Nidco gives reminder of procurement practices

The content originally appeared on: Trinidad and Tobago Newsday

Minister of Works and Transport senator Rohan Sinanan. The Ministry of Works and Transport is Nidco’s line ministry. Photo by Jeff K Mayers

THE National Infrastructure Development Company (Nidco) gave members of the public a reminder of some of its procurement processes in a statement issued on March 13.

Nidco reminded the public that it is charged with the responsibility for carrying out the procurement of goods, services and works on behalf of the Government.

The company said to fulfill this mandate, it issues notices of tender on its website and in the daily newspapers to ensure that its procurement activities are executed in a transparent, ethical and effective manner.

Against this background, Nidco said the public needed to be aware of certain things.

The signing of contracts for Nidco’s projects only takes place in person within its offices, overseen by a representative from the company’s legal department.

The collection of cheques only takes place within Nidco’s offices, overseen by a representative of its finance department.

Nidco’s line ministry, the Ministry of Works and Transport, does not issue cheques directly to contractors or suppliers on the company’s behalf.

When projects are ready for execution, Nidco informs the public about this by issuing a public tender.

These tenders are published on the company’s website and in the daily newspapers.

Nidco said the issuance or collection of cheques and the signing of contracts outside of its offices by any individual claiming to be a company officer or agent, is fraudulent and not authorised by the company or the line ministry.

The company added, “We hold ourselves accountable for our obligations and actions to the publics that we serve, and we are committed to managing our operations with integrity.”