THE PRIME MINISTER CLEARS UP THE CONTRACT ISSUE

The following statement was issued by the Office of the Prime Minister on 8 April 2025:

The Office of the Prime Minister has completed a review of the decision-making process and the timelines related to the publication of a list of contracts concluded with various vendors in accordance with the Public Procurement Act. The Prime Minister has taken note of the public discussion surrounding a particular allocation included in the published list.

Contrary to the Opposition’s claims of improper motive, the Prime Minister is satisfied that no improper intent or malfeasance occurred.

An administrative error resulted in the inclusion of a contract and a specific allocation that had, in fact, been paused by the Prime Minister prior to the publication of the list.

By way of background, there was—and remains—an urgent need for public works in Grand Bahama. An international financial organization had settled a prequalification amount with a particular vendor, and the matter proceeded from there toward a conclusion. Upon this being brought to the Prime Minister’s attention, he instructed that the matter be set aside for further review. Unfortunately, that instruction was not reflected in the list that was subsequently published, which has led to regrettable confusion.

The model of the vendor in question is that of a project manager. As such, the allocated funding would not have gone to a single contractor but rather to several contractors operating in Grand Bahama.

The public is reminded that the Public Procurement Act provides for the single sourcing of contracts under certain conditions.

The review by the Office of the Prime Minister is ongoing, and once it is complete, a statement outlining the revisions will be shared with the public in accordance with the Public Procurement Act.