Oct 30 - GSD Announces New Tendering And Transparency Policies
The GSD this morning announced a set of new policies which aim to establish new levels of transparency and accountability in Government tender and recruitment processes. The GSD says that, if elected, these measures will ensure that taxpayers’ money is spent “with full reasoning and justification.”
At a press conference this morning at the party’s HQ in College Lane, party leader Daniel Feetham explained that the motivation behind the new policies is to “rebuild public trust and confidence” in the manner in which Government operates when awarding contracts and recruiting.
Tendering Department
The GSD proposes the setting up of a tendering department that would oversee the Government tendering process to ensure that all tenders are awarded fairly.
For tenders worth over £5,000, the GSD would place a centrally located and publicly visible secure box for the submission of tender documents. Once the tender date has expired, the box would be opened in public and in front of the tenderers.
A tendering committee would then choose the winning tender on the basis of a scoring system which would take into account various criteria like price, experience and expertise.
The GSD also commits itself to publicly explaining the reasons behind tender awards and all Government-owned companies would have to comply with these procedures.
Minor works will be “distributed fairly across the private sector” and internal audits will ensure that pre-agreed rates schedules are being implemented.
Recruitment
All external recruitment by a future GSD Government would involve advertisements which make clear the terms and conditions relating to specific roles.
For all externally recruited roles with a remuneration package over £70,000, the GSD promises to make a statement in Parliament explaining the reasons behind the decision to recruit a specific candidate.
Speaking this morning, Mr Feetham said: “The system as it exists now is open to many criticisms. It is important that the recruitment process for certain jobs is open, transparent and stands up to public scrutiny.”
GSD Executive Chairman, Trevor Hammond, said it was time to end the culture of awarding “jobs for the boys.” He added that it was necessary to draw a line under the practices of the past “for the long-term good of Gibraltar.”
