KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS) — The Finance and the Public Service Ministry has launched Jamaica’s first accredited public procurement training and certification series.

The engagement, being done in partnership with the International Procurement Institute (INPRI), will cover key concepts, principles and applications in Public Sector Procurement (PSP).

It comprises four levels and will outline the internationally accepted best practices and developments in electronic government procurement.

Additionally, it will also enhance the capacity of participants to manage the procurement process and accurately measure performance.

The series was launched at the ministry’s National Heroes Circle offices in Kingston on Friday, February 10.  

Portfolio Minister, Audley Shaw, who spoke at the launch, emphasised the importance of an efficient public procurement process in achieving Jamaica’s economic growth target.

“We cannot achieve the increments of growth that Jamaica needs…unless we expedite the procurement process. But in expediting the…process, it does not mean we have to cut corners and violate the rules. But we believe that if something can be done in a week, don’t let it take a month,” he said.

Noting that public sector procurement was a major component of the economy, Shaw urged designated officers to practice efficiency, without compromising on fairness and transparency, in the awarding of contracts on behalf of the Government.

“Beyond the training and the certification, the rubber hits the road when we get things done…we create jobs; and that is how we are going to truly move, from poverty to prosperity,” he added.

Meanwhile, Shaw issued a charge to the officers and other stakeholders to achieve full completion of capital projects in Central Government and other public bodies at the end of the 2017/18 financial year.

He noted that only 70 per cent of the 2016/17 Central Government capital expenditure programme has, so far, been completed, and 29 per cent in executive agencies, as at December 2016.

“We need your help. We have a lot of work to do and we can’t do it without your due diligence, your enthusiasm, your positive approach to work. Growth requires everybody to understand their role (and), those in public procurement are key to the process of getting things done and done properly,” Shaw emphasised.

State Minister, Fayval Williams, congratulated the Procurement and Asset Policy Unit within the ministry for its work in organising the training series and efforts at effecting reform.

She said the series was being driven by Jamaicans’ demand for an improved and more transparent procurement process, which is important in building confidence in how public funds are spent.