Corruption uncovered in evaluation of bids for contracts – VP Jagdeo

-consultation to be held on ‘standard bidding document’

Vice President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo says instances of corruption have been uncovered in the evaluation of bids for Government contracts.

He made the disclosure during an interview with the ‘Guyanese Critic’ on Friday.

“We have had a couple of cases where evaluators have contacted people to say we can adjust the evaluation report if we get a bribe. We have had a few instances like those, and we are going to take a strong position on those people.”

Dr. Jagdeo said the problem is that the people approached are now afraid to come forward publicly out of fear of being victimised. He gave the Government’s assurance that there would be no victimisation since what the evaluators are doing is criminal.

The VP also revealed that the APNU+AFC Government had changed the standard bidding documents for projects, allowing every Ministry to have its own bidding document.

That has placed enormous subjective powers into the hands of evaluators, the Vice President said. He related that there was even an instance of bidders being disqualified for not producing the qualifications of a mason.

“Evaluators can subjectively alter a lot of the evaluation to steer contracts by disqualifying many others to steer contracts in a particular direction, and it is rotten to the core,” Dr. Jagdeo said.

However, the VP noted that the Government would not allow this to continue.

“We are going to get tough. The President is already looking into this matter. We are going back to drafting standard bidding documents, so everybody sees what the standard bidding documents are,” Dr. Jagdeo said.

This, he said, would leave little room for evaluators’ interference and a Ministry would have to seek permission to alter the document.

The VP added that President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali would be holding consultations on the standard bidding document with contractors and others.