BARBADIANS WILL BE WATCHING and listening today to hear what the Minister of Finance outlines in his Budgetary Proposals. It is true that the Budget no longer has the mystique nor the razzmatazz once associated with this exercise. A better informed and more educated public has come to appreciate that the minute details often make the difference after all the debate and discussion.
We appreciate that many people are anxious about what Chris Sinckler will do to stimulate economic activity and even ease some of the direct tax burden. At the same time we accept that no one should be expecting a package of goodies and giveaways. The economy is still very far from stable and the nation must be very prudent in matching what it earns against what it spends.
So it should be a Budget with measures to get the private sector to grow the economy, as it must also be one which ensures a higher level of efficiency and effectiveness in the public sector.
One such consideration which may not be addressed today but which should be given urgent attention by legislators, relates to a modern procurement law, properly designed and implemented.
The Government enters a large number of contracts worth hundreds of millions of dollars on an annual basis to large and small private companies to deliver services to the state. We must give serious consideration to examining the framework regarding the securing of contracts for the highest quality services at the best price.
We need to ensure there is no contract manipulation and project failure particularly as it relates to what can happen with statutory corporations and state-owned commercial enterprises.
It is important that Government gets inputs on procurement rules regarding professional services from trade associations as we seek to encourage the public sector to operate much like private enterprise. Too many contracts can be awarded for professional services without ever going through an effective tendering process. This must not continue.
To help beef up the procurement process, there should be a tracking system which would allow for proper evaluation of vendor performance. Admittedly, this alone will not bring all the desired results.
Accountability and transparency are central to any public procurement system. There must be no appearance of collusive bidding, bid rigging or any of the vulnerabilities which can occur in the public procurement chain.
If we are to improve financial management and to ensure governance gains, then we must look at our procurement systems. It is long overdue.
