Strengthening Procurement Skills: Public Procurement Commission’s training session in Region 8 (Potaro-Siparuni)
On June 21, 2024, the Public Procurement Commission (PPC) expanded its outreach efforts by hosting a public procurement training session at the RDC Board Room in Mahdia. The session attracted a number of participation including members from various sectors such as the Regional Executive Office (REO), Regional Tender Board, Guyana Police Force, evaluators, engineers, Town Council representatives, procurement personnel, and staff from health, public works, education, administrative, and finance departments within the region. The training was facilitated by the PPC’s Head of Operations, Attorney-at-Law, Procurement Specialist, and Training Officer. As in other Regions already reached during the PPC’s ongoing Regional Training Exercise, the training session covered a diverse range of topics relevant to not only the Commission’s operations but also the public procurement process, including:
1. The Public Procurement Commission’s role and responsibilities (mission, vision, core values and function).
2. The Legislative Framework, Administrative Review and Debarment Process.
3. The Public Procurement Process.
4. The Procurement Plan Preparation.
5. Threshold and Tender Openings.
6. The Evaluation Process.
The training was held as part of the Commission’s ongoing public awareness campaign to apprise stakeholders of the rules and procedures governing the public procurement system.
Through the training exercise, the PPC was able to bring clarity to various aspects of the procurement process, including compliance, bid document preparation, administrative review of contracts, evaluation processes, investigation procedures, and publications.
Participants provided several strong recommendations, highlighting areas of improvement and challenges they face in procurement management within the locality. The positive response from Region 8 emphasizes the impact of these sessions, reinforcing the need for continued engagement with participants to gather feedback and identify opportunities to improve the current system.
With this engagement in Region 8, a total of seven (7) of the Administrative Regions would have received training in the PPC’s aforementioned Regional Training Exercise.
Anticipating future engagements, the PPC is scheduled to deliver similar procurement training in Regions 1 and 9 in the coming weeks. The PPC is eager to continue these training sessions, ensuring comprehensive and effective procurement education throughout each region. By expanding our training efforts, we aim to foster a transparent, efficient, and accountable procurement system that benefits all stakeholders and supports sustainable development across Guyana.
The PPC is mandated by Article 212AA (1) (b) of the Constitution of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana to “promote awareness of the rules, procedures and special requirements of the procurement process among suppliers, contractors and public bodies.” Additionally, under section 17(2) (c) of the Procurement Act, Cap. 75:03, the Commission is responsible for organizing training seminars regarding public procurement.
The objective of this training session was to enrich participants with information to improve the public procurement system within their respective entity.
Entities seeking more information or requiring public procurement training may easily contact the Commission at (592) 226-3729, (592) 231-7306, or (592) 226-2364, or via email at operations@ppc.org.gy.