Bermuda Government contracting is a bit wobbly, with allegations that contracts have been awarded to companies against the recommendation of Ministries’ own officers combined with poor performance and oversight. The new Berkeley Institute is case study 101, and it’s still unfolding years after the school was opened.
So it’s no wonder that the Opposition is asking lots of questions about the contract for the new $78 million courthouse.
It is sad that Government’s legal consultant has no problem that ownership of the contractor is partly concealed by a trust. He says it’s OK “if only to avoid snoopy journalists finding out who owns the company.”
Way to go with the commitment to transparency!
Government contracting rules elsewhere typically require that beneficial ownership of contractors be revealed to prevent conflicts of interest or the involvement of debarred contractors/individuals.
Indeed, transparency in government contracting has been one of US President-elect Obama’s hot buttons. He co-sponsored a bill that forced all US Government agencies to publish data about their contracts online, as well as a pending bill that will force them to publish the entire contracts.
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