Questions asked by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) about the rationale behind the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs’ decision to sign a contract a week before it was awarded by the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) were left unanswered due to the absence of former permanent secretary (PS) Samantha Fedee.
During the scrutiny of the Auditor General’s 2019 report, the committee sought answers on the procurement breach, which was flagged in the report.
Government member Dhankumar Seeraj asked for an explanation which acting PS Ryan Toolsiram was unable to give. He indicated that efforts were made by the ministry and the parliamentary committee to summon Fedee to the meeting but she indicated she was going to be out of the country.
On this note, Financial Secretary Sukrishnalall Pasha emphasised the importance of having former officers present at meetings.
“Without the former PS it would be difficult for us to get answers. There is no amount of research you can do to get into the head of the person who made a clear breach of the law,” he said.
The contract in question was for recapping sections of compound, and clearing western and eastern drains of the hinterland scholarship students’ dormitory at Liliendaal. The cost of the contract was $3.5 million.
In response to the Auditor General’s queries, the Head of the Budget Agency acknowledged the error and promised that the ministry would desist from such actions in the future.
Attempting to provide clarity to the PAC, the Auditor General said that from the documentation provided to his office, the PS, in a letter to the NPTAB, explained that the work was awarded to a contractor on the grounds of an emergency. The letter, dated December 23, 2019, stated that the contract was awarded due to flooding at the dormitory.
Seeraj then questioned:“How is it that you sign a contract one week before NPTAB issue the award? It is impossible for you to know who the award will go to.”
The audit report stated that the contract was awarded by NPTAB on 23 December 2019. However, the contract was signed by the ministry and the contractor on 16 December 2019. Further, the ministry issued a commencement order on 17 December 2019.
