Carol Corbin
September 4,2017
Though a Board of Inquiry (BoI) recommended in January that Western Scientific be blacklisted, around the middle of this year the Public Health Ministry (MoPH) single-sourced a $134.4m contract from the impugned Trinidadian company.
This development will raise further questions about practices at the ministry which had promised a revamped system following several procurement scandals.
The Public Procurement Commission (PPC) will be examining the contract granted to Western Scientific Company Limi-ted, however, not much should be expected of the findings since the country has no debarment laws and the sole-sourcing obviated competitive bidding.
“We will be looking at it,” Chairman of the PPC Carol Corbin told Stabroek News in an interview last week.