Procurement woes: Jagdeo says more training for public servants

Public servants, particularly those involved in the procurement of goods and services, will receive additional training from the government to prevent any breaches of the law, Vice President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo said on Thursday.

“We are committing to better training of the staff who are doing procurement and to make sure they have a clear understanding of our system and how it should operate,” the Vice President said at his weekly press conference.

For weeks, the Vice President has spoken about the government’s intention to improve public procurement and compliance locally. He has also highlighted the challenges of monitoring and managing contracts given the high volume of work being done now.

But Jagdeo said he told public servants and contractors in Region Two (Pomeroon- Supenaam) this week of the government’s aim of improving the system.

“… they need to comply with the Procurement Act fully and the regulations of that Act,” the Vice President said.

He added, “Then we had a tough talk with the contractors, that we expect good work and we will blacklist those who do shoddy work.”

This engagement with public servants and contractors will be replicated in regions across the country, the senior government official said.

In May, Jagdeo placed on notice all individuals involved in public procurement that the government will seriously crack down on any breaches and shortcomings in the system.

He even announced that there would be sting operations and other activities meant to scrutinise people’s work so that no one would flout the law or any established procedures.

Before that, President Dr. Irfaan Ali issued a stern warning to defaulting contractors, indicating that the government will go after those contractors who have gone past their project deadline and the justifiable extensions.