Belle Vue Pump Station: Gov’t welcomes PPC report, affirms commitment to accountability

Finance Minister Dr. Ashni Singh Tuesday night welcomed the Public Procurement Commission’s (PPC) review of the contract awarded to the Tepui Group for the construction of a pump station at Belle Vue, West Bank Demerara.

And according to the Finance Minister, the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) government remains committed to accountability and transparency in public spending even as it makes a deliberate effort to help build local capacity.

The $865 million contract was awarded to the Tepui Group by the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB).

There have been concerns about the limited work done on the project. So the PPC set about to probe these concerns. Based on releases from both NPTAB and the Ministry of Finance, the commission completed its probe and issued key recommendations for the future.

Stemming from the PPC report, Dr. Singh emphasised that the government is committed to continuing its close scrutiny of bidders to ascertain whether they would be able to meet the work demands and discharge contracts in a timely manner.

“I wish to assure the Guyanese public that this PPP/C government, led by His Excellency President Dr. Irfaan Ali, remains firmly and unwaveringly committed to good governance and accountability, including through the maintenance and preservation of public bodies that can withstand scrutiny,” Dr. Singh said in a live address.

NPTAB, in its release, also indicated what steps would be taken to strengthen it’s systems.

It said it has “commenced two consultancies to strengthen records management and develop a public procurement management system.”

The NPTAB release added, “Both will introduce information technology solutions to current processes and procedures and pave the way for a robust e-procurement system.”

Meanwhile, Dr. Singh sought to explain to the public that the government is still keen on developing more local contractors to help meet the “tremendous demand” for contracted services locally. According to him, the government’s accelerated development drive can quickly exhaust the long standing contractors.

Though the government is committed to a continuous deliverance of this accelerated agenda, the Finance Minister assured Guyanese that the administration is equally committed to guaranteeing that contractors can get the work done or face sanctions.