Digital transformation is a must - Vaz

WESTERN BUREAU:

Dwayne Vaz, the former member of parliament for Westmoreland Central, is calling for a revamp of the Government’s procurement processes, saying it will result in a smoother flow of transactions. He suggested the implementation of e-signatures, which he noted could reduce the time it takes especially for documents to be signed by multiple parties.

Vaz, an established businessman in Westmoreland, in an address at the recent University of Technology [UTech] Western Jamaica Campus’ annual business conference at Sandals Montego Bay, in St James, said that Jamaica’s present procurement system results in extended times for projects to be completed.

“The public procurement system that we have currently in government is really disgraceful based on where we are now, as sometimes it takes up to a year for our procurement process to be completed,” explained Vaz. “This is the reason why, for the last two years, the Government has not been able to complete the spending in the capital budget. And the capital budget is where we spend money to fix our major roads, fix the hospitals, fix up your schools, and many other large things.”

Vaz said that going the digital transformation route is inevitable given the urgency that is needed to address the procurement concerns.

“When something should be done, I think it must be done as quickly as possible. And we must reform the system in order for us to have an efficient system in our government. This means that digital transformation is a must,” said Vaz. “What we are saying is that we must mandate e-signatures in all ministries and agencies. We must also have a central system for e-signatures where you can have security and authentication of these partner signatures.”

In March 2023, the Public Administrations and Appropriations Committee [PAAC] blamed the Government’s procurement processes for the lack of spending of $6.5 billion in the 2022-2023 fiscal year. The unspent funds had been budgeted for capital projects, including $1.25 billion allotted to the Ministry of Health and Wellness for programmes on the prevention and care management of non-communicable diseases, and $66.6 million for the national HIV/AIDS response.

The procurement process was also blamed in March 2024 for Tax Administration of Jamaica’s delay in occupying two properties in Manchester and St Mary, for which it made $371.8 million in lease payments over three years.

According to Vaz, many prospective business operators are turned off from pursuing their business plans because of the inefficiencies and bureaucratic hurdles they encounter.

“Some of you in here might have started a business or have been to government offices on individual business – and I can say that many businesses and individuals suffer daily because of the inefficiencies in Government and the high levels of bureaucracy that we face every single day. It stifles our ability to grow and compete in the global trading environment,” said Vaz.

“It also creates delays, it causes high levels of frustration, and it also adds additional cost to doing business in Jamaica. We must reform these systems. And what we must do is to abolish or amend any laws and rules that stifle growth and are obstacles for our development in Jamaica,” added Vaz.