Experts are taking a closer look at public procurement governance. Speaking on the TV6 Morning Edition, Dr. Margaret Rose and Vaughan Rondon, directors and founders of Procurement Compliance Plus, explained the key rights, roles, and responsibilities that guide public procurement.
00:00According to Dr. Rose, Trinidad and Tobago underwent an historic transformation with the passage of the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Property Act.
00:10Yet, despite this major legal shift, many public institutions continue to operate under outdated frameworks.
00:17She says her organization would be hosting an event aimed at changing these entrenched mindsets.
00:24We have seen on the ground the pain points and some of the problems that our clients have been experiencing.
00:32And we see a gap, a need, not for one-off training, not for just a paper certificate,
00:39but for building a transformed culture in public sector bodies and in professionals,
00:45because we have new rules and procedures, but we still have old mindsets.
00:49She explains that the new act is about protecting public officers who are seeking to stand up within organizations
00:56to stop old practices in an effort to protect public funds.
01:01Dr. Rose says the new act creates a statutory officer under Section 61, who is held responsible for all breaches of the act.
01:10A protection of sorts by making it an offense, by making it a breach of the act for employers to victimize, harass, dismiss,
01:22terminate the employment of public officers who are trying to prevent breaches of the act in good faith.
01:31And so there is that whole new area now of enhancing the ability of public officers to inhabit this new courageous space.
01:42Director of Procurement Compliance Plus Vaughan Rondon warns that navigating the new public procurement rules can get difficult.
01:50He says his team is seeking to assist leaders in closing the knowledge gaps and building a culture of compliance.
01:57The challenge that we have, though, is that because it's new, because there's a lack of information, knowledge outside there,
02:07there are people thirsting and really wanting to know how can we navigate and operate within this space.
02:14And there is a gap.
02:15And at PC Plus, we have recognized that gap.
02:18And we are coming to the forefront now to really train, give people the knowledge,
02:24and actually start the movement, as Dr. Rose would have identified, from the ground up.
02:28The event addresses the implementation of the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Property Act 2015.
02:36The event will be held on Wednesday, 10th of September, at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Port of Spain.
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