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President
of the T&T Chamber of Industry and Commerce Ian Collier
yesterday called on the Caribbean Community (Caricom) to
make regional procurement a reality and stop stifling the
private sector’s ability to participate meaningfully
in the trading of goods and services.
“Regional
procurement must become part of Caricom, the CSM (Caricom
Single Market) and the CSME (Caricom Single Market and Economy)
in the shortest possible time, such that the private sector
can compete on equal terms with other regional private sector
entities for contracts of Caricom governments,” he
said.
Collier was speaking on the topic Procurement—Making
It Work for the Citizens of the CSME at yesterday’s
conference Caribbean Public Procurement, Law and Practice
held at the Hyatt Regency Trinidad.
He said that Caricom governments owed it to the private
sector to make this happen.
Collier said that this country made procurement investments
in Caricom valued at US$4 billion annually.
He said the figure could be expected to increase in the
coming years due to demands of various populations and economies
of the region.
“More
of our tax dollars continue to flow out of the country and
by extension out of the region instead of circulating within.
Fewer and fewer of our capable entrepreneurs and professionals
are able to get a meaningful piece of the pie,” said
Collier.
He added, “And in greater frequency our young talented
minds are finding it more profitable, financially and in
the professional sense, to live outside of the region.”
Collier expressed concern about the ability of the local
private sector to demand inclusion and a fair share if it
was not properly and effectively equipped, trained, experienced,
financed and capable of handling the task at hand. (SN)
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