Procurement ministry vital

It is no secret that in every ministry money is being siphoned because there is no strategic public sector procurement policy which would transparently manage the procurement of goods, works and services.

Hundreds of millions of dollars have been spent with no value for money and no real procurement professionals to negotiate so that costs can be reduced and value and savings achieved. It seems that from election to election, procurement fraud is the talking point, which parties use as their trump card to discredit each other.

Having said that, one would think a ministry of procurement should be set up to deal with procurement of all government goods, works and services. The Central Tenders Board should then be an arm of that ministry and instead of having every ministry dealing with its own purchasing, the ministry of procurement can negotiate greater economy of scale because it can reduce the cost of the acquisition of goods.

If the Government is serious about saving money and increasing its competitiveness on a global scale, if it is really adamant about its ability to divest the economy, treating with procurement as a matter of urgency is necessary.

We certainly cannot lose any more money in Petrotrin, in the HDC, in works and transport, in Nipdec, in Udecott, in national security and in all the other areas where money is spent without proper procurement professionals and procedures.

We cannot have 27 models of buses at PTS C, which a ranking official has dubbed a “logistical and inventory nightmare,” and over $4 million paid for roti, and awarding contracts to a vendor who had the highest bid without justification.

We really have to do better fast, because we are sinking quickly.

We need all hands on board.

PAUL DUNCAN via email