Taking the brunt of the work off the shoulders of Government Ministers, President David Granger on Friday swore in members of the much anticipated Public Procurement Commission (PPC).
Members of the new Public Procurement Commission pose with President David Granger at the Ministry of the Presidency on Friday
After months of promise, the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Government on Friday installed the five-member Commission; a body which will oversee the awarding of contracts for public projects.
The Commission, which will elect its Chairman at its first meeting, includes Emily Dodson, Carla Corbin, Ivor English, Nandkishore Gopaul and Sukrishnalall Pasha.
Following the swearing in, President David Granger said the PPC is an establishment mandated by Guyana’s Constitution, which seeks to ensure the fair, equitable and transparent execution and works and procurement of goods and services, according to law.
He said members of the new Board are now charged with constitutional duty of the Commission.
“I charge you with upholding the constitutional duty of the Public Procurement Commission in being independent, impartial and fair,” the President told the Commissioners.
The Guyana Constitution stipulates that the Commission shall consist of five members who shall have expertise and experience in procurement, legal, finance and administrative matters and that the President shall appoint the members of the Commission after such members have been nominated by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) and approved by not less than two-thirds of the elected members of the National Assembly.
The President said that the PAC of the National Assembly was responsible for the selection of the members of this Commission and this bi-partisan process of selection is a demonstration of however intractable political differences might seem, the bases for political agreement and consensus on matters of national interest should always be sought.
Speaking with the media, Nanda Gopaul, a former Labour Minister and Permanent Secretary under the previous Administration, said he is happy with the confidence which has been reposed in him and the other members of the Commission by Parliament and the Government as a whole.
He noted that the Commission will work to ensure that its integrity and the interests of the Guyanese people are priority in every decision that is taken.
“I would do my utmost to ensure that the integrity is upheld and we are happy that the democratic system has worked. We are happy that the Parliament has put confidence in us, the members of the PPC and that the President has put the necessary systems in place to have the Commission established. We will work to ensure that the interests of the Guyanese people and the country as a whole are protected,” he said.
Among the PPC’s key functions are, according to the Procurement Act, to “Monitor and review the functioning of all procurement systems to ensure that they are in accordance with law and such policy guidelines as may be determined by the National Assembly; promote awareness of the rules, procedures and special requirements of the procurement process among suppliers, constructors and public bodies; safeguard the national interest in public procurement matters, having due regard to any international obligations; monitor the performance of procurement bodes with respect to adherence to regulations and efficiency in procuring goods and services and execution of works; approve of procedures for public procurement, disseminate rules and procedures for public procurement; and recommend modifications thereto to the public procurement entities.”
