• Two CIG staff members presented their expertise at a leading UK conference.
• Law lecturer Laura Panades, who chaired a panel, and CIG Procurement Manager Robert Tatum took part in the annual conference of the Society of Legal Scholars.
• The four-day forum hosted studies in 27 areas of law.

Grand Cayman (GIS) – Two civil service officers shared their expertise at a global law conference recently.

            Truman Bodden Law School LLM Course Leader, Ms Laura Panades chaired a panel at the Society of Legal Scholars four-day conference which featured a presentation from Cayman Islands Government (CIG) Public Procurement Manager, Mr. Robert Tatum.

            Held as a virtual event this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, the society’s annual highlighted event brought together global legal lecturers and researchers to share expertise and studies in 27 areas of law.

            The society, a UK entity with charitable status, melds together 110 years of history and its now 3,000 members.

            Ms Panades chaired a panel that considered ‘Caribbean Public Procurement: Emerging Models of the Late-Comers’ and featured national case studies from across the region. Mr. Tatum discussed the strengths and challenges of public procurement in the Cayman Islands.

            “Public Procurement is in the spotlight in a majority of Caribbean countries to make sure public money is well spent. The last decade marks extraordinary regional efforts to implement international standards and principles. Smallness, remoteness and similar market challenges bring opportunities for Caribbean countries to learn from each other. At the same time, each country should tailor procurement to its own local culture, and pick those practices that work best for them,” Ms Panades explained.

            She commented, “This panel has improved my skills as an academic, which will benefit our students at the Law School. Chairing the panel has been a great opportunity to learn about what other Caribbean countries are doing and what Cayman can learn from them.”

Law School Director Mr. Mitchell Davies said: “Ms Panades’ panel passed scrupulous scientific scrutiny from the conference organisers. Her involvement is further evidence of our achievement of World Class skills, within our Law School and the wider civil service.”

Procurement Manager Tatum commented: “Being a part of the panel was a great opportunity to highlight our strengths in public procurement and possibly even more importantly, to take a closer look at our challenges. Continuous improvement requires the type of open and honest discussions that these conferences encourage.”