The Integrity Commission has rapped the National Insurance Fund (NIF) for failing to adhere to evaluation and qualification criteria specified in bidding documents, in its assessment of five bids which were submitted for a multimillion-dollar contract for quantity surveying services at a property in Windsor Road, St Ann’s Bay, eight years ago.

The commission says as a result of this deviation, the award of the $6.3-million contract in December 2015 in contracts by the NIF to Michael Robinson Associates lacked fairness, impartiality and transparency.

The commission’s director of investigations Kevon Stephenson, in a report tabled in Parliament on Tuesday, noted that although the request for quotation only required the submission of a copy of tax compliance certificate, copies of professional qualification, a copy of Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors registration, a cost for methodology services form — which was not required — was used as a selection criterion at the evaluation stage for the contract.

The commission said the NIF failed to provide clear instructions in the evaluation criteria which would be utilised to assess the bid submissions. Michael Robinson Associates was the second lowest bidder. The other bidders were Goldson Barrett Johnson, $5.9 million; BGW Cawston and Partners, $ 6.7 million; Burrowes and Wallace, $ 7.1million; and Neville Mills and Associates, $7.5 million

“Having regard to the lack of clarity concerning the cost methodology for services form, the director of investigations finds that the award of contract by the National Insurance Fund to Michael Robinson Associates lacked fairness, impartiality and transparency,” Stephenson concluded.

Furthermore, as it relates to the failure on the part of the NIF to commission an evaluation committee to evaluate the bids, the entity breached the Government procurement guidelines, the commission said. “The director of investigations is of the view that the foregoing breach materially compromised the entity’s ability to ensure fairness, impartiality and transparency in the procurement process,” the report stated.

A tender evaluation report showed that the NIF used the limited tender procurement method for the quantity surveying services. The reason given by the director for real estate at the NIF, Ludlow Bowie, was that the selection was made as the entities were registered, qualified chartered quantity surveyors, with at least 10 years’ experience. “Mr Bowie further advised that the ‘procedure that was used in the selection of the five quantity surveyors relates to their relevant experience and qualification’,” Stephenson said.

Among the recommendations from the commission’s director of investigations were that the procurement officers at the NIF strictly observe provisions in the Government’s public procurement handbook by ensuring that only the evaluation and qualification criteria specified in the bidding documents are applied.

Stephenson further urged the NIF to refrain from using terms which are not expressly outlined in bidding documents as part of its evaluation criteria and assessment of bid submissions in the award of contracts.

— Alphea Sumner