Clint Chan Tack
FINANCE Minister Colm Imbert will lead off the debate in the Senate on a motion to approve the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Property (No. 2) Regulations, when it sits on Tuesday from 10 am.
The motion was passed in the House of Representatives on January 14. In that debate, Imbert said any bidder for a public contract who is dissatisfied with the outcome of the bid will be able to challenge it in court under new procurement rules.
Imbert then said that under the new procurement regulations, for the first time ever, the award of state contracts will include public law elements into which courts will be able to intervene.
He said the regulations have “set the stage for the full proclamation of the act.”
Disputed matters will be decided firstly by the Office of Procurement Regulation (OPR), secondly by a review board and then thirdly if still required by the law courts.
The House sits on Friday to debate the Summary Courts Amendment Bill 2021. Friday is also the second sitting of the House for February. In keeping with the House’s standing orders, the Prime Minister will take questions from the Opposition during prime minister’s question time, on that day.
