Patterson’s actions an attempt to cover up corruption – PPP

By Gary Eleazar

The Ministry of Public Infrastructure (MPI), through its public relations officer, has admitted that the tender process for emergency works at the Georgetown Prison relative to the construction of administrative blocks has been annulled.
The MPI has stated that the annulment was to allow for the project to fall under the relevant ministry, the Ministry of Public Security (MPS). The Public Infrastructure Ministry was responsible for technical support.

The opposition Peoples’ Progressive Party has since observed that the response from the MPI, led by Minister David Patterson, makes three definitive statements, the first being that “Patterson’s response is an admission, as it relates to his proclivity to annul tenders and flaunt procurement procedures – which is a major point made by the political Opposition…
“That said, his admission that the tender process was annulled raises even more questions”, the PPP has said.
The PPP has since questioned how it was that the Ministry of Public Infrastructure had gone as far as to invite contractors to submit bids before realising that it was taking on works and spending money budgeted under the Ministry of Public Security.
A total of 20 companies were shortlisted from a prequalification process. All 20 companies were informed of this development on July 25, in a letter from the Public Infrastructure Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Geoffrey Vaughn.
The companies had, on July 27, 2017, been invited by the Ministry of Public Infrastructure to conduct a “mandatory” site visit. They were given one day, the deadline being July 28, 2017, to respond and indicate their intention to bid for the works. The companies were informed that they then had two days after the site visit (the deadline being July 31, 2017 at 11:00hrs) to deliver sealed bids to the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB).
The July 27, 2017 site visit was then rescheduled by the Ministry’s Work Services Group Manager for Procurement and Contracts, Philip Bryan. In an email to the 20 companies, Bryan explained that the site visit was now fixed for July 28, 2017.
However, following his July 25, 2017 letter, Vaughn, on July 28, 2017, wrote again to the bidders, saying, “The Ministry regrets to inform you that a decision was taken by the executing agency to annul this bid.”
All of this occurred, before the tender process was annulled.
According to the PPP, the Guyanese people would recall that during the consideration of Financial Paper 2/2017, the matter of Minister Patterson answering questions as they relate to capital works budgeted under the Ministry of Public Security was raised by the political Opposition.
“Is it gross incompetence? Is Patterson admitting to incompetence, or is this a manifestation of a poorly disguised attempt to cover up an act of corruption?” the PPP asked.
According to the PPP, the excuse given by the Public Infrastructure Ministry – that the annulment was to allow for the project to fall under the relevant ministry, the Ministry of Public Security – now puts Minister Khemraj Ramjattan in the spotlight.
“None of the substantial questions raised by the political Opposition about the works at the Georgetown Prison have been answered… All that we have seen are excuses that not only raise questions about Minister Patterson’s competence, as we have pointed out, but now leave Minister Ramjattan in the proverbial ‘hot seat’.”
According to the PPP, it must be noted that the website of the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board gives no information on any bid process involving the Ministry of Public Security and the works at the Georgetown Prison in question. The Ministry of Public Security’s website also details no information, save for a September 26, 2017 tender for works at the other prisons.
“While the Public Infrastructure Ministry’s response attempted, futilely, to discredit the concerns raised by the political Opposition, the fact remains that Patterson continues to avoid core and substantive issues in the face of serious concerns (relative) to the rule of law, adherence to the procurement laws, and about corrupt acts”, the PPP has said.
The party, by way of a public missive, said that while Patterson and his spokesperson talk up “mischievous attempts to spread falsehoods,” the Guyanese people would have remained in the dark, thinking that all is well, had it not been for the efforts of the political Opposition.