Contracts will only be handed out through a consistent and fair bidding process, under new rules drawn up by Premier Paula Cox's administration.

Ms Cox yesterday said the new Procurement Office, under her personal watch, would provide transparency and give guidance for quangos such as the West End Development Corporation and Bermuda Housing Corporation.

It comes after numerous complaints over the awarding of Government contracts throughout the past few years, amid allegations some bidders have received favoured treatment.

The Premier told The Royal Gazette new protocols will ensure:

• Government discloses exactly what criteria is required from bidders from the beginning;

• bidders identify conflicts of interest;

• tenders are released to all bidders at the same time;

• reasonable timeframes are set for bids — including time for bidders to ask questions;

• evaluation criteria are consistently applied to all bids.

Ms Cox said such rules were followed for the bidding process for the redevelopment of King Edward VII Memorial Hospital.

She has created the Procurement Office within her own Ministry as part of a pledge to tighten controls on spending, contracts and project management. The office will also be responsible for architectural design and construction formerly in Deputy Premier Derrick Burgess' Works Ministry.

Both Opposition parties said the new office was necessary but questioned how successful it would be.

Shadow Works Minister Patricia Gordon-Pamplin said: "We appreciate the Premier's decision to take charge of contracts and project management through a newly formed Procurement Office.

"It indicates she shares our long-standing concerns about the Government's horrible record in contracting and management of capital projects.

"This area has been the source of multiple scandals costing taxpayers tens of millions of dollars over time — money that could be working today for people facing economic hardship."

Mrs. Gordon-Pamplin pointed to the Auditor General's latest report into a $10 million overspend for the TCD emissions testing centre, after contracts were awarded without tender.

"It is too early to say how effective will be the Premier's takeover of capital contracts and project management," she continued.

"But we are concerned it does not go far enough. Bermuda needs a sharp, clear break from the Government's way of doing business."

She repeated the United Bermuda Party's call for a Contractor General to put an end to "the rumours and allegations of favouritism, cronyism and deal-making that have accrued to the Government over the years".

Bermuda Democratic Alliance spokesman on Public Works Dueane Dill said: "We believe that a Procurement Office is a step in the right direction and look forward to hearing more details. This is not a fix-all however.

"The fact is that there are more than enough checks and balances currently in place to ensure that projects are properly managed — the rules in place have been ignored or circumvented, as was clearly evidenced by the Auditor General's latest special report.

"We need some guarantees that whatever checks and balances are put in place in the new office are followed and ultimately result in the promised tightening of controls on Government spending.

"It is a question of trust. By creating this new office and placing it under her control, it could be a sign that the Premier simply does not trust that contracts would have been tendered or properly managed under anyone else. It is potentially a damning indictment.

"The Premier cannot just try and put past issues behind her and say it is a new day. As yet no one has been held accountable for past errors and the Bermuda people have received no apology. There is a big question outstanding: what will be left for Minister Burgess to do in his Ministry given what has been stripped out?"