IN the wake of increasingly louder complaints from public officials about delays in the procurement process stalling several projects, the Public Procurement Commission (PPC) has fired back, saying it is not to be blamed.

In a media release on Wednesday Nadia Morris, executive director of the PPC, charged that Government ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) are often to be blamed for the lengthy delays in the procurement process.

“There are instances where incomplete or inaccurate submissions have caused unnecessary delays,” said Morris.

According to Morris, while the majority of submissions to the PPC are approved, there are instances where the PPC’s approval/endorsement is not given because of the use of procurement methods and/or qualification criteria in a way that is not objectively justifiable, unfairly limits competition and reduces the opportunity for entities to obtain goods and services at competitive prices.

“MDAs have a responsibility to ensure that the qualification criteria set for procurements allow them to identify and select a supplier that has the legal and financial capacities and the commercial and technical abilities to supply the goods, works or services they wish to procure,” added Morris as she warned against any loosening of the rules governing the process.

“While there is always room for improvement of the procurement process generally, we must ensure that important safeguards are not unnecessarily removed or ignored because of expediency. Several entities are able to get things done relatively quickly and within the rules as they exist now,” declared Morris.

She argued that MDAs should view as an imperative, adherence to the procurement rules and regulations and the checklist of procurement submissions provided by the PPC, to ensure that they are able to efficiently go through the various procurement processes.

Morris underscored that the PPC is committed to processing procurement submissions with both speed and precision.

“Our role at the PPC is to ensure accountability and maintain the appropriate checks and balances for public sector procurement. We are proud to report that our reviews are consistently completed within timelines outlined in our standard operating procedures,” said Morris as she pointed out that the agency is championing transparency, accountability, and efficiency in Jamaica’s public procurement processes.

She pointed out that the PPC has moved to make the process even quicker by leveraging the online portal, the procurement endorsement database management system (PEDMS), which has significantly reduced the time required for reviewing procurement submissions.

“With PEDMS procuring entities can now track the entire review and approval process in real time, bringing transparency and efficiency to the forefront. Applications that previously took up to eight weeks are now being processed by the PPC in just two weeks.

“Additionally, procuring entities who follow the rules are able to go out to tender and have their procurements approved by the PPC, all within a few months,” Morris shared as she highlighted the Shared Prosperity Through Accelerated Improvement to Our Road Network (SPARK) Programme as one which went through the process quickly.

Morris said that to further enhance the procurement expertise of MDAs, the PPC will host a Public Procurement Conference on January 23, at The University of the West Indies Regional Headquarters, Mona campus.

The conference will provide guidance on several areas including standards for procurement submissions to the PPC and bid evaluation and treatment of non-responsive or abnormally low bids.

“Since its establishment in April 2019 under the Public Procurement Act, 2015, the PPC has remained steadfast in its mission to enhance public procurement in Jamaica. This includes maintaining a registry of approved suppliers, spearheading the Contractor and Consultant Performance Evaluation Programme, and ensuring compliance with procurement legislation,” said Morris.

The PPC oversees submissions for Tier 2 contracts (valued at $30 million to $60 million) and Tier 3 contracts (valued above $60 million). It also provides endorsements or recommendations to Cabinet for Tier 3 contracts that require final approval.

Procuring entities are generally able to execute contracts below the Tier 2 level without approval from the PPC.