Former Auditor General Anand Goolsarran says the financial proposals for the salvaging of the sunken MV Barima must be opened publicly, with the names of the bidders and their prices disclosed.
His comments come more than two weeks after the August 14 deadline for expressions of interest (EOIs), with the government still to identify the ten companies which President Irfaan Ali has said responded.
Goolsarran, responding to questions from Kiskadee Watch, said the EOI process falls within the two-stage tendering method provided for under Section 31 of the Procurement Act.
“In the first stage, technical proposals are submitted, and after evaluation and shortlisting, financial proposals are requested,” he explained.
President Irfaan Ali had said shortly after the August 14 deadline that he understood “10 or more” expressions of interest had been received, but cautioned that he did not know the exact number. More than two weeks later, MARAD has not publicly confirmed the number of submissions or identified the companies.
Goolsarran said that although the Procurement Act is unclear on whether the EOIs should have been opened publicly on August 14 and the names of the interested companies disclosed, there is no such uncertainty regarding the financial proposals.
“These proposals will be regarded as tenders and must be opened in public, and the names and prices disclosed,” he said.
Section 38(1) of the Procurement Act requires tenders to be opened publicly at the date and time specified in the solicitation documents as the deadline for submission.
The continued withholding of the names of the companies has raised questions about transparency surrounding a process connected to one of the country’s worst maritime disasters.
MARAD invited firms to express interest in salvaging the MV Barima after the vessel capsized and sank off the Essequibo Coast on July 18 while travelling from Georgetown to Port Kaituma. The government subsequently began consultations on whether the wreck should be raised or preserved as a memorial.
Prime Minister Mark Phillips had said that the wishes of the bereaved families would be considered in determining what should be done with the vessel. Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed had also offered to finance its recovery.
Despite the public interest in the matter, MARAD has issued no detailed update since the EOI period closed. It has not disclosed the identities of the respondents, the criteria being used to evaluate them, the number shortlisted or when a contractor is expected to be selected.
Asked whether the government could have used emergency procurement provisions to accelerate the salvage, Goolsarran said the Procurement Act allows this.
“The answer is yes. The Act does allow for emergency procurement,” he said.
He referred to Section 28, which permits emergency procurement where, “owing to a catastrophic event, there is an urgent need for goods, services or construction, making it impractical to use other methods of procurement because of the time involved in using those methods.”
Goolsarran also said MARAD has a duty to provide the public with all available information about the process.
“MARAD should keep the public informed about all information it has in its possession in the interest of transparency,” he said. “Given the scale of the tragedy, the public needs to be assured that information is not withheld from them.”
Questions remain over when the wreck will be recovered, whether evidence aboard it has been secured and how the salvage process will intersect with the Commission of Inquiry into the disaster.
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