Vice President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo on Thursday again addressed concerns about local contractors, emphasising that the government remains committed to transparency in public procurement while holding public workers to higher standards now.

Prompting the Vice President’s comments at his press conference were reports over the $2.1 billion contract awarded to Kares Engineering Inc for a Guyana Defence Force (GDF) wharf.

A specific criterion has been cited as an irregularity; that is, the Kares’ bid was lower than 80% of the engineer’s estimate and should be deemed unresponsive.

Already, the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) set the record straight on the contract, noting that this criterion was discontinued years ago and that Kares was the lowest evaluated and overall bidder.

Jagdeo reiterated the explanation advanced by NPTAB but also emphasised the government’s commitment to transparency in the public procurement sector.

“… we remain open to ensuring that the process is transparent and (that we) weed out people engaged in corrupt practices,” the Vice President said at a press conference held at the People’s Progressive Party headquarters in Georgetown.

Additionally, Jagdeo flagged concerns about public sector workers who themselves may be engaged in corrupt or questionable decisions in the evaluation and management of contracts.

The Vice President explained that some of the discrepancies in contracts are not picked up by the cabinet or tender board because of the sheer volume- thousands- of contracts being executed countrywide.

He, however, noted that the “riot act” has been read to those workers, particularly in the regions. And if anyone is caught engaging in any corrupt practices, he said they will face the consequences.