Skip to playerSkip to main content
CCNTV6
  • 5 months ago
Chief Secretary Farley Augustine joined the debate and sought to clear the air on the procurement of ambulances for Tobago.
He says the THA ordered that all documents be sent to the Office of the Procurement Regulator.
Alicia Boucher has more in this report.
Transcript
00:00Leader of the Tobago House of Assembly, Fali Augustin, says steps have been taken to allow
00:05for a probe of the procurement process for ambulances for Tobago.
00:10His comments came at the 43rd plenary sitting and budget debate of the THA following remarks
00:15and the brandishing of a document by THA Minority Leader Kelvon Morris.
00:20I was asked in this house whether I am doing an investigation, not for me to investigate.
00:25The instruction went to the TRHA since that time to send all of the procurement documents
00:33to the Office of the Procurement Regulator, let the Office of the Procurement Regulator
00:39make a determination as to whether the procurement process was good or bad.
00:44That is where it needs to go. They are the ones that must do the investigation.
00:49When it comes to the procurement process, Augustin says it is often misunderstood.
00:54He states that members of the executive, including himself as chief secretary,
01:00are not the decision makers.
01:02We don't have any say in the procurement, you know. We have no say whatsoever.
01:09Only a named procurement officer and the accounting officer for the division have a say.
01:15And if, as an executive, we say, go buy five bales of toilet paper,
01:21they could just go out and buy the cheapest.
01:23Augustin says determination on what brand or type of whatever is required, in this case ambulances,
01:31is not something that can be dictated by the executive of the assembly.
01:36So, what is the role of the executive?
01:38We could send them the scope, they tender, and they go with it. And then we on the back end must blindly
01:47hope that what they, in fact, tendered for and what they have, in fact, procured meets the needs
01:55that we have for the people of the island and hope to go that they align. That is just reality.
02:00And me ain't get involved in no procurement.
02:03AUGUSTIN SAYS HE HAS NEVER ENGAGED ANY PROCUREMENT OFFICER FOR A FAVOR.
02:08NOT ONE. ANYBODY SAID LINE. NOT ONE.
02:12I DON'T WANT TO KNOW THE NUMBER. ME DON'T WANT TO SIT ON AND MEET WITH THEM.
02:16I DON'T EVEN WANT TO LINE WITH THEM.
02:18AND IF I KNOW YOUR PROCUREMENT OFFICER AND I SEE YOUR OUTSIDE LINE,
02:20I DON'T LINE ME OVER SO. BECAUSE NOBODY IS GOING CALL MY NAME WITH PROCUREMENT.
02:25ALYCIA BOUCHER, TV6 NEWS.
Be the first to comment
Add your comment