Estwick: Keep bid system fair

SENIOR PUBLIC SERVANTS have been warned to be vigilant and discourage any activities that could hinder fair competition.The caution has come from Dr David Estwick, Minister of Economic Affairs, Empowerment, Innovation, Trade, Industry and Commerce, as he addressed a workshop on Detecting, Mitigating And Fighting Bid Rigging In Public Procurement, hosted yesterday by the Fair Trading Commission at Savannah Hotel, Christ Church.He told the gathering of top public officers that among the challenges faced by Barbados with regard to the procurement system were heavy centralisation of the decision-making process, and insufficient transparency that often led to long delays.“It is against this background that under the procurement modernisation project, Government is committed to reforming the procurement process,” he noted.The efforts to reform the procurement system, the minister said, would include greater transparency in procedures, uniformity in bidding documents and contracts, and more checks and balances that “eliminate malfeasance”.Overall, he said Government was confident that the efforts would reduce state overspending and realise cost savings over time.“The significance of Government procurement to economic activity, suggests that the prudent management of Government spending is a critical element of Government’s overall expenditure programme and its overall fiscal policy.“It follows, therefore, that any activity that negatively affects public procurement will also affect Government’s fiscal policy,” Estwick noted.