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AGO issues rules for govt contract review
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Posted on Jun 06 2006
The Attorney General’s Office has told government agencies to wait for the processing of their contracts, as no contracts will be reviewed on an expedited basis unless they concern a genuine threat to the Commonwealth’s safety or welfare.
The AGO issued procedures for the processing of procurement and personnel contracts in an apparent move to get requesting agencies off its back.
“It has again begun necessary to remind all agencies to permit sufficient time for the Office of the Attorney General to review your procurement and employment contracts. Although we try to ensure that all contracts are reviewed in a timely basis, we are not always able to complete our review immediately. Therefore you should allow up to 10 business days for contract processing,” the AGO said.
The government’s legal office also said that it would not expedite its review of contracts “unless the subject matter of your contract concerns a genuine threat to the health, safety or welfare of the people of the CNMI.”
In addition, the AGO complained about increasing requests for contract documents that had already been reviewed by the AGO or had been misplaced by other agencies. “This is a time consuming process and results in delays in processing for all contracts,” the office said.
Furthermore, the AGO said it would only answer legitimate inquiries made by agencies on the status of contracts. Inquiries made by contractors or other third parties will not be entertained.
Government agencies were also told not to submit contracts for review, until they are complete.
