by STAFF WRITER
BRIDGETOWN Barbados, Jun 9, CMC – Barbados is to host the third Sub-Regional Caribbean Public Procurement conference later this month.
The June 13-15 meeting is expected to attract more than 75 public and private sector officials from throughout the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) region as well as 19 international speakers, the organisers have said.
They said conference will discuss issues ranging from the transition from the Financial Rules to the Public Procurement Act in Barbados; Public Procurement links to other Strategic Public Sector Functions; Towards a Regional Public Procurement Marketplace in the Caribbean; and Effects of Gender Inclusive Policies in Public Procurement.
“This workshop will give the members of the Inter-American Network Government Procurement (INGP) an opportunity to discuss their priorities and seek technical assistance in order to pursue the goals of the member states.
“They will also be exposed to experts so they can learn about international best practices as most member states are modernising their procurement systems,” the organisers said in a statement.
The statement said that CARICOM is also establishing a regional procurement system that must be put in place by all member states and that the regional system along with the Regional Procurement Notice Board, would be discussed during the meeting.
The INGP was formed in 2004 by Latin American and Caribbean countries as a medium for regional technical co-operation. It is made up of the Heads of Procurement in the member countries; the Organisation of American States, which performs the role of Technical Secretariat; the Inter-American Development Bank; and the International Development Centre.
The INGP has focused its attention on facilitating the exchange of experiences and best practices among its members, thus seeking to reduce the time, cost and risk of implementing new initiatives.
We were unable to ascertain if and who from Montserrat was attending this meeting. Workshops in this regard were held in Montserrat.
Its first meeting was held in Jamaica in 2011.