{"id":11308,"date":"2019-12-05T11:45:16","date_gmt":"2019-12-05T16:45:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev?p=11308"},"modified":"2019-12-04T10:03:02","modified_gmt":"2019-12-04T15:03:02","slug":"senator-no-apologies-for-deals-wasted-7m","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/senator-no-apologies-for-deals-wasted-7m\/","title":{"rendered":"Senator: ‘No Apologies’ For Deal’s Wasted $7m"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Opposition\u2019s health spokesman yesterday said it \u201cmakes no apologies\u201d for handing an $18m contract to a vendor threatened with \u201cfar-reaching consequences\u201d by the Public Hospitals Authority (PHA).<\/p>\n

Dr Michael Darville, rushing to the defence of the Christie administration\u2019s \u201caggressive healthcare agenda\u201d, blamed the present government\u2019s \u201cstop, review and cancel policy\u201d for the failure of the integrated healthcare management system (iHMS) deal awarded to Allscripts Healthcare Solutions and its partner, Infor Lawson.<\/p>\n

The Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) senator, who was present when the Allscripts contract was signed in 2016, sought to justify the former government\u2019s actions by saying that \u201cthe experts recommended\u201d the US-based publicly traded company \u201cas the number one choice\u201d for the data-driven transformation of the Bahamian public healthcare system.<\/p>\n

But Catherine Weech, the PHA\u2019s managing director, told Allscripts in an August 13, 2018, letter it \u201ccan find no evidence\u201d to show the US firm had \u201cinstalled a single operating platform on any desktop device\u201d in the two years following the contract\u2019s award despite being paid $7m by the Bahamian taxpayer.<\/p>\n

The letter, which has been obtained by Tribune Business, adds further weight to assertions by Dr Duane Sands, minister of health, that millions of dollars belonging to the Bahamian people has been squandered on a deal which has delivered zero value for taxpayers and patients alike.<\/p>\n

Mrs Weech, writing to Allscripts\u2019 president, Alan Fowles, put the Nasdaq-listed company on notice that the PHA and government intended to \u201cdecertify, and possibly rescind\u201d the integrated healthcare management system contract unless the two sides could \u201cre-negotiate terms of a mutually acceptable solution\u201d by August 22 last year.<\/p>\n

Dr Sands\u2019 revelation to Tribune Business that legal action is likely imminent indicates that the Government, some 15 months later, is now prepared to exercise the options set out by Mrs Weech in August 2018 \u2013 a 60-day notice to Allscripts to cure its alleged contractual breaches, followed by termination of the deal and a demand for \u201ca full refund\u201d of sums already paid.<\/p>\n

The PHA managing director accused Allscripts of leaving the taxpayer-funded healthcare provider with \u201ca staggering increase in implementation costs\u201d by failing to stick to the terms agreed in both the contract and tender process, with one-third party vendor alone responsible for more than $1.5m in undisclosed expenses.<\/p>\n

Noting that Allscripts had failed to address the concerns set out by her predecessor, Herbert Brown, more than one year before she wrote to it, Mrs Weech said: \u201cWe submit that the PHA has endured what can only be described as a silent indifference to its plight.<\/p>\n

\u201cFurther, not only do we have difficulty in accounting for the PHA\u2019s almost $7m in payments but we feel that the constant demands for outstanding receivables are unjustified. We can find no evidence or documentation which would support the notion that a single Allscripts module, integration or basic operating platform has been installed within our data centre or on any desktop device.\u201d<\/p>\n

A position paper sent to the PHA\u2019s Board of Directors, which was updated on September 13 last year, suggests that up to $9.1m may have already been paid to Allscripts and Infor Lawson even though Dr Sands branded the contract as \u201ca bust\u201d and said it had \u201ccrashed\u201d.<\/p>\n

This sum, which is higher than the $7m referenced in Mrs Weech\u2019s letter, was said to have been split into $6m for software, licensing fees, implementation charges and project management fees related to Allscripts\u2019 platform. The $3.1m balance relates to computer hardware, software and infrastructure upgrades said to have been required at the PHA\u2019s data centre.<\/p>\n

Mrs Weech, meanwhile, urged Allscripts to supply the rationale for demanding \u201csupport and maintenance fees\u201d from the PHA given that no element of the integrated healthcare management system was implemented or functioning.<\/p>\n

While \u201cthe majority of such unresolved issues\u201d occurred before the Minnis administration took office in July 2017, appointing the present Board and management team, Mrs Weech \u201cimplored\u201d the US healthcare technology\/data services provider to render \u201cinvaluable assistance\u201d to get the project back on schedule and contract.<\/p>\n

Then, in a blunt warning to Allscripts, the PHA managing director wrote: \u201cGiven the position of the PHA as a statutorily-appointed body, should our chairman [Julian Rolle] opt to ask the Board to rescind the Allscripts award of the iHMS project, such actions would invariably trigger a forensic audit, resulting in the country\u2019s attorney general possibly appointing a special counsel tasked with conducting a costly, time-consuming, international inquiry into the matter. This could have potentially far-reaching consequences for your organisation.\u201d<\/p>\n

The contract, which was bid over six years ago in mid-2013, was intended to totally transform healthcare delivery in The Bahamas through the use of electronic records that followed Bahamian patients wherever they went to access services. This would have given providers instant access to a person\u2019s health history, enabling them to better and more quickly diagnose any cause of distress.<\/p>\n

However, Mrs Weech said the project\u2019s roll-out had been blighted from the start by a \u201cglaring lack of oversight\u201d on Allscripts\u2019 part, \u201csignificant cost overruns\u201d, \u201cunconscionable delays\u201d, multiple information technology (IT) issues and vendor \u201capathy\u201d towards adhering to contractual terms.<\/p>\n

\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Image:\u00a0 \u00a0kalhh (Pixabay)<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Opposition\u2019s health spokesman yesterday said it \u201cmakes no apologies\u201d for handing an $18m contract to a vendor threatened with \u201cfar-reaching consequences\u201d by the Public Hospitals Authority (PHA). Dr Michael…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":11321,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[112],"tags":[166,125],"class_list":["post-11308","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-newsdevelopments","tag-bahamas","tag-public-procurement"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Sorry-Shield-Excuse-Apology-kalhh-Pixabay.jpg?fit=1024%2C687&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6u9Qa-2Wo","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":33761,"url":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/steps-taken-to-address-fixed-term-contracts-in-public-sector\/","url_meta":{"origin":11308,"position":0},"title":"Steps Taken to Address Fixed-Term Contracts in Public Sector","author":"Mayra Bonilla Lopez","date":"April 18, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Jamaica Government Senator, Abka Fitz-Henley, has reiterated that the Government has taken steps to address the vexed issue of fixed-term contracts within the public sector. \u201cOnly a few weeks ago, a senior executive of the Jamaica Confederation of Trade Unions commended the Administration for moving more than 10,000 workers from\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Articles"","block_context":{"text":"Articles","link":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/category\/articles\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/pexels-edmond-dantes-4342496-scaled-e1713481583665.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/pexels-edmond-dantes-4342496-scaled-e1713481583665.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/pexels-edmond-dantes-4342496-scaled-e1713481583665.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/pexels-edmond-dantes-4342496-scaled-e1713481583665.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":33438,"url":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/three-day-elevate-procurement-conference-set-for-april\/","url_meta":{"origin":11308,"position":1},"title":"Three-Day Elevate Procurement Conference Set for April","author":"Mayra Bonilla Lopez","date":"March 28, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Jamaica The inaugural staging of the ELEVATE Procurement Conference is slated for April 23 to 25 at the Montego Bay Convention Centre, in St. James. 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