The Office of the Contractor-General, OCG, has made several recommendations following its report on breaches in the award of the contract to a firm to operate the Braco Hotel.
In its report released yesterday, the OCG concluded that the contract to Blue Diamond Hotels and Resorts was in breach of the Contractor General Act and Government Procurement Procedures.
In its report on the probe, the OCG concluded that the breaches included the National Insurance Fund, NIF, the owner of Braco, failing to use the formal tender process, prior to entering into the operating agreement.
The OCG has recommended that the accountable officers of the NIF, or the Ministry of Labour, should ensure compliance with the revised Handbook of Public Sector Procurement Procedures.
The OCG also recommends that in instances where a public body has identified a breach of procurement procedures it should be immediately addressed rather than continuing the implementation of the project.
The OCG also strongly recommends that the NIF and the Labour Ministry be more proactive in the procurement activities of public bodies and ensure that contracts are awarded in keeping with procurement guidelines.
In addition, it says the awards must be, and appear to be awarded fairly, impartially, and without any form of irregularity.
It also recommended frequent compliance reviews of the accounting and procurement practices at the NIF.
These are to be undertaken by the Public Administration and Appropriations Committee of the House of Representatives, the Auditor General, and the Ministry of Finance.
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