Who will be responsible for offering the ‘no-objection’ to large contracts was thrown into disarray when the recently-appointed Public Procurement Commission (PPC) announced yesterday that it had no such powers, raising the prospect that Cabinet will continue this role in the interim.
One of the key reasons for the setting up of the PPC was to relieve Cabinet of the responsibility of giving the no-objection to contracts in excess of $15M. It had been the subject of a fierce battle between the former PPP/C government, which wanted Cabinet to retain this power, and the now governing parties, APNU and AFC, which wanted this role to end.
The PPC’s statement will put the AFC in particular in a difficult position as it had made the establishment of the PPC and the removal of Cabinet’s no-objection role a cornerstone of its platform while in opposition.