The Integrity Chamber has submitted its proposal for an improved Vehicle Management Policy for government. The policy is a component of the larger Facility Services Policy, which includes other services such as office space (housing), maintenance, and various IT and office equipment for government use, etc. These processes are sensitive to integrity risks, misconducts or other inappropriate behaviour by management or employees. The misuse of resources can also lead to funds being wasted.
As the Department of Facility Services provides services for all seven (7) ministries within the Government of Sint Maarten, the consequences of the above-mentioned risks can be far reaching. The Integrity Chamber recognizes that a comprehensive Facility Services Policy is an important component within the Government’s integrity infrastructure and by means of this proposal wishes to aid in its enhancement.
For the purpose of the Government Vehicle Management proposal, the Integrity Chamber analysed the existing draft Facility Services Policy together with the Department of Facility Services. The Integrity Chamber determined that certain elements, such as: the importance of a vehicle management policy, the risk areas, determining the demand and availability of vehicles, transparency, accountability, and compliance with Government Vehicle Management, were insufficiently elaborated, or lacking.
One of the recommendations in the proposal is to ensure that all criteria related to assigning government vehicles to the necessary persons, as well as the conditions for the use of the vehicles, are clear to all civil servants and are regularly evaluated. It was further recommended to determine the necessity of government vehicle purchases based on the needs of the government departments and the current available vehicles. Additionally, it was also recommended to carry out the necessary due diligence, such as background checks, (tax) registration, possible conflicts of interest, etc., on all third parties providing services (e.g., maintenance, insurance, etc.) to government.
The Integrity Chamber hopes that by providing the Vehicle Management Policy in the form of a comprehensive proposal it will be easier and more expedient for Government to implement. A proposal to improve Government Housing Management was also previously submitted. The Integrity Chamber would like to express sincere appreciation for the input and involvement of key stakeholders within Government, in particular the Department of Facility Services, and looks forward to further collaboration with Government and its entities.
The Integrity Chamber will oversee the implementation of the proposal, in accordance with the National Ordinance Integrity Chamber. The Proposal on Government Vehicle Management, as well as the previous proposal on Government Housing Management, can be found on the website at www.integritychamber.sx/publications.
