Emergency procurement guidance keeps accountability alongside speed

Public bodies responding to Hurricane Melissa were reminded on 8 January that emergency purchasing still required accountability. The government’s procurement-policy chief explained Guidance Note No. 2 of 2025 at a JIS briefing.

The account says 2025 amendments widened the methods available for genuine emergency procurement beyond the earlier single-source route. It also stresses that emergency procedures are not a shortcut for ordinary purchases and do not authorise spending money that has not been appropriated.

For suppliers and procuring entities, the development is the official explanation of how exceptional procedures should be used. The news report is not a complete checklist, an approval of a particular contract or a substitute for the governing note and legislation.

Complete official account reviewed. Guidance Note No. 2 and statutory amendments are from 2025; the dated 2026 event is the public explanation. Their full texts and any specific procurement were not independently reviewed.