Dear Editor,
I refer to the letter, “Prevailing approach to budgeting leads to questionable actions in all regions” in Stabroek News, dated June 11, 2022. As the author proffered, “Budgeting should be seen as a structured plan to spend. In requesting budgetary allocations we must provide Estimates or Bills of Quantities, as a basis for funds requested, not guestimates, (estimates made without providing adequate information). This has become “custom and practice” in the regions.
Editor, I would like to take issue with such a statement. Prior to 2015 it was an unquestionable standard “custom & practice” for all 10 Administrative Regions of Guyana to conduct a “Condition Survey” on all Capital and Re-Current (significant sums for the Tendering process) projects supported by the respective scope of works with preliminary estimates. This approach was seen as a form of goal-setting towards the budgetary process on a continuous basis. Further, once the Budget Estimates for the Administrative Regions were submitted to the Ministry of Finance, the Engineering Departments would start preparing Bill of Quantities for all projects contained in their Budget Estimates as an advanced step whilst awaiting Parliamentary approval of the National Budget.
It was a robust system of regional budget planning that the PNC-Led APNU+AFC Government inherited in 2015. My question: Who dismantled “it”?
Sincerely,
Paul Ramrattan
Former REO
