Expenditure in Q1 in line with budget, AL committee says

The government spent MOP18.08 billion in the first quarter under the Investment and Development Expenditure Plan (PIDDA), in line with the budget allocation for the period, the Legislative Assembly’s Follow-up Committee on Public Finance Affairs said yesterday.

In a meeting held yesterday afternoon, the committee finalized its analysis of the PIDDA report for Q1 and the centralized management of public procurement.

In the media briefing following the meeting, committee president Becky Song explained that total expenditure in Q1 of this year was MOP18.08 billion, essentially the same as the budget allocated for the period, and noted that spending was in line with the budget.

According to the report, the government has executed 20.6% of the annual budget, with a quarterly execution rate of 77%, slightly lower than that in the same period last year.

After analysis, the committee urged the government to monitor the progress of several projects to avoid an excessive concentration of projects in the second half of the year, which could affect the budget execution rate, Song said.

Meanwhile, the committee noted that three projects had been completed during the period, including the acquisition of equipment for the Faculty of Law’s Center for Empirical Legal Studies at the University of Macau, the construction of a new control center for the Fire Services Bureau at the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge Operations Station, and the construction of temporary sewage treatment facilities in the South Inner Harbor area.

Regarding these three projects, the committee said the government should prepare more accurate and precise budgets and streamline procurement procedures, particularly for projects involving the acquisition of equipment and other high-tech products that are subject to frequent price fluctuations.

The committee noted that the government should procure such equipment closer to the actual acquisition date to avoid resource waste caused by outdated quotations. It also said this would help ensure that acquired equipment remains up to date and prevent unnecessary costs resulting from long gaps between quotation requests and actual purchases.

Regarding centralized public procurement, the committee issued six recommendations to the government. These include reviewing and expanding the list of non-durable goods subject to centralized procurement; formulating technical guidelines or directives to support the implementation of the new Public Procurement Law, which will take effect next month; strengthening staff training on the new procedures; and making better use of technology to estimate procurement volumes.

The committee also recommended establishing an automated electronic notification system to ensure registered suppliers receive open tender information regularly and promptly, as well as allowing the public and business community to access information through the public procurement online platform.

With these measures, the committee aims to help the government save financial resources, acquire the best-value products and services, and allow more suppliers to compete for bids.