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.
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