Over 200 public servants swot up on anti-fraud measures

(CNS): The Central Procurement Office (CPO) recently hosted a three-day workshop for government entities focusing on contract and procurement fraud prevention. Over 200 public servants from government ministries and statutory authorities took part in sessions that centred on identifying and understanding the vulnerabilities in procurement processes that fraudsters may target for illegal gain and also highlighted numerous measures that could be implemented or improved upon in the battle against fraud locally.

Financial Secretary Kenneth Jefferson said these types of workshops were essential in improving the skillset and collaboration within the public sector. “We want to continue to empower those in procurement to ensure goods and services rendered to the government are the best value for money to the country as a whole,” he said.

During the three-day training workshop, attendees participated in lectures and team-building activities and discussed real-world examples of fraud to improve their understanding of how perpetrators of fraud think and operate. They also engaged with CPO staff and received feedback on various queries relating to the procurement process and the Bonfire online procurement platform.

“This training enables both the CPO and the wider government to further reinforce the integrity of the procurement process,” said CPO Director Taraq Bashir. “We are happy to see such a significant level of involvement from so many entities. Their participation helps to ensure a high level of consistency and efficiency in procurement across the entire public sector.”

The workshop was led by Thomas Caulfield, who has over 45 years of experience in anti-fraud investigation and policy making. Caulfield retired from the US Marine Corps and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and is now a consultant with Procurement Integrity Consulting Services, the company he co-founded.