The Region Six Regional Democratic Council (RDC) is working to resolve mismatches between its records and a database supplied by the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development for contractors engaged in weeding and cleaning works across the region.
Regional Executive Officer and Clerk of the RDC Ronald Harsawack provided the clarification during the council’s recent statutory meeting, responding to questions submitted by a councillor about the contracts.Harsawack said the contracts were awarded by the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development, but noted that the information supplied by the Ministry did not always correspond with the records held by the RDC.
“So there were some cases where, the database that was supplied by local government we didn’t have matching commencement letters, and vice versa, we had commencement letters but not much matching entries on the database. So as those contractors came in, we sorted most of those matters out to ensure that they got either a contract or they got their commencement letters,” Harsawack said.
The issue was also linked to questions about why some contractors were unaware that they had been awarded contracts. Harsawack said the administration addressed most of the cases as the contractors came forward, ensuring that the necessary contract or commencement documentation was provided.
Asked whether discussions were held with Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs) and community members regarding the maintenance and upgrading of community grounds, Harsawack said he believed such discussions should logically have taken place to identify the upgrades required at the various grounds.
The administration has since been working to ensure that the records and documentation for the contractors are properly aligned.
