Govt to tighten up on tender rules: DPM Tharman

Government will tighten tender rules and improve training of procurement officers, Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam said on Monday in response to questions from Members of Parliament (MPs) about tender processes.

Government procurement practices have taken the spotlight recently after controversy erupted in June over the purchase of 26 foldable Brompton bikes by the National Parks Board at $2,200 apiece. The NParks officer involved in the purchase was later suspended and reported to the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB).

Tharman, who is also Minister of Finance, said the tender system is on the whole “sound”, but government will call for more justification for single bids, provide a longer period for low value bids and keep up scrutiny of officers involved in procurement.
 
On handling single bids, the Ministry of Finance (MOF) will require officers involved to justify to the approving authority within each agency why the bid is competitive or reflective of market prices.

For low value projects, government is looking to extend the call for the bids period from four working days to seven working days, he said.

Emphasising Singapore’s stand on anti-corruption, Tharman said the Ministry of Finance will enforce the law on those that do not comply with current procurement regulations.

Majority of lapses in procurement is not due to lack of regulations but because some officers do not follow the rules, he explained.

Such officers have been either warned or reprimanded, and government will not hesitate to enforce the law regardless of rank or status, Tharman stressed.

When asked by MP for Pioneer single member constituency Cedric Foo on whether competency of officers was a problem and whether a specific career track for procurement officers would be considered, Tharman acknowledged that competency was sometimes an issue, together with high rotation and attrition of officers.

Hence, the finance minister said, government is looking into training more officers, checklists for procurement and, as mentioned by Foo, a career track for the officers.