Sections of Ed Bartlett's office at the ministry of tourism Knutsford Boulevard, New Kingston. - photos by Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer

THE NEW Kingston-based headquarters of the Ministry of Tourism spent $8.4 million to retrofit the minister's offices between May 2008 and March 2009, in the midst of the severe economic downturn and significant shortfall in funding for the agency.

In January 2008, months before the completion of this project, Prime Minister Bruce Golding issued instructions for Cabinet to curtail expenditure.

Three months after the completion in March 2009 of the project, the tourism ministry issued a memo to its staff announcing that there was "a 'significant shortfall' in the availability of funds to all ministries and all agencies of government".

think twice

Staff members were urged to conserve, think twice and seek approval before spending the little money the ministry had.

"So far, we did not receive (from the finance ministry) all the cash to cover April and May warrants, and no cash has been received since the start of June," the memo stated. "However, it is my understanding that efforts are being made to provide cash to cover only salaries in June," added the memo, which was signed by the ministry's permanent secretary, Jennifer Griffith, on June 23, 2009.

The memo further advised: "Accordingly, no one is to make any financial commitment on behalf of this ministry before first receiving my specific approval. Given the challenges, I am imploring staff to exercise restraint in the use of the telephone, electricity, paper and other office supplies, since we may not be able to replace same or cover our operating costs."

However, documents obtained under the Access to Information Act (ATI) showed that despite the contracting economy and the severe cutback within the entity, the ministry forged ahead and completed the make-over project.

The ATI documents accounted for only $7.8 million of the $8.4 million the ministry initially said was spent on the retrofitting project.

Ministry officials were unable to say what the outstanding $600,000 was spent on. They subsequently recanted on the $8.4 million figure but were not able to say where the error had occurred.

The official documents revealed that close to half a million dollars was spent on furniture-related items, while approximately $150,000 was spent on blinds for, offices occupied by tourism minister Edmund Bartlett, his two secretaries, as well as his current and former executive assistants.

A brand-new chair was also bought for Bartlett, at an approximate cost of $77,000, as a part of the retrofitting exercise.

The Sunday Gleaner news team began tracking the remodelling project in May 2008 when the National Works Agency (NWA) published an invitation to tender in the May 15 edition of this newspaper captioned "Retrofitting of the Honourable Minister's Suite".

Technical Services

The documents gleaned under the ATI Act also showed that in July 2008, the NWA awarded the project to CP Specialist Limited, at a cost of $3.97million. CP Specialist is registered with the Companies Office of Jamaica.

Checks with the Technical Services Division of the Office of the Contractor General confirmed that CP Specialist Limited was registered with the National Contracts Commission.

The scope of works included the demolition of existing interior structures and the erection of a new ceiling and new partition.

In effect, the third floor of the Jamaica Tourism Centre on Knutsford Boulevard received an 'extreme makeover: office edition' - new floor finishes, new basins and countertops, new doors and windows, new water closets, new wall tiles; painting internally throughout. Plumbing and electrical fixtures were also ordered for the 3,360 square feet of office space.

In August last year, a company was commissioned to undertake "interior design and consultation services for the honourable minister's suite of offices".

Carrole Guntley, acting permanent secretary at the time, advised the operator of Interiors By Design by memo that the quotation of $220,000 had been reviewed and had been considered acceptable.

According to a written response from Berl Francis, senior communications manager at the tourism ministry, the refurbishing was necessary because "the space had been previously occupied by the Ministry of Tourism, Entertainment and Culture. With the portfolio change, it was necessary to reconfigure the space to accommodate new staff requirements in order to achieve more efficient work flow".

air conditioning

Francis also disclosed the $8.4 million expenditure was inclusive of air conditioning and electrical work. This was necessary, she explained, because ministry staff tended to work late at night, and the expense to have central air conditioning, which cools the entire third floor, was exorbitant. So, as a cost-saving measure, the decision was taken to air-condition sections of the third floor occupied by the ministry.

For its efforts, the NWA, project managers of the retrofitting exercise, earned a little more than $422,000.

The official documents also revealed that in March 2009, Jamaica Property Company Limited, owners of the New Kingston building that houses Bartlett's offices, billed the ministry approximately $2.5-million for what was described as "modification of offices".

The company was selected via the sole-source method of procurement.

Steve Sherman, managing director of Jamaica Property Company Limited, told The Sunday Gleaner that the ministry had special air-condition requirements.

"They needed additional a/c units in the minister's office and the boardroom because the central a/c unit that cools the entire building is shut down at particular times," he explained.

When The Sunday Gleaner sought Bartlett's comments, we were told he was travelling abroad and would not return until yesterday. Permanent secretary Jennifer Griffith did not return our calls.

tyrone.com@gleanerjm.com