(Jamaica Gleaner) The public sector is to receive a state-of-the-art procurement system, as the Government on Tuesday inked a deal with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).
The government received a J$79.6-million grant.
The agreement was signed by Senator Arthur Williams, state minister in the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service, and IDB representative to Jamaica, Ancile Brewster. The signing took place following the official opening of the regional government procurement workshop by Williams at the Ritz-Carlton Resort.
The two-day workshop was held under the theme ‘Cooperation and Integration, the path to Government procurement development in the Caribbean’.
Brewster said the IDB, in disbursing the grant, had identified the strengthening of public financial and performance management as one of the key pillars to ensure that the public resources are equitably and efficiently used.
More efficient
“The support for the further modernisation and creation of a state-of-the-art public procurement system has been realised. Our expert specialist has been working assiduously together with the procurement and asset policy unit of Jamaica to put together a support system for the launch of the e-procurement platform.”
He said the additional funds provided by the Jamaican Government would push the total to US$1.2 million, which would be used to establish the e-procurement platform.
“It has the capacity to make procurement a lot more efficient. It would also make it more equitable because it reduces the face-to-face contact and allows suppliers with the requisite skills and resources to put their proposal forward in a faceless and seamless manner, which can then be very transparently and rapidly evaluated.”
Williams indicated that the tax-paying public was demanding greater levels of accountability and transparency in the expenditure of public funds, so it was important to tighten the loopholes and vulnerability that lead to abuse of the system and corruption.
“New regulations have been put in place to strengthen the legal framework for the procurement process. One important feature of the new regulations is the establishment of the procurement appeals board that will operate as an entity independent of the procurement process that will hear contractor complaints. We believe that the introduction of this new institution will go a far way in advancing fairness, transparency and accountability in the system.”
Williams told the gathering that the Government was also cognisant of the need to make the procurement system accessible to all persons wanting to do business with the Government.
“One area of focus, therefore, is the micro, small and medium-enterprise sector. We have sought to create a supportive business environment for them, by reserving 15 per cent of our government procurement expenditure for this sector.”
