by Michele Catahay

Guam - The Public Auditor is calling for a meeting with the Department of Public Works and the Department of Education later this week to discuss International Bridge Corporation's proposed maintenance and cost analysis. The OPA has some concerns about how much the Government of Guam plans on paying IBC as part of the contract.

Doris Flores Brooks is seeking answers from DPW on the maintenance costs proposal submitted by International Bridge Corporation as part of a contract to build a new campus for JFK High School. Guam's public auditor told KUAM News, "We're seeking clarity to understand what exactly the Government of Guam is getting for the amount of money that's to be done annually in the form of maintenance through IBC or its contractor. And also to understand what is the role of DOE's maintenance because they have their own maintenance.

"We want to have a clear understanding of what we're really getting for the amount of money that we're going to pay annually."

Brooks has scheduled a meeting for this Friday to discuss these costs, which were submitted to her office last month. Brooks says she and DPW have not come to the same conclusions with the analysis, saying that her office finds there was no clear methodology to justify them. In addition, she says survey data were not properly referenced, adding that the meeting is necessary for GovGuam to make informed decisions.

"The cost is significant - because it's still in negotiations, we cannot talk about what the cost is but it is a significant amount of money and we're concerned about what we're getting for this significant amount of money. That is the bottom line," she continued.

"DPW has concluded that negotiations are done but we're saying that if it is, tell us what we got. that's all it is," Brooks also said. The public auditor has also invited DOE to this meeting since they've been kept out of the loop on such issues, adding, "The other element of concern is that DOE really hasn't been a party in most of this. What are they planning versus DPW so that if there is duplication, we don't want to duplicate it. That's why we've invited them to this meeting, so that they can hear from DPW."

Brooks had previously asked DPW to clarify these issues, but weren't given a response until a couple of weeks ago. Even at that, she says the director failed to answer her questions.

In the meantime, the meeting is scheduled for this Friday at 9am at the DNA Building in Hagatna.