SANTO DOMINGO – The World Bank Group recently organized a training on the ‘New Procurement Regulations for Investment Project Financing (IPF) Borrowers’ within the Caribbean region. The training was held in Santo Domingo, the Dominican Republic from May 8, to May 11, 2018.
The Netherlands established the recovery Trust Fund for Sint Maarten following the devastation caused by Hurricane Irma. The World Bank Group was designated by the Netherlands as the Trust Fund manager. This means that Sint Maarten will utilize World Bank procedures for the procurement of goods, services and works financed through the Trust Fund.
In light of this, three (3) Civil Servants of the Interim Recovery Committee (IRC Committee), that will be tasked with the execution of procurement according to World Bank procedures, attended the training on behalf of the Government of Sint Maarten.
The training was conducted by World Bank Group Procurement specialists, with the following objectives:
• Implementation of the first two years of the Bank’s Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers, based on experience of the borrowers with emphasis on how the Regulations have been applied in the Caribbean.
• Explore the new instruments introduced by the Regulations, including the Project Procurement Strategy for Development (PPSD) and the procurement plan.
• Learn about the specific aspects of conducting procurement under the Regulations.
• Preview about the Bank’s new IT platform for procurement.
Approximately sixty (60) delegates were in attendance, representing the Caribbean Region, Latin America, along with member states of Caribbean intergovernmental organizations such as Caribbean Communities (CARICOM) Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility (CCRIF) and the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS).
During the training, the Sint Maarten team utilized the opportunity to gather specific information and best practices related to the Sint Maarten recovery Trust Fund.