The Government has issued a guidance note on the acquisition of goods, services and works in the situation of emergency procurement.

Speaking at a JIS Think Tank on January 8, Chief Public Procurement Policy Officer at the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service, Jovell Barrett, indicated that the guidance note was issued in light of emergency procurement procedures that were necessitated by Hurricane Melissa.

“Now, Jamaica has gone through one of the most challenging periods in our recent history following the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa in October of 2025 and which has created an emergency situation which requires departments, agencies and ministries to respond quickly to effect repairs to buildings, to save lives, and to take action swiftly,” Barrett said.

Notwithstanding the emergency that has been created by Hurricane Melissa, the guidance note issued by the Office of Public Procurement Policy indicates that there is still a need and a duty on entities to remain accountable to the Jamaican people for every dollar spent during this time. 

“There is a requirement for there to be a balance between speed and accountability, and that is exactly what guidance note #2 of 2025, which has been issued to procuring entities, does and outlines,” he said.

The Public Procurement Act of 2015 always allowed for emergency procurement to be done but it was only limited to single-source procurement. The law was amended in 2025 to exempt emergency procurement from the normal procurement methods and processes that obtain in normal times.

The amendment paves the way for more flexibility for procuring entities to choose whatever procurement method they believe is necessary to respond to an emergency situation.

“Guidance Note #2 of 2025 provides the terms and conditions that every ministry, department and agency and local authority must follow whenever emergency procurement is used. We want to bring across that emergency procurement is not a shortcut. It is not a tool to be used for things that are not real emergencies. There must be a real emergency, the law clearly outlines what the conditions are for using the emergency procurement rules,” Barrett emphasised.

He further explained that the guidance note gives Jamaica a modern, transparent and legally sound way to act fast when disaster strikes, and credits the amendment as one of the reasons a quick response was mounted post the passage of Hurricane Melissa.

“We can do this while still protecting taxpayers’ money and integrity of the procurement system. Procuring entities cannot spend money that they have not been appropriated. This is how we rebuild Jamaica quickly, and this is how, so far, we have been able to respond quickly to the crisis that has been created by Hurricane Melissa,” Barrett said.