| Transparency in Public Procurement is non-negotiable, says Edghill - warns all must follow the rules, allow the system to work |  |  |  |
| Written by Gary Eleazar |
| Saturday, 01 June 2013 00:07 |
“We have a modern, effective procurement legislation - what we have to do is ensure that every person engaged is following the rules.” Minister Edghill in delivering the feature address to the contractors and consultants gathered for the symposium said: “We view private sector and private business as partners for the development of Guyana.” Quote: “If I am going to call on public servants who evaluate bids to ensure accountability, I must also say to the bidders we must learn to live by the rules and regulation and allow the system to work.”
 Minister within the Ministry of Finance, Juan Edghill. Long gone are the days when a permanent secretary or regional executive officer, “could pick up phone and call a friend to say I have job,” Edghill observed. In reference to the system in place he pointed to the fact that Guyana has one of the more advanced and progressive Acts in this part of the world to facilitate public procurement. “The country is not such a big corrupt country that we have nothing good,” and pointed to the fact that many other countries are now turning to Guyana to take example from its procurement methods. “Government cannot develop the country without the involvement of the private sector,” said Edghill, as he used the opportunity to also salute the curious contractors for their contribution to building the nation over the course of the years. He acknowledged that while there are many times “we don’t always share the same views we all have the same objective,” adding that sometimes contractors are judged unfairly and painted with a broad brush as ‘crooks’ but this is not the case for every private sector contractor. “I stand here as a representative of government to say that whether you working in the regions or with national projects, whether for $1M or $100M this administration appreciate your partnership and our call is for us to work together to accelerate Guyana’s development.” This partnership, he cautioned, has to be undertaken within a particular framework, hence the need for the symposium to better edify those stakeholders. According to Edghill, the intent of the symposium was to facilitate a candid discussion on the matter of procurement with the aim of realizing the objective of getting value for money. “My involvement is to ensure that taxpayers’ money is properly spent and we (are) getting value for money.” Government, he said, wants to work closely with the private sector to ensure that through competition, “we get the best price, the best skills and ensure an outcome that all will be pleased with.” Public procurement, according to Edghill, is a powerful driver for development as it also allows support for marginalized groups and boosts local capacity. Transparency Non-Negotiable He reiterated, however, that on the matter of public procurement, transparency is non-negotiable. |
