The Public Procurement Commission (PPC) will investigate allegations of procurement violations in Region Nine and has asked Regional Democratic Council Chairman Bryan Allicock to provide supporting information for the allegations he has levelled.
“Yes, we will… we have asked him to send us all relevant information that will assist the investigation,” Chairman of the PPC Carol Corbin told Stabroek News yesterday when contacted.
Allicock, the opposition People’s Progressive Party/Civic representative in Region Nine, had written to the PPC asking that it investigate the award of contracts in the region as he claimed over 40 contracts were awarded via “selective tendering.”
In a letter to the PPC, which was seen by Stabroek News, Allicock alleged that of “approximately 60 projects awarded… only 18 were advertised,” while the others were awarded by the Regional Tender Board via selective tendering.
He further charged that the contracts “were only awarded to supporters of the Coalition Government,” while other bona fide contractors were not considered.
“Information received from [a] reliable source [states] that most of these contractors who were considered under the selective tendering do not have valid compliances,” the letter states.
Allicock added that the Regional Democratic Council believed that the developments represented a total violation of the procurement legislation and as a result sought an urgent intervention.
Allicock has also referred to the PPC a complaint from Cyril Anthony, the Toshao of Parikwarunau Village, South Central Rupununi.
According to Allicock, the chain link fence surrounding the Parikwarunau Primary School was removed by persons unknown who had entered the village without reporting to either Anthony or the Village Council.
The Chairman added that following enquiries, it was learnt that a named contractor had removed the fence without the village’s permission.
Further enquiries to ascertain whether the Department of Public Works had issued the contractor a contract for repair of the fence revealed that the department was unaware of any contract being issued.
Allicock labelled the incident “another glaring fraudulent act of misappropriation in the manner in which contracts are being awarded in the region” and urged an investigation.
