SINGAPORE : Singapore's Finance Ministry has spelt out in detail the approval powers of officers, starting from the Permanent Secretary, for contracts for their respective ministries.
Spelt out in the Government Contracts (authorisation) Notification 2011 in the Government Gazette, the regulations emphasise that Permanent Secretaries can approve all contract sums.
In the case of some
other ministries, both the Permanent Secretary and the Deputy Secretary
have powers to approve all contract sums.
But for others, there
are caps to the amount the Deputy Secretary can approve and the amount
decreases as it goes down the line of approving officers.
Taking the example of the Transport Ministry, the Deputy Secretary can approve contracts not exceeding S$10 million.
In the Ministry of Defence, the Deputy Secretary can approve contracts not exceeding S$30 million.
In
the case of the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports,
the Deputy Secretary can approve contracts not exceeding S$1 million.
The
system of approving government contracts came under scrunity following
the discovery of a nearly S$12 million fraud at the Singapore Land
Authority.
Following intense investigations, similar fraud cases
committed by the same suspects charged were also uncovered at the
Intellectual Property Office of Singapore and the Supreme Court.
- CNA/al