Prime Minister John Briceño is now conceding that government’s bidding and procurement system has cracks, and the Smart Stream invoice leak has put those weaknesses on full display. Hundreds of sub-ten-thousand-dollar invoices have raised fresh questions about how contracts are being handled, even as the PM insists that members of the armed forces are being fed better than ever before. But according to Briceño, that progress is being overshadowed by a growing scandal that has turned the focus from improved meals to questionable procurement practices.
Prime Minister John Briceño
“The whole process, there is a problem all over. There is a problem with the bidding. There is a problem where it seems that officers, politicians, whosoever it is, and the Auditor General will determine that they are trying to circumvent going through the bidding or contract process by keeping it under ten thousand. So, there is a problem at the BDF in controlling the supplies, because when the UDP was there they used to buy about four million dollars of food. We increased it to eight million dollars, and you can ask any soldier, they are eating better than before. And it angers me that all the good we are doing for the soldiers is shrouded with this that has happened, where they are trying to circumvent the contract, issuing of contracts, so that they can pay easier. So, it removes the attention from the good work we are doing, that we are genuinely feeding the BDF better than ever before. And we need to make that clear. And we also need to make clear that in most instances, I can’t speak for all, that we were delivering the goods.”
Sub-10K Invoice Controversy Drives Procurement Reform
Government says the days of questionable invoices and loose payment practices may soon be coming to an end. Prime Minister John Briceño says his administration’s Central Procurement Unit is now close to approval and implementation, promising a more controlled system for how public funds are spent. The proposed unit is being presented as government’s answer to the procurement concerns that have surfaced in recent weeks, and according to Briceño, the next phase is putting the structure in place and making it work.
Prime Minister John Briceño
“The centralized procurement unit is going to be, it is a legislation. And again, I don’t where this gentleman from Cayo, I don’t even want to mention his name, talking about we are going to beg IDB to help us. We have been working on this for about at least three or four years and the IDB, we are using their expertise and so we have been working with them. We have been looking at how Jamaica does it, how Guatemala do it. We don’t have to reinvent this wheel and that is collaboration we have with the IDB and it is almost finished. So, next week Tuesday at Cabinet the people that are working to set up the Central Procurement Unit will be giving a presentation to Cabinet to explain how it is going to work. And it is going to be more open, transparent and we are going to ensure we get value for money. More importantly, there are going to be stiff penalties, even jail time if people try to circumvent the system.”
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