Planning and Economy Minister Dr Bhoe Tewarie says he will give the Opposition People's National Movement (PNM) one more chance to be part of the Joint Select Committee (JSC) of Parliament to establish proper procurement legislation for the country.

During the post-Cabinet media briefing yesterday at the Diplomatic Centre, St Ann's, Tewarie said he, as chairman of the committee, had not received any official indication from the Opposition regarding its intention to withdraw from the JSC. The minister said he would call another meeting in two weeks.

Tewarie also revealed the list of parties interested in developing a State-owned $1 billion 70-acre spread at Invaders Bay, Port of Spain, has been whittled to three. He said while no contracts have been signed yet, recommendations have been made to, and accepted by, Cabinet.

He said a committee, headed by Economic Development Board chairman Dr Thackwray Driver, has been established to deal with negotiations and have been meeting with the proposed investors over the last few weeks and they are close to coming to a decision.

He added that government has met with some of the other entities that submitted proposals and these organisations had indicated a willingness to invest in other parts of the country.

The Invaders Bay project has, since the first advertisement for requests for proposals (RFP) came out in August last year, come under much scrutiny and criticism from watchdog groups like the Joint Consultative Commission for the Construction Industry, who say the procurement requirements in the RFP were not transparent enough.

Tewarie, however, clarified that the Invaders Bay project asks for private sector proposals in which private sector money is going to be invested for a premium price attributed to the land owned by the State.

"It is not a procurement issue. It is a call for investors to optimise the land at values that will accrue to the best benefit of the people of Trinidad and Tobago, and it is in that spirit we have put out RFPs and gotten proposals," he said.