Cabinet Hijack of Public Procurement

The 7th Procurement Failure on Seabridge:
Cabinet Hijack of Public Procurement
On November 30, 2017, PM Rowley appointed a 4-member Cabinet sub-committee to “find a vessel immediately”.
Claiming that the tender process “managed by the Port Authority with the Works Ministry has failed” …”to provide a ferry” …for “the sixth time”, then Minister in the PM’s Office announced the PM’s decision to have Cabinet hijack the Procurement Function of the PATT and the Ministry of Transport.
Why did the tender fail? Young said, “there may have been people seeking to influence the outcome”.
So, the PM, by decree, and contrary to all tenets of proper public procurement practice, not to mention, contrary to the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Property Act, directed the Cabinet usurpation of Public Procurement to buy Galleons Passage.
Claiming expediency, Young said “the subcommittee was “working apace” to hopefully report back within a couple of weeks and had contacted ten international shipping brokers plus TT-based diplomats from Canada, Australia and Japan and Italy for help.”. Cabinet created its own tendering process – contacting brokers and begging diplomats for help.
CABINET-HIJACKED PROCUREMENT ENDS IN CONTRACT FAILURES
No wonder this completely inappropriate and unaccountable process has resulted in the purchase of a brand-new boat, which does not fully meet the Requirements of the Ferry Service and requires ‘retrofitting’ including installation of toilets.
Yesterday, in Parliament, the Ag. PM, answering a question from the Opposition about the failure of the Galleons Passage completion, reported that the seller failed to complete its contractual 'retrofitting' obligation in Cuba because they were unable to import material into Cuba.
The Ag. PM cited a claim by the ‘seller’ about not knowing about unjust US Embargo against Cuba.
Mr. Imbert then announced that the boat is now come immediately to TT, to be 'retrofitted' while in service. In other words, the Cabinet-hijacked procurement process has produced a boat that is not ‘fit-for-purpose’, that has not met the delivery deadline and that will require some disruption of service to facilitate changes not delivered by the ‘seller’.
What the Ag. PM did not clarify was how this ‘in-service’ retrofitting would affect ferry service schedules and passenger convenience and what penalty the ‘seller’ would face.
NIDCO also issued a statement claiming, “These modifications were being undertaken to make the vessel more suitable for its purpose.”. Amazing! A commodity purchased by contract is either fit-for-purpose or not. It cannot be ‘more or less suitable for purpose.  
All of this means that the contractual obligations of the seller and some by the ‘buyer’ have NOT been met, but, delivery is being accepted by the same Cabinet which ordered cancellation of a recent contract for ‘late arrival’ of the Ocean Flower II.
MORE PM/CABINET PROCUREMENT EPISODES
In recent weeks, PM Rowley and another Cabinet team went to Australia to visit 2 shipping companies to procure more ferries and even a coast guard boat.
This is another episode of the continuing hijacking of the procurement process by Cabinet.
Speaking at the same PNM meeting in Barataria, PM Rowley used his party meeting to try and justify the secret deal-making involved in the touted Sandals-managed (600 to 800 room) resort in Tobago.
The details of an MOU between Government and Sandals have been just refused by the PS to the PM in response to Freedom of Information (FOI) request on the basis that the agreement contains ‘non-disclosure’ clauses. Another secret deal worth Billions of Public Dollars.
At the party meeting, PM Rowley said he not answering any "DOTISH QUESTIONS" ABOUT WHAT PROCUREMENT PROCESS WAS USED TO MAKE HIS DEAL WITH BUTCH STEWART THOUGH HE INITIATED IT WHILE HE WAS OPPOSITION LEADER.
So, this goes another step further into the realm of Procurement by Executive Decree and Fiat.
For a Prime Minister, and particularly this one (who boasted about his anti-corruption questioning in the Manning Cabinet re UDECOTT projects) openly and boastfully announce that he will not account for procurement of a billion-dollar project, starting while he was NOT even in Government.
What has amazed me most about this is that a week has passed since the PM’s statement and there is no serious denunciation of this blatantly anti-democratic position stated by the Head of a Cabinet which continues to make Billion Dollar Deals while leaving the Public Procurement legislation inoperable and ineffective.
This current direction of Cabinet-hijacked processes and Prime Ministerial Decree is a road to authoritarian PM Rule and Governance completely devoid of Accountability and Transparency. This is the Road of Unending Corruption.
POLITICIANS HAVE NO BUSINESS IN PROCUREMENT! SECRET DEALING-MAKING BY POLITICIANS IS THE STUFF CORRUPTION IS MADE OF!
PEOPLE, STAND UP AND DEMAND REAL ACCOUNTABILITY FROM THE GOVERNMENT!
Clyde Weatherhead
A Citizen Fighting for
Democratic Renewal of our Society
21 June 2018