By The Star Staff
Faced with a most active hurricane season, the General Services Administration (ASG by its initials in Spanish) brought together government specialists in emergency management and supply acquisition with private sector representatives to coordinate the contracting of supplies and services to respond swiftly to emergencies.
“Experience with previous events has shown us the importance of developing the protocols we will implement in emergencies in collaboration with the private sector,” ASG Administrator and Main Purchasing Officer Karla Mercado Rivera said Monday. “In this way, we ensure that companies have the necessary inventories to meet the needs of the victims and the government is prepared to acquire products and services in an agile and transparent manner.”
At an event, which included the participation of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the island Bureau of Emergency Management and Disaster Administration and the National Weather Service, among others, the ASG presented the processes for making government purchases with the agility, efficiency, and fiscal responsibility that an emergency requires before an audience of 500 participants, including public servants and potential government suppliers.
The agency said it already has 300 pre-established emergency contracts as a result of joining efforts with the private sector.
“The Emergency Contract is one of the tools designed to respond effectively and in a coordinated manner in critical situations,” Mercado Rivera said. “This is one of the mechanisms presented at the Puerto Rico Purchase Summit, which took place at Luis A. Ferré Fine Arts Center, under the motto ‘Puerto Rico Prepares Itself.’”
Through the contract, suppliers interested in supplying products and services to the government are prequalified, and the rates and inventories necessary to respond in an emergency are ensured.
Nearly 300 public servants and 200 representatives of the private sector interested in doing business with the government responded to the ASG call to provide their products and services to the government in an equitable and transparent environment.
The main precontracted items, through the ASG, are heavy equipment, fuel, food, debris removal, among others.
“The more suppliers we have in our records, the greater the access to quality products and better prices,” Mercado Rivera said. “For us, it is crucial to ensure that transactions with the private sector are agile and transparent and to have the appropriate tools to guarantee the health and safety of citizens before, during and after an emergency. For these purposes, we created this training event for the public and private sectors.”
Comments