Simplify procurement process to make it easier to do business with gov't - Haughton

 

The parliamentary opposition is calling for the Andrew Holness-led administration to make it easier for private companies to do business with the government, following concerns raised by Jamaica Technology and Digital Alliance about the public procurement process.

 

President of the Alliance, Almando Cox, said many capable companies are hesitant to engage with government entities because of challenges with the public procurement and payment systems.

 

Speaking Monday on the Morning Agenda on Power 106 FM, Opposition Spokesman on Technology Dr. Andre Haughton said the government needs to overhaul the procurement process. 

 

Pointing to US President-elect Donald Trump's nomination of Elon Musk to be his "commander of efficiency", Dr. Haughton argued that Jamaica needs to take a similar approach 'where we go through the length and breadth of the bureaucratic process and simplify it so that processes can work". 

 

"A country of just three million people, we should be faced with these back and forth bureaucratic channels that are disrupting how we administer our procurement, how we administer the efficiency of policy. And I think that much can be done in order to get rid of this cobweb that we have been faced with over the years," he insisted. 

 

Dr. Haughton said the government should not focus solely on cost in procuring products and services for projects but also sustainability. 

 

"All of that will tie in to efficiency, because what efficiency speaks to is that input and output ratio. So what you want is that instead of just looking

at what is cheaper, instead of just looking at what can be done in the quick fix, we look at the long-term horizon of these projects, and to ensure that whatever we are putting in place is geared toward the long-term sustainability of these projects. And when we do that, we'll find ourselves in a better position where we can get things done," suggested the opposition spokesman. 

 

Last month, Prime Minister Dr. Andrew Holness said the government is to undertake a national drive to reduce red tape and bureaucracy.