MINISTER of Finance Fayval Williams has lauded the Public Procurement Commission (PPC) for what she described as its “five years of outstanding service to Jamaica”.

Addressing congregants at a church service to mark the start of the PPC’s fifth anniversary celebration, Williams praised the commission for its high quality service delivery and professionalism which, she said, have “pushed the boundaries and raised the bar on what efficient and transparent public procurement can look like”.

The PPC, which overseas and regulates the public procurement process in Jamaica, launched its fifth anniversary celebrations during a service at Celebration Church in Portmore, St Catherine.

In her address, Williams argued that, “the PPC is testament to what is possible when purpose and professionalism align”.

Noting the PPC’s efficiencies, especially its one-week processing time of supplier registration as well as procurement reviews; Williams credited the PPC for, “setting a new pace in performance and productivity”.

She said this efficient processing time by the PPC is particularly remarkable, in the context where Jamaica’s procurement legislation allows for 60 days (eight weeks) for the processing of an application for PPC registration/renewal of registration.

The PPC’s year-long, fifth anniversary celebrations are being held under the theme, ‘Celebrating Excellence! Strengthening Partnerships’.

Speaking at the church service, Nadia Morris, PPC executive director, pointed out that over the past five years the entity has pursued operational excellence.

Among the PPC accomplishments she cited were the attaining and retaining of ISO 9001:2015 Certification; introduction of the online portal for the Supplier Registration System (SRS) which gives Jamaicans 24/7 access to applications for PPC registration; a significant increase in PPC supplier registration; and the doubling of the Validity Period for PPC Certificates.

“In the last financial year, we recorded a 10 per cent increase in supplier registrations, signalling a growing awareness and confidence among Jamaicans in public procurement as a viable economic opportunity,” Morris highlighted.

“On April 1, 2025, we doubled the validity period of PPC certificates from 18 months to three years — making it easier for businesses to remain compliant and eligible for public contracts. As a direct result, supplier registrations increased by 250 per cent in April 2025, compared to April 2024,” she said.

The PPC executive director argued that it is helping to fuel national development through the review of public procurement recommendations for award submissions.

In 2024, the PPC implemented the Procurement Endorsement Database Management System (PEDMS) — an innovative software that enables real-time tracking of procurement submissions from government entities.

According to Morris, the results have been impressive.

“In the financial year 2023-2024, the PPC reviewed 594 contracts valued at $78.68 billion, and with PEDMS that review process caused a leap in the procurement review process to 694 submissions, valued at $154.63 billion, during financial year 2024–2025,” said Morris.

She attributed the “first-rate” achievement of the PPC to the unshakable dedication of its staff.

“Each milestone we have achieved was made possible because of your hard work and unwavering belief in our mission. Thank you for growing with the commission, and serving with distinction,” said Morris.