$1.5 million since January, 1999, which did not go out to tender.

Development and Opportunity Minister Terry Lister told MPs yesterday that some of those contracts were eligible to be put out to tender but were not -- "much to my displeasure''.

A further $1.5 million of contracts were put out to tender.

He claimed one reason for this was "a pattern of behaviour'' which the new Government inherited and was now addressing through staff changes at the quango.

"Although several contracts were put out to tender, many were not. Instead, past management negotiated several contracts with known contractors, especially where urgency, knowledge and cost were considered to be of the essence,'' said Mr. Lister.

He said if work was estimated to cost more than $2,000, the West End Development Corporation (WEDCO) was required to get three competitive quotes.

Any project over $50,000 was required to go out to tender.

The new management at BLDC was currently developing a similar procedure.

He said $3.9 million of BLDC contracts worth a total of $12.6 million were not put out to tender in 1998.

In response to questions from Shadow Development and Opportunities Minister Allan Marshall, Mr. Lister said: "These were projects that were in place on election day.

"We were not happy to have a situation over the last year to have put into play $1.5 million out to tender and $1.5 million to tender.

"It was a history at BLDC which we inherited and dealt with by staff changes.'' Afterward, Mr. Marshall told The Royal Gazette : "The issue here is that these contracts were issued without tendering and under the Minister's watch and under a new PLP-appointed board.

"I am happy to see that new guidelines are being implemented, though wonder why this has taken so long to happen.'' Since January, 1999, WEDCO had offered contracts of $1,880,973 for infrastructure, $27,307 for floating docks and $49,000 for sewage tanks for cruisers, all at Dockyard.

In the same period, BLDC awarded 22 contracts, of which seven were put out to tender.