Citing time constraints and Cabinet’s blessing of the decision, the Ministry of Public Infrastructure (MPI) yesterday defended the single-sourcing of a Dutch firm to do the feasibility study for the Demerara Harbour Bridge following a stinging rebuke last week by the Public Procurement Commission (PPC).
The PPC ruled that MPI breached procurement rules by selecting LievenseCSO which tendered an unsolicited.
The blunt PPC ruling will be seen as a major embarrassment for the Granger administration whose constituents while in opposition had often pilloried the former PPP/C government for breaches of procurement laws. The PPC had been engaged in the matter following a complaint by the opposition People’s Progressive Party/Civic MP Gail Teixeira.
