Though a Board of Inquiry (BoI) recommended in January that Western Scientific be blacklisted, around the middle of this year the Public Health Ministry (MoPH) single-sourced a $134.4m contract from the impugned Trinidadian company.
This development will raise further questions about practices at the ministry which had promised a revamped system following several procurement scandals.
The Public Procurement Commission (PPC) will be examining the contract granted to Western Scientific Company Limi-ted, however, not much should be expected of the findings since the country has no debarment laws and the sole-sourcing obviated competitive bidding.
“We will be looking at it,” Chairman of the PPC Carol Corbin told Stabroek News in an interview last week.
While there has been no formal complaint following the granting of the $134.4M contract to the company, also