Call for national consultation to review the Draft Public Procurement and Contract Administration Bill

On the 23rd  March 2011, the Builders and Contractors Association Of Dominica ( BCAD ) hosted an education forum from 7:00pm at the UWI Auditorium, Bath Estate.  The purpose of the forum was to educate participants  on the draft of the Public Procurement and Contract Administration Bill.

There were about 25 persons in attendance representing a cross section of the construction industry as well as other business and professional fields in Dominica.  Of the persons who attended there were architects, engineers, builders, contractors, private sector businessmen, trucking service providers, manufacturers, NGO representatives, an  economist and an attorney-at law.

The participants felt that set out in the current draft bill is a set of very laudable purposes and that every effort should be made to enhance the development of this bill to attain the purposes thus cited.  Notwithstanding, there were many areas of concern and other areas which needed some clarification.

In this regard, the participants of the forum took a decision to form a committee with representatives from the different disciplines/representative bodies to spearhead the convening of a national Consultation on the review of the current draft of the Public Procurement and Contract Administration Bill.

It is intended that the committee will invite and seek to encourage the partnering of the Government of Dominica, the Dominica  Association of Industry and Commerce, the Non-State Actors Advisory Body, The Dominica Association of Coalition of Services and other professional and non-governmental organization in working together to convene the national consultation.

The persons on the committee are Felix H Thomas, Gregor Fortune, Earl Laudat, Steve Astaphan Anthony Le Blanc, and Maurice Agar.   Mr John ELue Charles, Attorney at Law and Consultant Legislative Drafter has expressed his willingness to make a presentation at the national consultation.

BCAD welcomes the introduction of the Procurement Bill into the Laws of the Commonwealth of Dominica and seeks to form alliances with other associations, civic institutions and bodies in order to ensure that there is greater appreciation of   the purposes of this bill and the establishment of a fair and more transparent environment  in  public procurement of goods, works and services.

Therefore it is our opinion that consultation on the bill should be a partnering effort with the Government, involving all the necessary stakeholders doing procurement with the Government. In so doing we shall continue to extend an invitation to the appropriate government offices under whose jurisdiction this bill falls.