Tyrone Reid, Enterprise Reporter

The Office of the Contractor General (OCG) has launched its fourth investigation into the affairs of the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) in three years.

Greg Christie, contractor general, told The Gleaner that a high-level team headed by the director of non-construction contracts, licences and permits at the OCG, was sent to the executive agency's Half-Way Tree Road head office yesterday.

Christie added that the seven-member delegation met with Joan Gordon-Webley, executive director of the NSWMA, and her directors to explain the rules of engagement and to start the investigation.

Several reasons

He explained that his office used its discretionary powers to initiate the current investigation for several reasons. Chief among them was an allegation of improper termination of contracts for the provision of sanitation and public cleansing services. "In this particular instance we had at least one allegation of the termination of a contract in a manner that the entity found not to be satisfactory," Christie revealed.

In addition to being the appointed watchdog for the awarding of government contracts, Christie says the OCG is mandated to ensure that the grounds for the termination of government contracts are fair.

The investigators will also assess the procurement practices at the NSWMA.

Gordon-Webley did not return our calls yesterday. Messages were left on her mobile phone and with a secretary at the NSWMA.

Since taking the reins at the NSWMA in November last year, Gordon-Webley has spearheaded an aggressive campaign to clean up the tainted image of the garbage collection company.

Already she has dismissed 23 management-level employees from the agency, which she said was top-heavy.