The Status of Public Procurement in Trinidad & Tobago

Understanding the Impact of Procurement Legislation to the Development of Trinidad & Tobago

A Session for Media Professionals
Thursday 1st December 2022 9:00am to 10:30am

Guest Speaker: Mr. Moonilal Lalchan Chairman and Procurement Regulator, The Office of Procurement Legislation.

Presented by the Trinidad & Tobago Publishers and Broadcasters Association/

Register here.

Moonilal Lalchan is the Chairman and Procurement Regulator of the Procurement Board of Trinidad and Tobago.

In the past, he has served on the Board of Governors and was also chairman of the Audit Committee of the National Energy Skills Center (NESC), as well as chairman of the Board of Directors of InvestTT Limited and of theEducation Facilities Company Limited.

No stranger to directorship in a number of prestigious firms; Moonilal is a former director and vice-president, finance and planning at the Atlantic LNG Company of Trinidad and Tobago, a former director of several RBC financial institutions and the Hotel Facilitation Company Limited.

With charitable work always close to his heart, Moonilal was a director of the Heroes Foundation and several other charitable organisations, in addition to being a past president of the Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce.

Holding an e-MBA from Auburn University, Alabama, USA and the Advanced Management Program (AMP 165) of Harvard Business School, Moonilal is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Trinidad and Tobago, serving on its council, as well as holding the position of chairman of the Investigation Committee.

As a fellow of the Chartered Association of Certified Accountants of the UK, he has spoken in conferences in oil and gas and financing in the USA, the UK and the Middle East. Despite his vast professional repertoire, Moonilal is a committed family man, who occasionally enjoys music, golf, football and cricket.

What is Public Procurement?

Public procurement refers to the process by which public authorities, such as government departments or local authorities, purchase work, goods or services from businesses.

The scope of goods and services bought by public authorities ranges widely, from large-scale infrastructure and urban development projects, to the acquisition of complex items such as weapon systems, to commissioning of essential public services in the health and social care sector, and to buying common goods such as stationery, furniture, and foodstuffs.

In Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) states, public procurement contracts account for 12% of GDP on average and is a substantial component of the overall economy. Public procurement can be the single most important source of revenue in some sectors, including health and research-related industries, construction and transportation.

Public procurement, therefore, has the potential to influence global supply chains in a positive or negative way. Accordingly, in recent years, public procurement has increasingly been recognized as a means for states to fulfill their human rights obligations and to realize sustainable development.

These requirements entail that public procurement process must ensure that suppliers help prevent human rights abuses from occurring within value chains and businesses contracted by government departments or public authorities, and, in particular, those which carry out service delivery to the general public comply with human rights standards.

Through protecting human rights in the public procurement processes, states: Fulfill their international and domestic legal obligations to protect human rights; Enhance risk management in various aspects.

The primary risk that public buyers must address is that public procurement can be linked to serious harm to individuals; However, there are other risks that public buyers and suppliers must consider, including legal risks, financial risks and reputational risks;

Lead by example and implement requirements that suppliers respect human rights. This will encourage the corporate sector towards the same aim; Create a level playing field for suppliers that strive to respect human rights.