Public servants gen up on commercial contracts

| 03/12/2015 | 4 Comments
Cayman News Service

Senior civil servants attend a seminar on procurement contracts

(CNS): Government officials improved their knowledge on the issues that can make or break procurement processes and contracts at a recent training session organised by the planning ministry. Alan Jones, the ministry’s chief officer, said contracts were an important part of the procurement process, as he explained the motivation behind the training session. “Every head of department regularly comes across contracts in some form or other, so it’s necessary for us to be able to engage professionally with government and private sector attorneys,” he said.

The three-day seminar last month was organised against the backdrop of government’s increased emphasis on good procurement practices, including the appointment of a Craig Milley as director of procurement and the establishment of a procurement committee earlier this year.

The 36 participants included government lawyers, heads of department and senior staff who regularly engage in negotiations and agreements. Falconbury Training Solutions, a UK-based company, facilitated the session presented by Mark Weston, a commercial lawyer with a major London firm, officials said.

Jones said the session allowed attendees to upgrade their skills or to refresh their existing knowledge. “Our ‘technocrats’ and executive staff have a wide range of legal expertise. The sessions were especially worthwhile as they replicated the meetings that we would have with clients and lawyers. The training will help significantly during the discussion and drafting phases,” he added.

Attorney General Samuel Bulgin commended the ministry for arranging the seminar and describing it as professionally “very rewarding”. He said the issues were directly relevant to matters that confront Cayman Islands government departments daily. “The training seminar was not only very insightful but also very timely,” he added.

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  1. Anonymous says:

    Why also is Government outsourcing these things overseas? Excellent resources exist locally to provide the same training.

  2. Anonymous says:

    How can a UK Lawyer advice on Cayman Islands law governed contracts? This is violation of local law. Let us not forget that an attorney in the UK was disbarred following revelations that he acted as an attorney in the Cayman Islands – advising former chief investigator Martin Bridger’s team on the arrest of Grand Court Justice Alex Henderson – without first having been called to the bar in Cayman.

    The relevant Chief Officer ought to have know this!

    • sharon says:

      10;11 you obviously work in the private sector and have no knowledge of this complex work. Let me explain like you are 5 years old. This course concerns how our government officials manage a contract …For example a contract is awarded for the supply for extra brain cells for 10;11 this course equips civil servants to ensure that 10:11 actually is provided with the brain cells in a timely manner and in accordance with the terms of the contract.

      Civil servants are required to manage multi million dollars contracts and this course equips them to ensure their is no loss of public funds.

      Please no more stupid comments about laws and Bridger didn’t you notice that the government lawyers and attorney general attended the course.

      Stop being jealous of the training giving to our dear civil servants. Come and join the winning team

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