Middlemen in Public Purchases Draw Chamber Concern

President Sanchez also gave his thoughts on the Ministry of Defense’s repeated decision to employ middlemen for supplies as opposed to buying directly from producers. In many instances, producers are easily accessible and sell at a cheaper rate than the middleman. Sanchez contends that when it comes to spending public funds, the government must always ensure that every dollar is being stretched as much as possible, in the same way ordinary citizens attempt to get value for money with every purchase.

 

Giacomo Sanchez, President, BCCI

“If we have a proper procurement process and I think it could be underscored that it should be price driven, so that at the end of the day, whatever sits in the consolidated fund, we should try to stretch that as much as possible in the manner that every Belizean do at the end of the day with their pocket books. From a global perspective, we need to ensure the proper procurement processes are there and we are getting the best prices. Otherwise it raises questions of any type of shenanigans that might be occurring.”

 

Reporter

“Would these types of practice pertain or persist in a private business?”

 

Giacomo Sanchez

“Absolutely not.”

 

And when we asked BCCI’s executives whether it intends to hit the streets in protest, they explained that discussions are ongoing but for now its impact is best felt and seen through representation around the decision-making tables.

 

Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.

Watch the full newscast here: