Director of Projects in the Ministry of Finance, Dr. Drexel Glasgow presented a Case Study on the delivery of the Elmore Stoutt High School (ESHS) when he represented the Territory at the Inter-American Network on Government (INGP) Procurement annual conference.

Dr. Glasgow was invited as a speaker at this year’s conference held in the Dominican Republic from October 28 to 29 to present on “Lessons learned from Procurement of Infrastructure in State of Emergencies”.

Dr. Glasgow said, “I was honoured to have had the opportunity to present on the BVI’s experience to an audience from countries that are well advanced in their procurement systems. I was particularly proud to present a Case Study on the delivery of the Elmore Stoutt High School.”

 Dr. Glasgow reflected that the attendees were very interested and keen to learn on the success of the project. He explained that the procurement method was not standard, however it ensured key procurement principles of transparency, fairness and value for money.

Dr. Glasgow concluded his presentation with the successes and key lessons learnt from delivering the ESHS L-Shaped Building. He said the school was completed on time and within the allocated budget. He also coined a phrase which was used as a highlight of the conference - “Be prepared to step outside of the box to achieve outcomes”.

The INGP is made up of 24 countries from the Caribbean, North, South, and Central America. They came together to mark the network’s 15th anniversary under the theme “Public Procurement as a Strategic Tool to achieve Sustainable Development Goals”. The BVI, being a British Overseas Territory, is not a member of the network, but as an observer, has access to the procurement tools and technical assistance provided throughout the network.

The Government is committed to ensuring that procurement of works, goods and services are harmonised with international best practice. To this end, it has undertaken a reform of its public procurement system and is expecting to soon adopt a new standalone procurement act and supporting regulations.

Photo Caption

•  Photograph of Dr. Glasgow and other dignitaries  at the  INGP conference.