Trinidad and Tobago’s Office of Procurement Regulation (OPR) has issued a formal order suspending the awarding of TT$3.4 billion in public housing construction contracts by the state-owned Housing Development Corporation (HDC), launching a full review of the entire procurement process amid widespread allegations of irregularities. The directive, dated April 14, 2026 and signed by OPR chair and lead regulator Beverly Khan, came just days after opposition figures and a public activist raised formal concerns about the legality and transparency of the multi-billion-dollar award process.
The suspension follows a cascade of calls for investigation led by Stuart Young, opposition Member of Parliament and former prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago, who first sounded the alarm about the contract awards earlier this week. Young went public with a full list of award recipients, leveling serious accusations that most of the firms selected for the large public housing projects lack the relevant experience and financial capacity to deliver the work, suggesting that cartel-like conduct and bid rigging may have tainted the process. Alongside Young, fellow opposition People’s National Movement (PNM) MP Camille Robinson-Regis also publicly pushed for a full review of the transaction.
In addition to opposition pressure, the OPR also received a formal written complaint submitted via attorney Randall Mitchell on behalf of public activist Wendell Eversley. Unlike traditional bid protests from disqualified participants, Eversley’s complaint was filed in his capacity as a concerned citizen, focusing on the legality, ethical propriety and overall integrity of a procurement process that involved hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars. Mitchell confirmed in the complaint that his client was not a bidding participant in the process, and was only acting to uphold accountability for public spending.
In its official statement announcing the suspension, the OPR confirmed the review is being conducted under its statutory authority granted by the amended Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Property Act 2015. The regulator noted it will not issue further public comment while the enquiry is ongoing to protect the integrity of the review process. The OPR’s mandate for the review includes verifying full compliance with the act, its associated regulations, official handbooks and procedural guidelines.
Young responded to the OPR’s intervention this week saying he was encouraged that the regulator had acted on the opposition’s concerns. He emphasized that any form of bid rigging or collusive behavior would not be acceptable when public funds are at stake, noting that the halt was a necessary first step to root out any misconduct. Robinson-Regis echoed that support, framing the OPR’s directive as proof that the nation’s procurement legislation — originally enacted under the previous PNM administration — is working as intended to enforce transparency. She argued that the need for regulatory intervention points to reckless management by the current United National Congress (UNC) government, which campaigned on promises of improved governance but is now facing a major probe into billions in public housing spending. “You can’t promote transparency and then operate in secrecy,” Robinson-Regis noted in a statement.
Phillip Alexander, a minister within the Ministry of Housing, defended the procurement process earlier this week and pushed back on the opposition’s criticism. Reached for comment after the OPR’s announcement, Alexander maintained that the current government has operated in full accordance with procurement law, and argued the ongoing review is itself proof of the government’s commitment to transparency. “Everything has to be transparent and above board,” he said, contrasting the current process with what he claimed was secretive contracting under the previous PNM administration. Alexander expressed confidence that the review will ultimately confirm all awards were conducted properly, noting that any official response to the OPR falls to the HDC leadership, which he expects to issue a public statement in the coming days.
As of Thursday, HDC chair Feeroz Khan had not responded to multiple requests for comment on the suspension and ongoing review.