PPC to soon take over approval of contracts

GINA, GUYANA, Friday, January 6, 2017

The approval of contracts by Cabinet will soon be phased out as the Public Procurement Commission (PPC) is expected to be operational soon.

Minister of State Joseph Harmon at post-Cabinet press briefing today, at the Ministry of the Presidency, Shiv Chanderpaul Drive, said that the PPC indicated it would be ready to begin executing its full mandate “sometime in January”.

“As of right now, they are not fully ready because there are some critical appointments to be made in the Commission that have not been made as yet, therefore the role of granting ‘no objection’ continues to be exercised by Cabinet,” Minister Harmon explained.

This week, Cabinet granted its no objection to several contracts prompting questions by the media on why the PPC has not taken over this responsibility. Last October, the five members of the PPC were sworn in by President David Granger.

The Procurement Act stipulates that the PCC, among other things will,  “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, contractors  and public bodies, and safeguard the national interest in public procurement matters, having due regard to any international obligations.”

It will as well, 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.

A Chairperson to head the PPC is still to be selected.  The PPC is one of the campaign promises of the coalition Government.

 

By: Tiffny Rhodius