Tyrone Reid, Enterprise Reporter

Christie

INVESTIGATIONS INTO the blunder that resulted in the Jamaican Government purchasing millions of dollars worth of ammunition from an unlicensed arms broker in the United States suggest that local authorities might have hand-picked him.

Checks by The Gleaner revealed that the sole source method of procurement might have been used to select Lance Brooks, owner and operator of Taylor and Associates - an arms-brokering business - in Lauderhill, Florida, for the deal that took place in early 2008.

The sole source method of procurement allows a state entity to pick a contractor to supply the goods or services needed, without alerting other contractors by publishing a request for proposal (RFP).

A careful perusal of several monthly news releases from the Office of the Contractor General, detailing contract award recommendations endorsed or approved by the National Contracts Commission (NCC) between July 2007 and April 2008, showed 12 contracts that were endorsed or approved by the NCC for the Ministry of National Security.

Security purposes

The sole source method was used in the selection of most of the contractors for the "procurement of security related items". The names of the contractors were omitted in all but one case. In one instance, there was a notation which said: "Contractor omitted for security purposes".

Contractor General Greg Christie told The Gleaner that any government agency that opts to use the sole source method of procurement for contracts worth $1 million or more must secure the prior approval of the NCC.

Shirley Tyndall, chairman of the NCC, did not return calls to our newsroom, which were intended to establish the kinds of documentary reports the NCC received about Lance Brooks and his company, that led to the endorsement of the recommendation.

Not too sure

Did the ministry and the police conduct the relevant and necessary background checks on Brooks? Jevene Bent, deputy commissioner of police in charge of administration, said: "As it relates to this individual, I am not too sure how much work was done. I don't remember, because there are several persons who we purchase arms from."

A tersely worded statement from the ministry said the Government's procurement guidelines were not flouted by the ministry or the police.

Lance Brooks is a confessed criminal and was not licensed to be exporting defence articles at the time the local police did business with him.

tyrone.reid@gleanerjm.com