Attorney General Anil Nandlall has announced that the Government of Guyana will undertake a comprehensive review of the Public Procurement processes, the Procurement Act and the standard form contracts currently used across the public sector, with the aim of strengthening state protections against contractor non-compliance.
Speaking during his weekly “Issues In the News” programme on Tuesday, Nandlall said the review will focus in part on a troubling pattern involving engineers and supervisors assigned to monitor government contracts. He said these professionals appear to be aligning their interests with contractors rather than with the state that employs them, often supporting requests for cost variations instead of resisting them.
Nandlall noted that in many cases, the remuneration of engineers and supervisors is tied to contract variations, meaning they stand to benefit financially when a contract price increases. He said this creates a conflict of interest that must be addressed, as these professionals are paid to police contracts and protect the state, not to facilitate cost escalations.
He added that contractors are currently being rewarded rather than penalized for variations, and that the review will work to reverse this dynamic by making contract provisions more stringent and strengthening the remedies available to the state when breaches occur.
Nandlall also pointed out that the contracts currently in use are outdated and must be revised to align with the International Federation of Consulting Engineers model contracts. He further noted that a recent Caribbean Court of Justice decision on contract law, related to the sale of the Tower Hotel, has added urgency to the review.
The announcement comes amid ongoing scrutiny of public sector project management in Guyana, including concerns about cost overruns and delays on major infrastructure works.
SOURCE: News Source Guyana, “Government to review Public Procurement Processes and Public Procurement Act,” April 8, 2026
