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JSIF’s Procurement Unit is audited throughout each year.
Audits are conducted by JSIF’s Internal Audit Unit, the Auditor
General’s Department, the World Bank, the EU and the CDB.
Once a project is advertised in the media, the Office of the
Contractor General usually requests information on the project
from its inception to completion. In addition, JSIF conducts an
annual independent audit undertaken by a competitively hired
audit firm and the findings are published in the company’s
annual report which is available on the Fund’s website.
Based on the experience and reputation JSIF has developed
over the years with both local and international stakeholders,
the Fund has been engaged by other Government and some
private sector entities through the signing of Memorandum
of Understanding (MoU) to procure services and manage
contracts on their behalf. This has led to JSIF’s Procurement
Unit engaging in the procurement process from start to
completion for these entities. JSIF has also provided technical
support to other government entities who believe they can
benefit from the experience and expertise of JSIF’s Procurement
Unit regarding procurement best practices.
Contract signing for the rehabilitation of water systems and roads.
The JSIF Procurement Unit prepares a variety of contracts,
some of which are standard while others are specific to
JSIF. These include Community Agreements and Financing
Agreements. Contracts are prepared for Consultants to provide
Formulation and Supervision services for infrastructure
projects, for Contractors to construct infrastructure projects,
for suppliers to provide equipment, for social projects, for
Financing Agreements with Community-Based Organizations
(CBOs) and for Community Agreements with CBOs. It
should be noted that one project, such as the construction
of a classroom block for a school, can result in as many
as seven (7) contracts, namely with a Consultancy Firm to
provide design/formulation and supervision services for the
expansion of the school, a Contractor to build the classroom
block, suppliers to provide classroom furniture, and if a kitchen
is renovated, equipment for the kitchen, a Financing Agreement
with the Parent Teachers Association (PTA) or Community-
Based Organisation (CBO), a Community Agreement with the
school’s PTA or CBO to contribute to the school expansion and
contracts for social intervention projects as required, to ensure
that the PTA or Community-Based Organization is trained
regarding maintenance of the facility. These contracts all have
different requirements for the persons / companies submitting
paperwork to be considered for employment and there are
varied timelines and procedures that must be tracked for the
life of each contract, all which have to be monitored.
All members of the Procurement Team work on projects from
all funding Agencies and the GOJ. The Procurement and
Evaluation Officers can be working on over ten (10) projects
all at different stages in the procurement process, depending
on the different portfolios and procurement plans. The team
members have to be efficient in performing their duties and
must develop the relevant skills to prioritize and manage their
time, as anywhere between 20 to 80 contracts can be required
to be prepared and signed in any given month. During the last
three years, the Procurement Unit has prepared approximately
1,340 contracts valued at approximately JMD$4.0B.
JSIF Procurement Team continues to play an integral role
in ensuring that JSIF achieves its objectives and fulfills
its mandate, which is to facilitate the empowerment of
communities and assist in building national capacity to
effectively implement community-based programmes aimed at
social development.
Project plaque for the Ocho Rios Primary School project.
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