Consultancy under scrutiny

One lawmaker has requested from the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) a capability statement for William Pragmatic Limited, the consultancy firm flagged in January by the auditor general for not delivering an operational review and turnaround plan for the teaching institution.

It took the company almost a year and six months to deliver a draft operational review and turnaround plan for the institution, one month after it was highlighted in the auditor general’s performance audit.

The company, registered in Ontario, Canada, is owned by Jamaicans Hodine Williams and Winston Butler.

Eric Hosin, acting chief executive officer at the hospital, said the firm received a deposit of US$90,000 on September 30, 2024, a day after signing a contract with the UHWI to deliver an operational review and turnaround plan.

He had previously said the company was paid half the sum for the consultancy before signing the contract.

However, the auditor general reported that despite being given four months to deliver the turnaround plan, the company only submitted a draft report in February this year, after an audit report flagged the non-submission of the document.

At Tuesday’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) meeting at Gordon House, Peter Bunting said he wanted to see the capability statement from William Pragmatic Limited that informed the decision by the UHWI to choose the company.

A capability statement provides general and specific information about a firm, including its background, experience and areas of expertise that are particularly relevant and compatible to the requirements of the consultancy or tender request.

Committee Chairman Julian Robinson said any contract between the UHWI and William Pragmatic Limited would have outlined deliverables and specific time frames, among other things.

He argued that if there were mitigating circumstances that prevented the company from delivering within the stipulated time frame, then there would have to be something in writing to formally indicate that there was a problem.

Hosin told the committee that the hospital did not receive any written communication from William Pragmatic before February this year.

However, Robinson raised the concern that for more than a year and a half there was no engagement with the hospital.

“This raises many red flags. I want to know the basis on which this company was engaged – they must have had some bona fides; they must have had some experience in this area for them to be engaged in this type of activity.”

Pressed on the matter, Hosin said “the work and the correspondence between the hospital and William Pragmatic was ongoing”.

He added that work was taking place in terms of communication and information gathering.

Hosin said while the company was late in delivering a draft report, there was also a problem on the part of the hospital, as it did not provide them with certain information that the company had requested.

edmond.campbell@gleanerjm.com