-chairman warns about illegal contracts
Region Four Chairman Clement Corlette says that the region’s Procurement Tender Administration Board is no longer functional since its term has expired.

In a press release yesterday, Corlette said that the two-year mandate of the Board expired on March 1, 2009 and consequently “any award made, procurement process or actions incurred and or commission/omissions” performed in the name of the Board after this date “may be subject to challenge.”

According to Corlette, he received information that some Senior Regional Administrative Officers, some lower level staff and others have been meeting occasionally in the name of the Region’s Tender Board.

He said that based on further information, it is believed that these members when congregated  under the name of the Region’s Tender Board have  presided over the opening of the tender box, the scrutinizing of tenders opened and the making of records of Tenders received. He said that these officials have allegedly determined contracts between March 1 and March 25.

The release also said that in discussions with the Chairman of the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board on  Monday, the Chairman agreed that the Tender Board for the Region had not been constituted as yet for the period 2009-2011.