Members of Public Procurement Commission announced

Members of the long awaited Public Procurement Commission were today announced by Minister of State, Joseph Harmon.

During a Post Cabinet media briefing this morning, the Minister said the members received the unanimous support of the Public Accounts Committee.

Members of the Committee include long-standing trade unionist and Former Minister of Labour, Dr. Nanda Gopaul, Attorney-at-law, Emily Dodson, Carol Corbin, Ivor B. English and Sukrishnalall Pasha.

They were shortlisted from a list of 29 persons.

“Cabinet noted with satisfaction that the commission received the unanimous consent of the house when the matter came up on Monday evening” Minister Harmon related.

The functions of the Public Procurement Commission (PPC) include making regulations governing procurement, determining documents for public procurement such as; bidding, prequalification, evaluation and contract forms, to review decisions of procuring entities and adjudicating debarment proceedings.

Additionally, the Bid-Protest committee which was recently established will compliment the work of the commission to further government’s commitment to transparency in the public procurement process, Minister Harmon said.

The Bid protest Committee will adjudicate over complaints filed by aggrieved contractors by a fee of $50, 000 plus one percent of the bid sum in question.

With the establishment of the Public Procurement Commission, it is also expected that Cabinet’s role in relation to contracts will be modified significantly.