Government is to launch its Tender Website over the coming year, to enable contractors to bid for work on a more equal footing.

The Ministry of Works and Engineering completed the Tender Website Requirement document in December and will implement it during the current financial year, according to Permanent Secretary Robert Horton.

The Internet bidding system was announced on Friday by Deputy Premier and Finance Minister Paula Cox in her Budget speech. Ms Cox said: "The further development of a web-based bidding system in the coming year will assist in equal bidding opportunities for all contractors seeking Government work."

Mr. Horton told The Royal Gazette the website would create greater "transparency" in awarding contracts for Government projects.

He said: "All new projects sponsored by the Ministry of Works and Engineering (W&E) must go through a tendering process. In an effort to automate and simplify this process a Tender Website will be developed during fiscal 2009/10.

"This website will monitor and track the procurement of work that W&E must assign to outside agencies. This work, known as 'Contract Services', includes building and engineering contracts, maintenance work and consultant agreements."

Mr. Horton said: "The objectives of the Tender Website are to: assist in ensuring a standard, fair and equitable system of procuring W&E Contract Services; assist in the transparency of the procurement of Contract Services; bring public awareness to the work being done within the Government; and assist in the ability to audit the procurement of Contract Services to ensure that it is aligned with the vision and desired results of the W&E Minister."

He said: "It is also to improve the equity of work distribution to small and developing vendors, and to simplify the existing manual tendering process."

Mr. Horton also expanded on the $1 million allocated in the Budget to graduates of the Bermuda Small Business Development Corporation's (BSBDC) Incubator Programme.

He said the BSBDC advises Government on empowerment initiatives and also assists small business contractors in providing services to Government, quangos, local businesses and the public.

"The BSBDC through the Small Business Construction Incubator (SBCI) programme provides existing small construction businesses and entrepreneurs with dynamic resources, strategies and expert counselling that will make a measurable, positive impact on the performance of their businesses and broaden the pool of professionals upon which the Bermuda Government and quangos can rely for the procurement of construction-related services," said Mr. Horton.

"SBCI participants receive training and experience in a number of areas, including bidding, procurement of services, financial planning, scheduling, organisational planning and the like."

Mr. Horton said the $1 million has been allocated in the Department of Lands, Buildings and Surveys budget for capital major buildings upgrades. The SBCI graduates will carry out small projects and maintenance works, using the "systems, tools, processes and techniques reviewed during the series of SBCI workshops".

"Staff of the BSBDC will assist in the selection of SBCI graduates who will compete for the various jobs," said Mr. Horton.

"BSBDC will provide in-house support and a specific coordinator to assist SBCI graduate participants in dealing with site investigations, measurements, bid assessment, preparation and bid submission.

"It is our hope that with the experience gained in competing for and securing smaller jobs, the participants will grow and thrive as businessmen.

"Participants, who come from every part of the Island, will not have to reimburse Government in any way."

Mr. Horton also commented on the Budget announcement that Government is to second engineers, architects and surveyors from the private sector to assist in projects.

He said: "The Ministry of Works and Engineering has been experiencing considerable difficulty in recruiting qualified and experienced engineers, architects and surveyors in recent years.

"Reasons relate to the fact that Bermuda's private sector offers generally higher salaries in these areas than the public sector, with the result that Bermudians tend to opt for employment in the private sector. Similarly, salaries in these fields have increased tremendously overseas in recent years, with the result that the Ministry can no longer attract contract workers in these fields as easily as it did in the past."

Mr. Horton added: "Bermuda's relatively high cost of living has also become a deterrent for persons from overseas.

"The Government is reviewing the salary scale of professionals in this area in order to attract a wider pool of applicants, Bermudians in particular. Also, we are looking to introduce enhanced and accelerated training programmes to attract Bermudians."