”

Dumas also strongly urged the Ministry of Finance to make available on its website (http://www.finance.gov.tt/www.finance.gov.tt) up-to-datedetails of these procurement procedures and of how well or ill the companies are following them.

A key institution in the new regime will be the Office of the Procurement Regulator, Dumas said. noting it is matter of concern to TTTI that the Government has not seen fit to provide for this in the Estimates of Expenditure that Parliament is being asked to approve.

“What signal does this send about the seriousness of Government’s commitment to reform?” he said, adding there needs to be an assurance that the new institutions will not be hampered in their work by lack of adequate resources.