( L - R ) Hay-Webster, Davies

Air Jamaica was on Tuesday brought before Parliament's Public Accounts Committee (PAC) to answer to breaches of the government's procurement guidelines.

Paula Brown, the company's financial controller, was in the hot seat as she attempted to field questions from committee members who sought, in many instances without success, to get answers to a litany of questions regarding breaches of those guidelines.

The breaches are set out in the Auditor General's Report of 2006/2007.

The Auditor General's department charged that, during the financial year, there was no indication that competitive tenders or price quotations were used to procure goods and services costing more than $450 million.

In one case, Marksman Limited was given a contract valued at more than $200 million, without competitive bidding, to provide security services for the airline.

Responding to queries from the PAC, Brown said Marksman Limited was the only local company that had the requisite skills for the task.

"The security personnel that we use have to be aviation security trained and there are a limited number of persons in Jamaica who are so trained," she said.

However, PAC Chairman Dr Omar Davies urged the airline to put its house in order.

"Ms Brown, you need to immediately communicate with the contracts commission to repent for past sins but, even if you seek to have the present situation regularised, you cannot lock in exclusivity and monopoly in perpetuity," Davies said.

Order

The Air Jamaica executive also came under fire after PAC members demanded answers about companies that received contracts without submitting a tax compliance certificate.

However, Brown was unable to provide answers to the query.

This elicited a sharp response from PAC member Sharon Hay Webster, who said committee members felt disrespected when public servants appear unprepared before the committee.

"Any officer of a company, any employee, detailed to come to the Public Accounts Committee, this is the most powerful committee of Parliament so to speak. You need to understand you cannot come here and not be prepared," she contended.

Her comments were supported by Davies, who urged permanent secretaries to ensure that persons who appear before the committee are adequately prepared to field questions from its members.