The Caribbean Public Procurement Institute says it will bring together some of the world’s leading faculty when its hosts a two-day conference in March.
According to a press release the Caribbean Public Procurement (Law and Practice) Conference 2008 (CPPC) “promises to be highly interactive and interesting when both regional and international professionals in the business of procurement law and practice” discuss and debate issues facing developing countries and emerging markets.
According to the release the agenda also includes the latest developments in the common law of competitive bidding; governance issues for state-owned enterprises; judicial review of public procurement, use of public procurement as a development lever, parliamentary oversight of government procurement; integrity and transparency in public procurement, freedom of information regimes – shield or sword in the tendering process; and balancing commercial confidentiality norms with the mandate for transparency in government contracting.
Margaret Rose, Chief Executive Officer of the Institute, said, “CPPC 2008 is unique in that it will combine a dynamic conference format, including the presentation of papers, panel discussions and interactive discourse with a fairly intense training component facilitated by international experts.” She said the Institute’s goal is to stimulate regional discourse and enhance appreciation of the diverse and sometimes complex issues which arise in procurement, from both the macro and micro perspectives.
The release said too CPPC 2008 aims to be the catalyst for the establishment of the Caribbean Association of Procurement Professionals which would facilitate the continuous development and distribution of procurement knowledge in order to elevate and advance the procurement profession in the Region. Procurement professionals desirous of joining the new association are asked to log on to http://www.cappweb.org
Major highlights of the conference, set for March 19-20, are an inaugural address by Caricom Deputy Secretary-General, Ambass-ador Lolita Applewaithe, on the topic ‘Building Regional Consensus in Public Procurement’ and Sue Arrowsmith, Professor, Public Procurement Law, University of Nottingham (UK) who will deliver the keynote speech on ‘Public Procurement -Current Challenges Facing Developing Countries’.
About 100 participants from throughout the region are expected to attend. Delegates will receive two textbooks Emanuelli’s Government Procurement and Piga’s Handbook of Procurement.
The release said The Institute was incorporated in December 2006 and founded by its three principal shareholders and directors: Chairman, Senator Helen Drayton, Chartered Quantity Surveyor and Arbitrator Woodrow Whiteley and Rose, who is also an attorney. The Institute aims to be the premier resource for specialist procurement education and expertise, geared towards the delivery and maximisation of real, strategic and sustainable value in the Region. For more information persons are advised to log on to http://caribbeanprocurementinstitute.com
The forum will be hosted at the Regency Ballroom, Hyatt Regency in Trinidad.