National Contracts Commission Endorsed 206 Contracts in 2004

The National Contracts Commission endorsed 206 contracts during the January to December 2004 period.According to information in the 18th annual report of the Office of the Contractor General, tabled in the House of Representatives recently, the level of non-compliance in the award of contracts has been significantly reduced, since the establishment of the National Contracts Commission.
It also expressed satisfaction with the efforts made by Government Ministries and Agencies to follow the Government’s procurement guidelines leading up to recommendation and endorsement of contracts above the $4 million threshold.
Where perceptions that the Government’s procurement procedures were still not being adhered to, particularly for contracts below the $4 million value, the report pointed out that except for Sole Source contracts above $1 million in value, these contracts do not require the Commission’s endorsement and recommendation for award.
The report notes that the majority of works contracts reflect significant overruns in both the budgeted costs and the scheduled delivery time, mainly due to failure by client agencies and contractors to deploy adequate resources to properly capitalize the projects.
On the matter of contracts which commenced in 2002 and were not completed for the 2003 deadline, it was recommended that project managers/consultants be held accountable for proper project planning and implementation, while procuring entities must ensure that the start-up time is in keeping with the terms and conditions of the contract.