Contractor General tightens oversight of Government tendering
By Breaking Belize News Staff: The Office of the Contractor General is tightening scrutiny over the use of selective and limited tendering by government entities following an increase in the use of these procurement methods. In a circular dated July 23, Contractor General Maria Arthurs reminded ministries, departments, local governments, statutory bodies and state-controlled companies […] The post Contractor General tightens oversight of Government tendering appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
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By Breaking Belize News Staff: The Office of the Contractor General is tightening scrutiny over the use of selective and limited tendering by government entities following an increase in the use of these procurement methods.
In a circular dated July 23, Contractor General Maria Arthurs reminded ministries, departments, local governments, statutory bodies and state-controlled companies that open tendering should remain the standard procurement procedure.
Entities seeking to use selective or limited tendering must now provide detailed written justification, identifying the specific provision of the Finance and Audit Reform Act being relied upon and explaining how the procurement meets the legal requirements. Supporting evidence must also be submitted.
The Contractor General warned that simply describing a procurement as urgent or saying that it needs to be expedited will not be sufficient, and submissions that do not comply with the law may be returned.
Under selective tendering, at least three qualified suppliers, contractors or consultants should ordinarily be invited to compete. Government entities must also explain how the bidders were selected and demonstrate that fairness, competition and non-discrimination were maintained.
Limited tendering, meanwhile, will only be permitted under specific circumstances, including extreme and unforeseen urgency, national security concerns, exclusive technical rights, compatibility with existing systems or when a previous tendering process failed to produce a suitable bid.
The circular further cautions that poor planning or internal delays do not justify bypassing open tendering.
Ministries and departments are being instructed to begin procurement processes early enough to allow sufficient time for approvals, evaluations, Contractor General review and contract execution.
All government entities have been directed to comply fully with the circular and the relevant provisions of the law.
The post Contractor General tightens oversight of Government tendering appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
