Over the past four months, billions of dollars in government contracts have been awarded and to date none of the details have been made public, with even some companies that submitted bids being left in the dark about the final decisions, in breach of the procurement laws.
While the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) has been making public the minutes from the opening of bids, there has been no follow up on the awards of the contracts and the associated costs to the taxpayer and the country.
The health care sector, in particular, has seen procurement scandals under both the PPP/C and the former APNU+AFC administrations, with medical emergencies being cited on many occasions as the justification for the sole-sourcing of supplies.