Open A - Panel: Public Procurement: Emerging Models of the Late-comers 15:00 - 16:30 Tuesday, 1st September, 2020 Track Open A

208 Caribbean public procurement: emerging models of the late-comers

Andrei Bennett1, Pastora Brown2, Paula Cox3,4, Harjinder Jutle5, Laura Panades-Estruch6,7, Robert Tatum8 1Ministry of Finance and Planning, Kingston, . 2Office of Procurement Regulation, , . 3Former Premier of , Hamilton, Bermuda. 4Office of Project Management and Procurement, Hamilton, Bermuda. 5Ministry of Finance and Economic Management, Brades, . 6Cayman Islands Law School, George Town, . 7University of Liverpool, Liverpool, . 8Central Procurement Office, George Town, Cayman Islands

Abstract

Public procurement scholars are familiar with modern, well-developed and fully-fledged frameworks. Emerging frameworks have attracted less attention. This panel examines comparative public procurement law in the Caribbean. Public procurement frameworks have been implemented only in the past decade to tackle the mismanagement of public resources, unsustainable public finances and perceptions of high corruption. The panel’s goal is the first step in publishing an edited book. The aim is to assess emerging models of public procurement in the Caribbean. This is a geographically and gender-balanced panel. Speakers will present national case studies covering the issues below:

Country profile Public procurement sources: law, policy or both? Main influences Main challenges in setting the framework; how they were overcome. Greatest shortcoming and proposed reforms to address it.

Wide literature gaps remain. The closest references are OECD reports on the wider Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) region. Comparative approaches are wise because of the common market challenges these jurisdictions face. The majority are offshore jurisdictions that rely on financial services and banking as major productive sectors. Limited, if any, natural resources and poorly diversified local industries create small, remote territories whose markets are extremely dependant on international trade. A number of countries apply high tariffs (i.e. Bermuda, Cayman and Montserrat). These countries have high government spending and significant public-sector employment yet offer little social welfare. Government spending was 31% of GDP in the LAC region, compared to 41.5% in OECD countries (2014). LAC public employment represents 10.7% of the total labour force in 2010 versus 15.3% in OECD countries (2010). Introductory remarks of 2 minutes begin the session. Each speaker will have 10 minutes. Q&A breaks of 10 minutes are planned for speakers 1 and 2, then 3 to 5. A final 15-minute debate and 2 minutes for panel closure end the session.