OPR Findings Expose Weak Vetting in HDC’s $3.48 Billion Housing Programme

Housing Minister in the Ministry of Housing Phillip Alexander defended the HDC’s $3.48 billion housing programme, saying contractors were pre-qualified through the OPR registry and checked further before contracts were signed. But an OPR inquiry found problems with supplier selection, financial vetting and funding arrangements, and Alexander did not explain why the HDC cancelled the procurement on June 17.

The Office of Procurement Regulation has found multiple procurement breaches in the HDC’s cancelled $3.4 billion housing programme, saying limited bidding was not justified and contractor vetting was weak. It also questioned missing evidence of financial capacity, a sharp score change for one bidder, and how contracts were awarded. The report said the programme still involved public funds because the homes were to be built on public land.

An Office of Procurement Regulation inquiry found the HDC pushed ahead with a $3.48 billion housing programme despite weak checks on contractors’ finances, technical capacity and funding, including one supplier flagged as insolvent. Former housing minister Camille Robinson-Regis said the findings show taxpayers were exposed to major risk, while the report has renewed scrutiny of procurement oversight in Trinidad and Tobago.