By the end of this Friday, a number of consultant engineers and other professionals based in seven of the countries benefitting from the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) Basic Needs Trust Fund (BNTF) will receive critical information on the procedures and requirement governing the programme’s procurement process.
They are participating in a 2-day workshop at the Radisson Grenada Grand Beach Resort, led by CDB’s Head of Procurement, Norman Cameron. The Grenada workshop follows similar workshops held this year in Jamaica and Guyana for consultants working on BNTF country projects on those countries.
Since its inception in 1979, the BNTF Programme has been providing infrastructure and livelihood enhancement services nationally and regionally towards poverty reduction in targeted communities. BNTF participating countries are Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Montserrat, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent, and the Turks and Caicos Islands.
The BNTF country project in Grenada targets grant funds for community-based sub-projects with a strong poverty reduction focus. Engineers and other professionals are key stakeholders in ensuring that procedures for probity and accountability are diligently followed. The workshop aims to reinforce the responsibilities of independent technical consultants indicated in agreements normally executed with the bank.
A release from the Ministry of Finance stated that CDB recognises the importance of consultants to the success of BNTF and wishes to ensure that consultants and project managers are kept abreast of procurement essentials. “Some of the areas to be covered include: supervision and accountability; risk management, and the bank’s guidelines and procedures for prequalification; bidding; conditions of contract; evaluation; technical inspection; reporting requirements; least cost design; material specifications; environmental management, and maintenance.”
By Linda Straker
