Premier Paula Cox has vowed to crack down on unethical behaviour by tabling new legislation allowing Government to ‘follow the dollar’.Ms Cox said extra efforts will be made to ensure vendors, contractors and groups receiving grants are using Government money the way it’s intended to be used.It follows repeated claims nothing was being done to make sure cash is being spent appropriately, particularly under the Premier’s predecessor Ewart Brown.In one high-profile example, Dr Brown’s political ally Andre Curtis was able to spend tens of thousands of taxpayers’ dollars earmarked for Faith Based Tourism on personal items.At a press conference yesterday, Ms Cox suggested such actions will become a thing of the past with the second phase of Good Governance legislation being put together by the new Office of Project Management and Procurement.A new offence of collusion will also be created to stop people trying to collude with public officials to gain advantage while bidding for contracts; and legislation focusing on conflicts of interest and protecting whistle-blowers will also be stepped up.Telling the media the legislation will be tabled in the next session of Parliament, Ms Cox said: “The bill will further enhance good governance and transparency and will further underscore the message that this Government adheres to the high standards of ethical behaviour: transparency and accountability, fairness and equity, efficiency and effectiveness, respect for the rule of the law.”Ms Cox has previously been criticised for not using the powers already available to her as Finance Minister to sanction civil servants who fail to abide by Financial Instructions.Auditor General Heather Matthews has condemned a lack of oversight in Dr Brown’s former Tourism and Transport Ministry, and pointed out Ms Cox has the power to bring charges against any Government officer responsible for improper payment of public money.But Ms Cox has repeatedly stated her intention to improve Government’s record on accountability, and last summer introduced the first Good Governance bill, which outlaws non-compliance of Financial Instructions, protects whistle-blowers and strengthens the authority of the Internal Audit.Yesterday, Ms Cox also told the media how the procurement office, which was set up under her personal watch, is rewriting the rules on contract distribution to give smaller companies a better chance of competing for deals.She said currently big firms have a head start because most of the evaluation process is based on cost and experience.However, cost will now become less of a factor, while fledgling companies will be able to provide references about their general competence so their lack of experience won’t work against them.More weighting will also be given towards firms with Bermudian staff, particularly those with training programmes.The Premier said small businesses have already begun to take advantage, with some being invited to tender for the supply of windows, doors, flooring, painting, plastering and plumbing.Six small contractors are employed on the Co-Ed project, she said, including one small businessman who until that point had to lower his hourly rate to accommodate the general contractor.Another small contractor is building a custom unit in the Supreme Court, and a tender is currently out for furniture for Lefroy House.She said Government is also trying to spread the wealth by evaluating contracts for goods and services common across all Government departments, such as paper, vehicle tyres, maintenance and toner.The new procedure could see individual departments hiring different suppliers, instead of one contractor getting them all, she said.“In this challenging environment, these changes will benefit a number of suppliers, particularly small businesses while ensuring that Government is obtaining the best value for money,” said Ms Cox.