The Auditor General has highlighted significant issues with the Lautoka City Council’s (LCC) swimming pool project, indicating that it was poorly planned and managed. The report revealed that LCC disbursed $289,542 to the principal consultant prior to the official signing of a contract. This finding was part of a broader review of municipal councils presented to Parliament recently.
According to the Auditor General’s report, LCC must ensure that capital projects are organized and managed effectively, with all contractual agreements completed and signed before any work begins. Importantly, the financial records for the swimming pool project were found lacking; while a sample of transactions noted total costs of VEP $1,452,213, only $540,518 was reflected in the Fixed Assets Schedule.
It was noted that the agreement with the principal consultant was finalized on December 18, 2017, although the consultant had been engaged as early as 2016, leading to pre-contract payments. Moreover, the contract lacked clauses for delay damages, which may have contributed to the setbacks.
The Auditor General’s findings reveal that the project, as of March 2024, remains unfinished, with delays attributed to the contractor abandoning the site and insufficient project management by the lead consultant. The council cited difficulties in government fund disbursement, resulting in no progress beyond September 2019.
In response, the Lautoka City Council committed to ensuring timely finalization and signing of contracts before commencement of future projects, which reflects an effort to improve governance and oversight.
This situation illustrates the importance of comprehensive project management and financial accountability in public works, and it is hopeful that LCC’s plans for improvement will lead to better outcomes in the future. By addressing these challenges transparently, the council can work towards restoring public trust and ensuring successful delivery of community projects.
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