In a scathing indictment of the current administration’s handling of procurement practices, Shurwayne Holder, a member of the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) has called for a comprehensive investigation into the operations of both the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) and the Public Procurement Commission (PPC).
The impetus for Holder’s impassioned plea stems from the recent revelations surrounding the Tepui contract, a project aimed at constructing the Belle Vue pump station. The findings of the PPC have unearthed a labyrinth of impropriety, prompting Holder and his colleagues to sound the alarm on what they perceive as systemic corruption within the procurement process.
The contract award was given to the Tepui Group, operated by Mikhail Rodrigues, also known as ‘Guyanese Critic.’ It came under scrutiny after allegations of irregularities in the evaluation process and suspicions of favoritism. Questions were raised about the transparency of the evaluation committee’s decisions and potential conflicts of interest.
“Guyanese citizens deserve better,” Holder declared while speaking at the opposition’s press conference on Thursday. “We in the opposition, firmly believe that the Tepui contract scandal is only the tip of a large iceberg…. NPTAB was barefaced enough to inform the PPC that it awarded similar pump station contracts to others who also did not have the experience and prerequisites,” the parliamentarian stated.
He said his party cannot, in good conscience, turn a blind eye to the rampant cronyism and political interference that continue to undermine the integrity of Guyana’s procurement system.
“Guyanese must note that the government’s entire capital budget is processed through the public procurement system. We are dealing with hundreds of billions of dollars annually,” he remarked.
Given his position, party demands the following actions:
1. **A comprehensive investigation into the operations of both NPTAB and the PPC**, aimed at uncovering the full extent of malpractice and corruption.
2. **Legislative reforms to empower the PPC with greater authority to revoke contracts and impose penalties for breaches of procurement laws.**
3. **Urgent measures to strengthen oversight and enforcement mechanisms within the procurement system**, including the drafting and enforcement of regulations to ensure compliance with existing laws.
4. **The immediate termination of the Tepui contract**, accompanied by a thorough review of all contracts awarded under questionable circumstances.
