The Public Procurement Commission (PPC) on Tuesday handed over its Annual Report for the year 2022-2023 to the Speaker of the National Assembly, Manzoor Nadir.
According to a PPC release, this event marks a significant milestone as it is not only the first Annual Report for the first year of operation of this, the second fully constituted PPC, but it is also the first Annual Report of the PPC to ever be laid before the National Assembly as required by Article 212CC of the constitution.
PPC Chairperson, Pauline Chase, who was accompanied by Deputy Chairman, Berkley Wickham, expressed her delight at being able to present the report. “We are delighted to present this Report as we are mandated to do by Article 212CC of the constitution. The Report was actually completed since the end of last year but due to formatting and printing difficulties, its delivery was delayed. We are dedicated to presenting our next Annual Report before the end of this year, covering our second year of operation, which concludes next week on July 8th.”
The release informed that the current PPC assumed office after being three years without a fully constituted commission. “Upon assuming office, we encountered the challenge of re-establishing the commission and recruiting staff due to the expiration of previous contracts. However, we swiftly overcame these obstacles and commenced our mandated duties,” Chase explained.
The PPC operates under thirteen constitutional functions outlined in Article 212AA (1) with key responsibilities including monitoring, investigations, training, and legislative review. “While investigations often garner the most attention, it is important to recognise our comprehensive role. Despite initial setbacks, we are pleased to report that we were nonetheless able to have diligently executed work across all of our main functional categories during our first year, expanding on the work of the past commission and embarking on new areas,” Chase remarked.
Building on the foundation laid by the previous commission, the current PPC has made significant strides in fulfilling its mandate. “We are proud of our accomplishments over the past year and are committed to further enhancing our operations in our remaining period” Chase added.
Meanwhile, the PPC assured that it remains steadfast in its mission to ensure fair and transparent procurement practices in Guyana, while contributing to the nation’s development and integrity.
The Speaker, accompanied by the Clerk of the National Assembly, Sherlock Issacs; Deputy Clerk, Herminia Gilgeous, and other staff members, congratulated the chair and the commission for delivering this inaugural report to the National Assembly. He highlighted the significance of the legislative framework that ensures institutions like the PPC can perform essential oversight functions and independently establish policies. “First, I wish to congratulate the Chairman and the Commission for presenting this first Annual Report to the National Assembly,” Speaker Nadir stated, adding, “Importantly, we have the legislative infrastructure to ensure that we have institutions to perform oversight and to independently establish the policies of commissions like this.”
In his remarks, the Speaker commented on the process for the appointment of members of the commission. “While there may have been a hiatus between the appointment and the end of the last commission and this one, the process is a slow one because it starts in the National Assembly. It has to follow meticulous details in the Constitution with respect to appointing members of this commission.”
And emphasising the need for consensus, Nadir noted that achieving broad agreement among the nation’s representatives is a time-consuming but necessary endeavour. “It is painstakingly long, but in the end, the objective is a consensus commission that has the support of all the parties in the Assembly. So while people may say it’s long and there is a need for reform that may be so. But if you want to get consensus, then consensus is always built around the least common denominator. That’s where you get consensus. And so it takes a long time.”
The Speaker spoke of his time in Parliament and expressed satisfaction with the progress made. “I am very, very pleased because I’ve seen the genesis of all these legislations and institutions, having been a fixture in this parliament for more than 28 years… so I’m very pleased to have seen this report.”
He also highlighted a significant change in the process of handling such reports, noting that they are now presented to the National Assembly rather than to ministers. This the Speaker noted, cuts down on delays in having the Reports tabled. “Now these reports come to the parliament, not the ministers. And ministers, when reports go to them, those reports could be delayed, for one reason or the other. But here, we have reports coming to the Parliament. And it’s my duty to, as soon as we receive these reports, to have them tabled.”
After the Annual Report is tabled, an Executive Summary will be published in accordance with Article 212CC (4) of the Constitution of Guyana.
Speaker Manzoor Nadir (second from left) and PPC Chairperson, Pauline Chase, displaying a copy of the Annual Report
