August 31, 2026
PPC says no submission relating to procurement of firm to design proposed 100-bed mental health facility was ever submitted
Written byNatalie Campbell
The Public Procurement Commission (PPC) says no submission relating to the procurement of a firm to design the proposed 100-bed mental health facility at Bellevue Hospital was ever submitted for review or approval.
It says this was confirmed following a comprehensive audit of its records.
The commission issued a statement today, in response to media reports about delays in the procurement process for the proposed mental health facility.
The PPC says it considers it necessary, in the interest of accuracy and public confidence in Jamaica’s public procurement system, to clarify the record.
It states that having not received a submission, it could not have returned it for re-evaluation or otherwise caused any delay in its consideration.
The commission says it takes seriously its responsibility to exercise effective oversight without unnecessarily delaying the procurement of goods, works and services required by the public.
The PPC states that data from the Finance Ministry demonstrate that a substantial portion of the time in the public procurement lifecycle, occurs during the project scoping, drafting of requirements, internal bid evaluations, internal procurement committee review, and head of entity approval stages of the procurement cycle.
It points out that all of these stages are managed entirely within procuring entities, before qualifying submissions which are recommendations for awards exceeding $60 million are submitted to the PPC for review and approval.
The PPC explains that where a submission is complete and all information necessary to make a determination has been provided, the PPC maintains an average review turnaround time of 1.7 weeks which is less than 2 weeks.
It says its performance therefore does not support the perception or suggestion that its review process is responsible for any prolonged delay in public procurement.
The commission is also clarifying the suggestion that procurement submissions are simply “returned” by the PPC.
It explains that where a procurement recommendation is submitted to the commission and it is unable to approve it, the procuring entity is advised in writing of the reasons for the commission’s decision.
It states that this ensures transparency and accountability in the exercise of the commission’s statutory oversight function and enables the procuring entity to address any deficieny identified.
The commission reiterates that no submission concerning the procurement of a firm to design the proposed 100-bed mental health facility at Bellevue Hospital was ever presented to the PPC for approval.
It states that any delay associated with that procurement cannot, therefore, properly be attributed to the commission’s review or approval process.
The PPC says it recognises the urgent public interest in improving the infrastructure and services available at Bellevue Hospital and remains ready to consider expeditiously any procurement recommendation that may properly come before it.
