Mark:

UNC Senator Wade Mark yesterday called for greater transparency in the Board of Directors of the Urban Development Corporation of Trinidad and Tobago (Udecott), as he chaired a meeting of the Public Accounts (Enterprises) Committee (PAEC). It is a joint committee of both Houses of Parliament which scrutinises the functioning of State bodies.

Technically, Udecott is not a State corporation but a private company owned by the State, explained Udecott’s acting CEO Ricardo O’Brien, who also said the firm was involved in 60 local development/management projects worth $10 billion.

Mark was concerned about the transparency of Udecott’s tendering process.

Udecott chairman John Calder Hart said all four members of the board of directors of Udecott also constituted Udecott’s tenders committee. “Isn’t this a conflict, as there is no recourse?” asked Junior Minister of Community Development Eudine Job-Davis.

When Mark said the board is supposed to consist of six members, Calder Hart said it had varied from the current four members up to some seven or eight members in the past.

Mark said it would be much better for the board to have more members out of whom some could be selected to sit on the tenders committee, and then be accountable to the board.

“If you have a board of seven to ten, then tenders committee could be of four people reporting to the whole board.”

Such an arrangement, said Mark, would be more in tune with modern management principles than the current situation where the entire four-person board comprised the tenders committee.

Mark noted Udecott’s $10 billion budget, and its huge responsibilities to develop properties. Alluding to the PAEC’s power to make recommendations to Parliament, Mark said, “We can help Calder Hart to increase the number of members of the board.”

This would help to prevent conflicts of interest arising. “Udecott has got huge responsibilities especially in the areas of accountability and probity.”

It is a matter of grave interest for Udecott’s board to be expanded by its line ministry, the Ministry of Public Administration.

Mark also expressed concern about the Blenheim construction in Tobago done by Warner Construction Limited, who had been chosen by Udecott and which was a subject of the “Landate” commission of inquiry. Mark said he would be seeking more information about this at the next sitting of the Committee.