By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

FINANCIAL secretary Simon Wilson said the government would finally begin publishing contract awards when the reporting capacity of its contract procurement system is improved.

The Public Procurement Act mandates the government disclose the name and address of winning contract bidders and the award amount within 60 days of the contract award, among other things.

The government has yet to comply with this provision. Last year the government launched the Go Bonfire Platform procurement portal.

“We’re working on that right now,” Mr Wilson told reporters yesterday.

“So, you know, the previous system we had did not keep good records. It’s a very old system. So, what we’re doing is we’re backfilling that information on the new Bonfire system to publish contracts and so forth.

“So, to be clear, all government contracts are public knowledge. Alright, so … we don’t have a black budget. So, if the government signs a contract, obviously the government wants you to know because this is the public’s money, alright, but it’s the reporting format that’s a challenge. So that’s what the issue is.”

The Public Procurement Bill 2022, which repeals and replaces the Public Procurement Act 2021, was passed in the House of Assembly last month.

Critics have repeatedly criticised the government for lacking transparency over procurement processes and awards.

In its 2022 Investment Climate Statement report on The Bahamas, the US Bureau of Economic and Affairs highlighted the problem.

“The government passed a Public Procurement Act and launched an e-procurement and suppliers registry system in 2021. While the registry system is in place, the Public Procurement Act has yet to be fully implemented. Companies complain that the tender process for public contracts is inconsistent, and allege it is difficult to obtain information on the status of bids,” the US agency said.