The Integrity Commission has concluded that the Jamaica Fire Brigade committed several breaches and did not get the best value for money in its procurement of a payroll software.
The finding is contained in a report tabled on Tuesday in the House of Representatives.
The investigation was launched by the then Office of the Contractor General following an anonymous complaint received on April 25, 2015.
That complaint stated that there was no procurement for the acquisition of the payroll software system and the system was dysfunctional.
In its report, the Integrity Commission says it found that the fire brigade did not receive the best value for money because there was no formal procurement and contract administration record.
It also points to the inability of the payroll system to meet the needs of the fire brigade and the absence of certain terms and conditions in the contract that would facilitate testing of the software, and dispute resolution mechanisms.
The Director of Investigations at the Commission, Kevon Stephenson, says the contract was entered into by the Jamaica Fire Brigade and TurboPay Limited on July 24, 2013, using the Direct Contracting Procurement method.
He says that is permissible given that the company provided the initial software which was being upgraded.
But he says due consideration should have been given to the evaluation of the sole invited bid to ensure its suitability as it relates to the needs of the procuring entity and obtaining best value for money.
Mr Stephenson says there is no evidence to indicate that an adequate needs assessment and due diligence process was undertaken by the Jamaica Fire Brigade prior to and upon receiving the proposal submitted by TurboPay Limited.
He also says he saw no evidence to support TurboPay Limited's assertion that the anomalies identified by the Fire Brigade, in the implementation and operation of the upgraded payroll software system were rectified.
The director of investigations has also recommended that a forensic audit be carried out regarding claims made by TurboPay Limited that it is owed almost US$170,000 in relation to the contract.
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