Author: Ross Bachiller

TBLS Lecturer Laura Panades was invited to attend high-level training on avoidance of fraud in public procurement.

Public procurement is the area of the law that regulates the public sector purchases of goods and services from the private sector.

This was an intense 3-day training covering practical aspects on how to detect fraud in procurement.

The training took place on 29 to 31 October at the Hotel Indigo in Grand Cayman.

The event put together hundreds of procurement leaders across the entire civil service, to build expertise across Government.

The event was organised by the Cayman Islands Central Procurement Office, in partnership with the US Association of Certified Fraud Examiners.

Panades is extremely grateful to the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development for sponsoring the training, and the Portfolio of Legal Affairs, for having supported her attendance.

Laura Panades, Lecturer in Law and researcher on Caymanian public procurement, said:

“Avoidance of fraud in procurement is essential to keep building Cayman’s good reputation and outlook.

“This training has enabled me to continue to enhance my contributions with the aim of improving the quality of Government’s laws, policies and procedures through my research.”

FURTHER PRESS INFORMATION AVAILABLE FROM

Laura Panades

Laura.Panades@gov.ky 

TBLS Lecturer Laura Panades has published an update to her research in a leading peer-reviewed journal.

‘Cruising Around the Caribbean – Regional procurement developments’ is the title of the article.

The ‘European PPP and Procurement Law Review’, a leading, international, peer-reviewed journal, has published the article.

Panades is their appointed correspondent for the Caribbean region.

This research is important because it identifies Cayman’s progress in public procurement within the regional scene.

Public procurement is the area of the law that regulates the award of contracts from the public to the private sector.

This is important to maximise the added value of public purchases, as well as avoiding corruption and conflicts of interest.

In this article, Panades concludes that:

‘[T]he Caribbean is managing different problems to modern, Western economies by engaging with the same trends: e-procurement and sustainable procurement. In addition, many Caribbean countries and territories have used legal reform to formalise lessons learned via the practice of procurement.’

This research is important because of the common challenges across the Caribbean.

‘Caribbean countries and territories are highly exposed to common risks. First, their young public procurement frameworks, often less than a decade old, are still being tried and tested. Second, the remoteness and small size of many countries and territories means there are local development preferences, as well as a heightened risk of corruption and conflicts of interest.’

The article can be downloaded via https://doi.org/10.21552/epppl/2024/3/8

The author welcomes further enquiries and is more than welcome to provide electronic access to the full article.

FURTHER PRESS INFORMATION AVAILABLE FROM

Laura Panades

laura.panades@gov.ky

TBLS Lecturer Laura Panades has published her latest research in a leading peer-reviewed journal.

‘Colonial Private Finance Initiative: to what extent did the UK export its public-private partnership model to British Overseas Territories’ is the title of the article.

Private Finance Initiative is the former UK Government type of Public-Private Partnerships.

These are long-term contracts between the public sector and a private sector provider.

Commonly, the private sector would be in charge of design, build, finance, maintain and operate infrastructure assets and related services.

‘The Round Table: The Commonwealth Journal of International Affairs’, a leading, international, peer-reviewed journal, has published the article, which focuses on the regulation of public-private partnerships.

This research is important because it brings together the Caribbean British Overseas Territories as a distinctive group.

Public-private partnerships are contracts between the public and the private sector for the long-term provision of goods, works and services.

PPPs are important because they can lead to resources for citizens which offer good quality at the best price possible.

In this article, Panades concludes that:

 ‘The UK priority in steering the overseas territories towards prudent fiscal management is to avoid mismanagement of public funds and potential bailouts, which would be politically damaging to fund with UK taxpayer money. The sophisticated provision of goods, works and services, and the symbiotic relationships between public and private sector in project delivery that normally drive PPPs are an afterthought. What matters is preserving the fiscal sustainability of its territories. Bank crashes can happen, interest rates can rise and financial fortunes can change. In those circumstances, the UK’s priority is to ensure that its overseas territories’ cash flows, first and foremost, navigate calm seas and fair winds.’

The article can be downloaded via https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00358533.2024.2410546

The author welcomes further enquiries and is more than welcome to provide electronic access to the full article.

FURTHER PRESS INFORMATION AVAILABLE FROM

Laura Panades

laura.panades@gov.ky