Latest update May 7th, 2024 12:59 AM
Nov 11, 2017 News
Strict security and confidentiality must be among the prominent features exhibited when dealing with tender documents. This has been amplified by the Public Procurement Commission [PPC] following an investigation into the ‘Procurement of Emergency Drugs by the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation [GPHC]’.
The PPC has made it clear that the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board [NPTAB] should seek to ensure that the evaluation process for tenders is conducted efficiently and in accordance with the Act.
The PPC has noted that “agencies such as the GPHC should be closely monitored to ensure that tender documents are handled with strict security and confidentiality.”
Added to this, the PPC has outlined that the practice of documents being moved around to evaluators’ offices by various personnel should cease immediately. Further, it has recommended that the time-frame set out in the Act for completion of the tender evaluation should be strictly observed as far as is practicable.
The PPC, in a report of its findings, pointed out that the GPHC has itself been operating an Agency Tender Board without the approval or input of NPTAB, and this should be addressed urgently, so that this breach ceases. For this reason, the PPC has proposed that “NPTAB should take the required steps to establish an agency tender board that includes representation from the GPHC Board.”
In addition, the PPC has been able to outline that “in view of the specialised nature of the needs of the GPHC, the procurement thresholds of expenditure applicable to the GPHC should be reviewed with the objective of improving efficiency and reducing the need for the entity to make numerous ad hoc purchases, which may breach the Procurement Act.”
Based on the findings of its investigation, the PPC concluded that in order to prevent future breach of the Procurement Act, the GPHC, among other things, must execute all procurement transactions in accordance with the Procurement Act. As such, the GPHC has been urged to “establish appropriate systems to avoid reoccurrences of breaches such as contract splitting and use of procurement methods which are not supported by the Act.”
Another interesting recommendation of the PPC is that the GPHC should take appropriate steps to separate Procurement from Finance, in keeping with best practices for these functions.
The PPC has therefore suggested that the procurement staff be appropriately qualified and regularly trained in current procurement procedures. It has also been proposed that the pharmacy staff responsible for forecasting the needs of the GPHC should be equipped with the appropriate tools and systems to ensure that the Procurement Department is provided with accurate, timely and relevant information.
This, according to the PPC, will ensure that procurement activities are appropriately structured and conducted in accordance with the Act.
It is also required that the GPHC urgently assess and plan for adequate storage facilities for pharmaceuticals and medical supplies. In this regard, the PPC has urged that a “concerted effort should be made to identify and source appropriate resources to ensure that these facilities are available soon.”
It is the deduction of the PPC that since the GPHC is an independent agency, it should not be subjected to direction and control from persons who are external to the organisation.
For instance, the PPC has asserted that although the Minister of Public Health is responsible for policy-related matters, the Minister should not be involved in administrative or operational issues, since this is the responsibility of the hospital’s board.
“The Board is responsible for providing oversight and operational guidance to senior management,” the PPC has concluded. Also, the PPC has carefully recommended that in the future, any communication between the Ministry of Public Health and the GPHC should be routed through the Board. It was also outlined that every effort should be made by the relevant authority to ensure that there are no gaps in the appointment of a Board for the GPHC.
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