MIND Hosts Short Procurement Course in June

MIND hosts short procurement course in June

Saturday, 11 June 2011 10:08

Written by JIS

Director for Public Service Capabilities Development at the Management Institute for National Development (MIND), Ann-Marie Smith (right), in discussion with Business Development and Communication Specialist at MIND, Ixesroy Thomas (left), about the upcoming public procurement intervention programme being hosted at the institute. It is being put on in collaboration with the International Procurement Institute (INPRI) out of Washington in the United States of America. Miss Smith and Mr. Thomas were at a JIS 'Think Tank' on June 9 to outline the programme and its rescheduled date.

KINGSTON — A short-course intervention programme is being scheduled by the Management Institute for National Development (MIND), June 27 to 29, to bring public and private sector procurement officers up-to-date on international best practices.

The course, the second such programme, originally planned for June 14 to 16, was rescheduled to accommodate international partner, the International Procurement Institute of Washington, U.S.A.

The change is seen as beneficial to corporate entities who may still wish to register procurement staff, as Government increases its efforts to improve accountability in the procurement of goods and services in the public service.

MIND is the Government’s public sector leadership and management development training institute and, according to the director for Public Service Capabilities Development, Ann-Marie Smith, the institute has been engaged in this type of intervention for some time.

“We’ve been doing that in part through this programme. We’ve also been doing it through our introductory GoJ (Government of Jamaica) procurement and procedures programme, and a lot of other interventions which we have done for select groups within the public sector, and with other partners including the International Law institute and the National Institute of Governmental Purchasing,” she said. The Ministry of Finance and the Public Service is also a critical partner to the programme.

Miss Smith pointed out that public sector procurement is a “hot button” issue, becoming more and more a requirement for public sector officials, because of the stridency of the Jamaican citizenry and the clamour for accountability, prudence, and transparency in public spending.

Addressing the matter of the international partnership, Miss Smith said that it was important for this level of joint venture collaboration, as Jamaica is increasingly gaining recognition as part of the global village.

The International Procurement Institute (INPRI) has worked with Government in the past, in a similar partnership, she noted.

“Even as we invite our international partners to come and work with us, we use that as an opportunity to develop our local capacity and competencies. So, each time that our partners come, we ensure that we have persons here that understudy them who are able to deliver the programmes, sometimes in partnership but, eventually, independently,” she stated.

Business Development and Communication Specialist at MIND, Ixesroy Thomas, who also participated in the JIS Think Tank, pointed out that participants will be exposed to several key areas, including a 360-degree view of international procurement best practices.

He stressed that, though the programme was targeting public sector officers, private sector officers could also register to participate, because the programme is not just about public sector intervention but a wider scope for procurement, locally and internationally.

Participants will be exposed to the basic principles of public sector procurement; state procurement; procurement of goods, works and services; new trends in public sector procurement; electronic government procurement; anti corruption strategies; and private-public partnerships.

By O. RODGER HUTCHINSON, JIS PR Officer