The Tribune

By Neil Hartnell

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

The Opposition’s chairman yesterday blasted that “there’s no value for taxpayer money” in a $1.7m contract for air conditioning repairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Goodman’s Bay Corporate Centre offices as he challenged why any public funds were spent.

Dr Duane Sands told Tribune Business he questions the Public Procurement Board’s justification for awarding the contract without competitive bidding n the basis that the repairs were urgently needed, arguing that this is contradicted by its confirmation that the decision was “subject to external review” to ensure the price tag and scope of works matched.

And he also queried why, as Tribune Business reported two weeks ago when it broke the story, the Government and Bahamian people needed to finance the aid conditioning repairs rather than the ministry’s landlord, Goodman’s Bay Development Corporation, since the system was seemingly part of the building and not the tenant’s responsibility.

Describing the circumstances surrounding the contract award to Noontide Management Group as “absolutely absurd”, Dr Sands reiterated the Opposition’s assertion that it was over-priced by between three to six times’ and represents poor value for the hard-pressed Bahamian taxpayer.

“This is the way they procure so many things,” he told this newspaper. “The concern about the taxpayer doesn’t exist. They are spending public funds as if it’s their money and the taxpayer is a secondary concern.

“They’ve gotten so used to these non-competitive awards or these excuses as to why they are not going to follow the Public Procurement legislation. It appears as if everything is an exigency. everything is an exigency. When they say the law requires competitive bidding except in emergency circumstances, everything is clearly an emergency circumstance to them, which is clearly not the case.”

The Public Procurement Act 2023 only permits the “direct award” of contracts when the circumstances are urgent and/or involve an emergency, while ‘restricted bidding’ is to be used in cases when goods and services are only available from a small number of suppliers.

“Let them explain why a $450,000 project ends up costing the Bahamian taxpayer $1.56m,” Dr Sands added. “I don’t believe there’s any value for the taxpayer, and I don’t believe they care.” Noontide was to be paid $1.561m with the balance to $1.7m consisting of 10 percent VAT.

But Tribune Business sources said air conditioning contractors, as well as the Government’s own technical staff, had estimated the cost of repairs and mould remediation to be between $260,000 on the low-end to around $450,000 on the high side - the latter number amounting to less than one-third, and just over one-quarter, of the $1.7m VAT-inclusive sum being paid to Noontide.

Dr Sands, meanwhile, argued that the “other part of this” is why the Government - and not the landlord - ended up with the repair bill. “It raises an eyebrow as to why this very, very expensive item was paid for by the Government, who is the tenant, as opposed to the owner of the building,” he added.

The property is owned by Goodman’s Bay Development Corporation, an entity part-owned by Colina Insurance Company and its BISX-listed parent. This newspaper understands that the 20-chiller air conditioning system, which has been leaking in the ministry’s protocol offices on the ground floor’s east wing, came with the building. As a result, there has been confusion over whether the landlord or the tenant (government) should take responsibility for repairs, with no clarity obtained on the issue from Goodman’s Bay Development Corporation.

Documents obtained by Tribune Business include a September 19, 2025, memorandum from Jerome Gomez, chairman of the Government’s Public Procurement Board, to Melvin Seymour, permanent secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, confirming that the air conditioning repair and remediation contract had been awarded to Noontide.

He wrote in the memorandum: “In accordance with the August 21, 2025, decisions on the Public Procurement Board, this is to convey the approval of the minister of finance [Mr Davis] for award of the following contract.”

The contract between the Ministry of Finance and Noontide was signed on October 2, 2025, and appears to have been backdated. Simon Wilson, the financial secretary, signed for the Ministry of Finance, while Noontide’s signatory was its president, Mildred Murphy.

Noontide’s website says it has “20 years’ experience in construction and environmental solutions”, though the only project featured is repairs to the Sir Cecil Wallace-Whitfield Centre, which houses the Office of the Prime Minister. It states its areas of expertise include facilities maintenance and repair, with 90 percent of it business coming from ‘repeat’ clients.

The company’s LinkedIn page provides a few more details, stating it was founded in 2007 and its first project was the plumbing and fire sprinklers for the Atlantis phase three casino expansion. It also touts the “ongoing restoration” of the Meeting Street complex for the National Insurance Board (NIB).Well-placed sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, described Ms Murphy as “well connected” within the governing Progressive Liberal Party (PLP).

The documents seen by Tribune Business show that, while the Noontide contract is dated October 2, it was only received by Mr Wilson’s office at the Ministry of Finance one day later as shown by the October 3 time stamp.

The ‘minute paper’, from Patricia Dean-Johnson in the Ministry of Finance and government procurement department, states that the contract is “submitted for signature” by Mr Wilson “in accordance with the approval granted by the Procurement Board”.

It adds that an October 2, 2025, invoice for $858,557, “representing 50 percent mobilisation due to the Noontide Management Group to facilitate the commencement of the approved works under the aforementioned contract” is also included for Mr Wilson’s review and signature.

However, a hand-written note on the same document said Noontide’s Ms Murphy was willing to reduce the mobilisation fee payment by 50 percent. “Ms Mildred Murphy, Noontide, has indicated that she is willing to accept a 25 percent mobilisation notwithstanding the contract is asking for 50 percent,” it said.

“The scope of works does not match $1.5m,” one source said. “The scope of works is so flimsy for that amount. The cost is what baffles everyone. That’s astronomical. What are you doing?”