PERMANENT secretary in the Ministry of Health and Wellness (MOHW) Dunstan Bryan yesterday sought to defend the $13.3 million paid to marketing and public relations firm Market Me Jamaica which was outside of contracts already awarded totalling $55 million since December 2016.

Documents released by the MOHW yesterday, chronicling the ministry’s spend on activities relating to the Market Me consultancy, showed that the health ministry paid $13,334,652.00 to the company between March 2017 and July 2020 for services outside of what was agreed upon in awarded contracts.

The released documents follow a demand by the Opposition People’s National Party last week for Minister of Health and Wellness Dr Christopher Tufton to speak on the issue of contracts awarded to the firm, following a series of allegations being circulated across social media that the minister shares a close relationship with one of the principals of Market Me.

The services reportedly provided by Market Me to the MOWH included New Year’s cards for Dr Tufton, consultancy for the minister’s sectoral presentation, Christmas cards, media coverage for MOHW staff sports day, mounting banners for the Kingston City Run, social media hospital videos for Cornwall Regional Hospital, accommodation for a dengue tour, marketing for the minister’s sectoral debate, and social media live updates and photographic coverage services for the Western Regional Health Authority’s dengue clean-up, among other things.

A total of 49 payments, ranging from $10,000 to $1,448,750.00 were made, amounting to the $13.3 million.

“It’s just small activities that the ministry would want to engage in that we just went directly to Market Me as a provider for those services,” Bryan told the Jamaica Observer yesterday when contacted.

“Because of the amount, because it is under the threshold, you can go directly to an entity,” he added.

But according to guidelines outlined by the National Contracts Commission, the procurement method for contract thresholds above $500,000 to $1.5 million must go through a limited tender process where a minimum of three registered contractors must be invited to provide quotations.

For purchases of up to $500,000, the procurement method would be a direct contract in which any contractor can be engaged.

The Observer identified nine instances in which payments above $500,000 to $1.5 million were made to Market Me.

Between March 2017 and July 2020, the ministry directly engaged Market Me, paying $657,000 for Jamaica Moves tents. It also paid Market Me $552,000 for an eight-page World Diabetes Day supplement in The Gleaner.

The sum of $981,000 was paid in March 2018, but the ministry has not explained the payment. It said that the “record [was] not located at [the] time of report”.

In August 2018, the ministry disbursed $1.2 million to the firm for consultancy, public relations and graphics for the launch of the Adopt a Clinic project.

A year later, it paid Market Me $713,000 for marketing the minister’s sectoral debate presentation.

Last month, the ministry paid $1.4 million for COVID-19 billboard advertisements to Market Me and earlier this month $906,000 for production and management services.

A sum of $500,000 was paid for social media live updates and photographic coverage services for the Western Regional Health Authority’s dengue clean-up.

Records could not be located for $2.6 million of the $13.3 million paid to Market Me.

Asked why the ministry’s in-house public relations and marketing team was not asked to execute some of the services, Bryan said that the projects were more than the team could manage.

“We could have [engaged the team] but based on what was happening in the ministry at the time a determination was made to utilise those services. I cannot tell you categorically, but for example now if someone asks the team in PR to do Christmas cards now or Jamaica Independence cards now they wouldn’t be able to do it because of all of the other activities that are occurring.

“So it all depends on what is happening at the time in the ministry. And remember now, we only have a PR team of two. So it’s two individuals for the entire ministry. Remember, the ministry has over 25 different programmes,” he said.

Last week, Bryan disclosed that two contracts totalling approximately $55 million awarded to Market Me between December 2016 and June 2019 were not put to tender.

The 2016 contract was for $15.9 million and in June last year the company was awarded a contract for $39 million for the Jamaica Moves programme.

He also said the first contract was an unsolicited proposal which required direct contracting, and the second contract was a continuation of that arrangement. Bryan also said the ministry had engaged Market Me to carry out its communication strategy for the COVID-19 pandemic.

The minister indicated last week that he had a “great relationship” with the PR firm.

“Yes, I have a great relationship with Market Me. I think they are an amazing company. They have delivered very effectively during my tenure, and I have no difficulty saying that. They work hard and I’ve enjoyed working with them,” he said during a COVID-19 press conference.