CPO Comments on Sole Source Contract

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More information has been revealed concerning the contract for Mike McDonald which we reported on in yesterday’s news.

Responding to KHJ News queries Chief Procurement Officer Dr. Oreta Critchon says the Department of Commerce requested an emergency sole source contract for McDonald to be retained as a contractor to provide business consultant services.

She said Director of Commerce Keniseli Lafaele cited that there were approaching deadlines to meet for funding purposes relating to economic development projects and McDonald’s expertise was needed to meet those deadlines…one of which is in March.

The CPO said the contract has not yet been signed, it is going through review.

One of the issues that her office is looking into is the criminal investigation of McDonald over the deposit of grant funds that he applied for as a grant writer for the Department of Agriculture.

The grant funds ended up in his business account.

McDonald said in previous interviews that he had informed DOA about the money in his account when it was first received. It was explained that the money was payment for his grant writing services.

At any rate, the Department of Public Safety conducted a probe after Treasury referred the matter to the Attorney General’s Office last year.

A report was completed and sent to the AG’s office in October.

Commissioner Save says it’s up to the AG’s office whether to prosecute but there was a recommendation to file charges.

But others familiar with this matter say McDonald didn’t do anything wrong and since there’s no case filed against him, they don’t see why he can’t be hired, something the Director of Human Resources Lei Sonny Thompson stopped when DOC tried to renew McDonald’s contract last year.

The officials also point out that there are other people working in government, who were actually charged but continued working until their cases were adjudicated. In this case however McDonald hasn’t even been charged.

McDonald declined to comment when asked yesterday and Director of Commerce Keniseli Lafaele said he will answer our questions when and if the contract for McDonald is approved.

KHJ News has learned that the sole source contract is for three months for almost $14,000.

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