Contractor General raises alarm over extension of NCC contracts

Contractor General, Greg Christie, is raising alarm about a policy directive which was announced by Information Minister Daryl Vaz, at a post cabinet press briefing, last week.

In a terse press release, issued by the Office of the Contractor General (OCG) on Wednesday, Mr. Christie questioned the propriety and legality of the directive.

The Information Minister had announced that with the exception of those whose registration has expired and those whose applications are the subject of police investigation, all contracts registered with the National Contracts Commission (NCC) have been extended to February.

Usurping the lawful authority of the NCC

In the release, Mr. Christie noted that the Contractor General Act gives the NCC exclusive authority to register all local contractors and to make all determinations associated with that process.

The Contractor General stated that the NCC is an independent statutory commission which does not report to cabinet or to any Government Minister and therefore cannot be lawfully dictated to by the Government.

The release referred to a meeting involving the Prime Minister, where the Contractor General stated that he could not and would not support the moratorium.

Mr. Christie noted that all Government contracts automatically expire in one year.

He argued that by extending the validation date of the contracts beyond one year, Cabinet is usurping the lawful authority of the NCC.

He warned that if the NCC decides to act on Cabinet's policy directive by approving and implementing the moratorium, it too could be called to answer questions in court.

In fact, Mr. Christie said the NCC would be acting illegally.

The Contractor General further stated that while he cannot direct Cabinet, the Government or the NCC on how to conduct their affairs, his office can forthrightly and independently discharge its statutory mandate.