The lead quantity surveyor for Urban Renewal's Small Home Repairs (SHR) program, who was tasked with issuing certificates of completion on hundreds of homes repaired under the program, testified before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) during its probe of the program that she was not qualified and was no more than a "rubber stamp" for the project.

The revelation was contained in the PAC's long-awaited report on Urban Renewal, which PAC Chairman Hubert Chipman tabled in Parliament yesterday.

In testimony before the commission on September 17, 2015, Lisa Tucker, owner of the CCMG Consultants Ltd., told the PAC that although she had taken the quantity surveyor course, she was unqualified and employed part time consultants, who were qualified quantity surveyors, to work on weekends as well as on a "as needed" basis.

CCMG was engaged in October 15, 2013.

Tucker was responsible for identifying the defects in houses marked for repair; preparing a budget estimate for those homes; undertaking a site inspection prior to the work and undertaking a final physical inspection to ensure that work has been completed before certification of payment.

The qualifications of these workers were not presented to the committee.

"We are unaware if they were ever presented to the URC (Urban Renewal Commission)," the PAC said.

According to the report, Tucker said in December 2013 CCMG's contract was varied to allow URC to send out its inspectors to inspect homes earmarked for repair in order to set the scope of work and to certify completion.

Tucker admitted that she never satisfied herself that the designated inspectors from URC were properly qualified, yet she signed completion certificates on the basis of "before and after photos" produced by the inspectors without a physical inspection.

"The PAC finds that she did this without regard to the rights or safety of homeowners and occupants of any of these homes, as she must have known that there were potential liability issues with respect to these third parties," the report said.

"The witness admitted to being nothing more that a rubber stamp and claimed she was constantly pressured by staff at URC, specifically Ricardo Smith and other personnel at the Ministry of Works to issue completion certificates without the benefit of having done site inspections for various projects.

"She said that Mr. Smith habitually sat in her office until the certificates of completion were signed."

Tucker told the committee, "I resented all of the pressure being deployed against me by people like Ricardo Smith and I sent an email in protest. I work in an orderly fashion and they expected me to rubber stamp everything."

The PAC report said it is clear in this case that the Bahamian taxpayers and the homeowners concerned did not receive value for money spent.

The committee said the witness appeared "incredibly naive and obviously unqualified" for the task she was contracted to perform.

It said CCMG lacked independence and was directed to approve completion statements for a number of unsatisfactorily completed projects based upon photograph of unverified origin.

Sight visits were not undertaken on a number of occasions to verify the condition of the properties before work was done; to certify the scope of work to be done; to ascertain the reasonableness of the estimates; the qualification of the contractors to do the work; the financial documentary fitness to undertake the project or to physically inspect the work upon completion of the document scope of work to certify completion in accordance with the agreed scope between owner, URC and the contractor.

"As a result of this critical breach in accepted best practice, many projects were completed with dissatisfaction to the property owners," the PAC report said.

"There were also many misunderstandings by homeowners as to the scope of the works to be completed also resulting in dissatisfaction.

"Additionally, projects which did not meet the stated guidelines were completed without regard to the most effective use of public funds.

Royston Jones Jr., Guardian Staff Reporter

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