Caribbean Development Bank News Release — April 13, 2022
The Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) has started a new phase of its public procurement reform programme, which is helping Eastern Caribbean countries to increase efficiency and effectiveness in government procurement. The second stage of the programme, which will include finalising legal reforms and establishing electronic systems, kicked off with a 47-participant workshop held recently in the Virgin Islands. CDB Head of Procurement Douglas Fraser said: “Better expenditure management provides a foundation for building stronger and more inclusive economies. This can be achieved through robust public procurement that provides transparency and accountability by promoting civil society participation, stimulating private sector growth and investment, and encouraging wider improvements in governance.”
In the past four years, with support from the Bank, legal and regulatory reform took place in Antigua and Barbuda and the Virgin Islands, and is at an advanced stage in Anguilla, Dominica, Montserrat and Saint Kitts and Nevis. Across the OECS member countries, chief procurement officers and other senior procurement officials were appointed, often in newly created posts. Some 20 senior officials from across Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent received Diplomas in Procurement and Supply accredited by the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (CIPS). The second phase of the procurement reform, estimated to last until mid-2024, will involve the completion of outstanding legal and regulatory reforms, formation of dedicated procurement institutions, development of standard procurement documents, and support for the introduction of electronic procurement.