Improving contractors and suppliers’ capacity to effectively respond to bidding opportunities was the centre focus when the RDA held its first Procurement Workshop for 2023 on Virgin Gorda.
A clear illustration on the bidding process and the processes involved in bidding for contracts was outlined to the contractors and suppliers, as well a new topic; the Grievance Redress System was introduced.
The RDA’s Director of Procurement Mr. John Primo led the one-day session on 8 February, 2023 at Village Café & Restaurant, Virgin Gorda which featured presentations on ‘Compiling a Winning Tender’, ‘Tips for Bidding’, ‘Responding to the Evaluation Criteria’ and ‘Grounds for Automatic Disqualification’.
In welcoming attendees to the workshop Mr. Primo said, “I am pleased that you have invested your time to come here today to become familiar with the RDA’s tendering procedures.”
The Procurement Director added that this is the forum where contractors and their competitors find common ground to ask relevant questions, share their experiences, and receive real time feedback on any burning issues, procurement or construction related, that they may have.
Procurement Officer Nioka Anderson led the Common Errors in Tendering presentation which listed the grounds for disqualification and Community Liaison Officer April Glasgow introduced the RDA’s Grievance Redress System.
During her presentation, Ms. Glasgow highlighted the GRS as a system that not only provides community members with formal procedures to lodge complaints, but also to protect contractors through a process that encourages transparency and accountability.
Workshop participants stated that the material was clearly presented, informative, and the concepts learned will help them better prepare for tenders and proved beneficial to their company.
One representative of a particular firm added, ‘The Technical Evaluation Matrix is a great guide as I now understand what is expected from contractors.’
This is the fifth workshop to be held on Virgin Gorda from a total of 14 workshops conducted Territory-wide by the RDA.
The RDA Procurement Workshop is consistently supporting the Virgin Islands Recovery and Development Agency’s overarching goal, to deliver on its mandate to execute recovery projects, build capacity and philanthropy.
