1) In Module Two, Procurement of Consultancy Services, consultants wishing to provide

services to CARICOM are instructed to register online via https://vendors.caricom.org.

All organizations should have a digitized procurement system: a work flow for all
purchases, a portal for consultants and suppliers, a P2P process for payments, and
tools for spend analysis (Exhibit A). When I visited the website referenced, there were
five broken links (Exhibit B), a link to the Terms of Reference page that had not been
updated since March 28, 2019 and a privacy policy that must be amended to mirror the
EU’s strict data protection and privacy policies as outlined in the General Data
Protection Regulation (GDPR) 2016/679, with mandatory rules for how organizations
and companies must use personal data in an integrity friendly way.

On April 28, 2022, Massy Stores, was the target of cybersecurity attacks which led to
the technical difficulties experienced at all locations across Trinidad and Tobago and
customer, supplier or employee data could have been compromised or misused. The
public sector too, especially agencies that deal with critical infrastructure – electricity,
water, telecommunications, oil and gas production and downstream manufacturing –
are highly susceptible to cyberattacks. This is a major risk for an organization as
complex as CARICOM and safeguards must be put in place, but it must start with a data
protection policy that applies in all CARICOM Member states.

In Module Three, Direct Award contracts or single source awards are contracts granted
in which a competitive process cannot be used as a means of identifying the most
appropriate supplier (Exhibit C). This process must be addressed as it can be a tool for
corrupt practices as there is no threshold on the value that can be ascribed to such an
award within the Secretariat’s Guidelines and Procedures Manual. There must be
greater regulation and oversight of this process including placing limits on the value of
the contract awarded. Relying on single sourcing can expose you to the possibility of
not being able to get critical supplies if the supplier's operations are disrupted. It can
also result in increased vulnerability of supply, increased risk of supply interruption,
greater dependency between your organization and the supplier and some suppliers
may simply become complacent and drop their standards.
Performance audits are carried out at least once every three years. This should be
reviewed and amended to indicate the period for performance audits to be reduced to
12 month periods. Performance audits must also include key performance indicators
that include price, cost (monetary and non-monetary), quantity and quality, service and
delivery, payment terms, sustainability, origin of goods, certifications, value additions
and innovations. Supplier Code of Conduct Regulations must be added to the
Secretariat’s Guidelines and Procedures Manual that include continuous improvement,
management, monitoring and evaluation, labor laws, human rights, mines and conflict
minerals, health and safety, environmental sustainability, air emissions, wastewater and
solid waste, chemical and hazardous materials and ethical conduct.

2) The benefits to Donor Agencies include access to technology, knowledge and

information, production and productivity, trade and human development. The CARICOM
Single Market and Economy will provide emerging donor countries with access to
developing markets, healthier competition, more efficiency, a stronger international
negotiating position and the ability to take advantage of economies of scales and faster
growth. Major donors like the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom have all
recognized the potential for growth in the Caribbean region because of political stability,
diverse markets and emerging talent with an immense appetite for capability building.
The CARICOM Secretariat has an average annual budget of US$60 Million and has
fostered strategic partnerships with multilateral organizations. The Caribbean
Development Bank (CDB) has granted approval of €250,840 to the Government of Saint
Vincent and the Grenadines to finance two projects under the Standby Facility funded
by the European Union. These projects will focus on the services sector development
and addresses the certification of individuals and operators in the various areas; and
includes initiatives to enhance capacity to meet international trade quality control
standards.

Multilateral partnerships has allowed the CARICOM community to successfully manage

the Covid-19 pandemic response through donations of essential medical supplies and
financial support, for example, from the reallocation of CAN$401,359 from a donation
made by the Government of Canada to the Caribbean Disaster Emergency
Management Agency (CDEMA). CARICOM organizations like CDEMA can benefit from
the technical expertise of donor nations like Japan and South Korea, who have
extensive experience in recovery efforts after earthquakes and tsunamis. Given the
increased seismic activity we have witnessed in the Caribbean and the La Soufriere
volcanic eruption in 2021, CARICOM must plan for what may happen in the future
before it occurs. This is why it is absolutely vital to build relationships and establish
trade and education programs, through the University of the West Indies, with Asian and
South American economies like Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Uruguay.

3) A) The Procurement Unit has to procure technical equipment and supplies with an
estimated value of €250,000. For purchases exceeding EC$200,000 we shall require an
“Open Tendering” process. The required documents in the Tender Dossier are Invitation
Letters, Instructions to Tenderers, Draft contracts, Draft Special Conditions of Contract,
General Conditions of Contract, Detailed Technical Specifications and Blank tender
forms and Schedule.

B) The goods, equipment and services identified in the plan will, as far as possible, be
compatible in terms of product type, quality and cross-functional usage. All procurement
activities shall be carried out in a manner consistent with the highest professional,
ethical, moral and legal standards. In this regard, all staff members involved in
procurement of goods and services for the CARICOM Secretariat must:

- Place the interests of the Secretariat first in all transactions.

- Carry out and conform to the Secretariat’s established policies.

- Buy without prejudice, seeking to obtain maximum value for each dollar of
expenditure.

- Adhere to the CARICOM Rules of Origin.

C) A Summary Procurement Notice will be published in the local newspapers of

CARICOM Member States, the CARICOM Secretariat’s Web Site and other relevant
web sites. The Programme Manager, Administrative Services and Procurement Unit will
prepare the tender documents. The Tenders Committee, will open all tenders at a public
session and submissions will be evaluated for compliance to the administrative and
technical specifications. A Financial Evaluation will be conducted. In selecting the most
appropriate supplier, Secretariat personnel involved in the process will ensure at all
times that:

(i) The comparative analysis form showing the various prices is completed;
(ii) The supplier with the most competitive quote is chosen to provide the goods
or services taking the factors outlined in (B) into consideration:
(iii) Financial implications including: price, terms of payment, transport cost,
installation requirements, servicing and maintenance costs;
(iv) Quality, including specifications, reputation of proposed product or service,
demonstrations/samples and experience of other users;
(v) Standards of Service, including after sales service, replacement parts, past
performance, reliability.

The Committee will submit a report with recommendations for the award of the tender to
the Deputy Secretary-General or Secretary-General for approval. Before the CARICOM
Secretariat signs the contract with the successful tenderer, the successful tenderer must
provide the documentary proof or statements required under the law of the country in
which the company (or each of the companies in case of a consortium) is established,
to show that it is not in any of the exclusion situations listed in clauses 17 and 18 of the
Secretariat’s Guidelines and Procedures Manual.

D) The procurement process must be governed by the principles of best value for
money, transparency, non-discrimination, and equal treatment, not withstanding that
regional suppliers/contractors, either alone or in combination with international
suppliers/contractors, are preferred. Considerations must be made to account for
fluctuations in foreign exchange rates, volatility in fuel prices and supply chain
disruptions that may all result in increased expenditure which will impact best value for
money. CARICOM must encourage diversity and inclusivity in the awarding of contracts
to minority owned businesses, businesses owned by women and persons with
disabilities to meet the requirements of EU Equal Opportunity rules and regulations.
4) Procurement teams typically control 70 to 90 percent of total spending (Exhibit D).
While procurement knows the importance of competitive bidding, resistance from other
parts of the organization often limits the playing field. Some departments might feel it’s
too risky or cumbersome to change the existing supplier, or they might have a preferred
supplier. These arguments prevent purchasing from coming to grips with substantial
costs. As a Procurement Specialist, I understand that capabilities and culture, people’s
skills and the values that bind them together matter the most, and by implementing
compelling value proposition, focused more on attitude than skill, I am able to build high
performance teams. I give my team the tools to develop technical, functional, and
leadership skills, using adult-learning principles and this involves a procurement
strategy that follows a simple concept, the B.U.Y.E.R Strategy, which stands for Build,
Understand, Yield, Execute and Review (Exhibit E & F)

5) The real drivers of purchasing excellence are a procurement strategy aligned with the
CARICOM Secretariat’s overall strategy, skilled teams of professionals in procurement,
an innovative approach to category management and supply-chain design, and
structures that encourage a fruitful business procurement partnership (Exhibit G).
Procurement Specialists put considerable effort into a ceaseless investigation of new
suppliers especially in low-cost countries. However working with international suppliers
has some disadvantages including the need for foreign exchange, lack of credit
facilities, travel and accommodation costs for site inspections and training, longer lead
times for delivery, increased shipping costs, import/export tariffs, multiple modes of
transport required, higher insurance costs, lack of after sales support availability and
higher instances of lowered fill rates. There are some benefits such as wider range of
available options, quality standards that meet strict international requirements, and
discounts for bulk and volume purchasing. This is where Supplier Performance
Management is critical. Detailed and consistent lead time reporting, goods received /
damaged / defective reporting, fill rate reporting, code of conduct compliance, customer
service and return on investment metrics can all be used as negotiating tools and
presented to suppliers who are not meeting contractual obligations and service level
agreements. All of these reports should be utilized before the imposition of sanctions.