JAMAICA | The PNP's Dr. Deborah Hickling Gordon wants Transparency in the Public Procurement Process

Kingston, Jamaica. January 10, 2023: Against the background of a recently revealed  four-hundred million dollar price tag for the 'Jamaica 60' celebrations,  Newly minted Opposition spokesperson on culture and  the creative industries, Dr. Deborah Hickling Gordon, wants the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport to increase the level of transparency in the public procurement process for activities staged by the Ministry. its departments and agencies. 

Dr. Hickling Gordon’s call comes in response to a Gleaner article exposing the $403.6 million price tag for staging the Jamaica 60 Independence celebrations. 

In a statement today, Dr. Hickling Gordon said one means of doing this, is reviewing what is perceived to be a procurement dependence on the direct contracting method of accepting ‘Unsolicited Proposals’, in keeping with the First Schedule of the Procurement Act 2015 and the GOJ Handbook of Public Sector Procurement Procedures (Volume 1, Section 1.2.1.).  

“Metrics and standards of measurement and valuation of cultural and creative inputs have become much more robust since the considerations for the 2015 relaxation of rules under the Public Procurement Act “in support of or associated with creative expression or special events,” Dr. Hickling Gordon said.. 

She proposed that transparency can be increased in the public sector production process by issuing technical and creative Calls for Proposals that provide opportunities for competitive bidding for the Grand Gala’s production. 

The Creative Industries Spokesperson further indicated that where there is the need to consider Unsolicited Proposals, as an exception rather than a rule, that, “...preference be given to using and providing evidence of engagement of the “Competitive Bidding” option provided in the regulations, by means of a transparently and equitably solicited price test”.

Another challenge to transparency, Dr. Hickling Gordon indicated that, in the case of the Jamaica 60 celebrations ATI request, which had requested that the contractors be named, did not provide that information. 

Except for justifiable cases of extreme sensitivity, a schedule of purveyors, she insists, should be provided for publicly staged events.  She added that transparency is further challenged by the length of time taken  to process the ATI request on the costs to stage the Jamaica 60 celebrations, which took one year and four months to process and publish. 

“In a bid to increase transparency, equality of access and inclusion in the cultural production process, it is critical that there be a review of processes within the Ministry to prevent any possibility of claims of corruption or perceptions of nepotism, cronyism or conflicts of interest”. Dr. Hickling Gordon said.

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