As Trinidad and Tobago prepares for the 2025/26 budget presentation on October 13, the Joint Consultative Council (JCC) has issued an open letter to Finance Minister Davendranath Tancoo, emphasizing the critical need for accountability and transparency in public procurement. The JCC highlighted the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Property Act, enacted in 2015 under former Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, as a transformative tool for ensuring responsible use of public funds. However, since its implementation in April 2023, the Office of Procurement Regulation (OPR) has reported uneven compliance across public sector agencies. Notably, the Ministry of National Security, which received nearly $7 billion in the last fiscal year, remains among the top non-compliant entities. The JCC stressed that such lapses risk eroding public trust and undermining the safeguards the Act was designed to establish. The Tobago House of Assembly (THA) has also been flagged for serious non-compliance. With budget discussions underway, the JCC urged the government to demonstrate decisive leadership by ensuring all public bodies adhere to the Procurement Act, thereby restoring confidence in the management of national finances.