The Office of the Comptroller of Puerto Rico (OCPR) issued a qualified opinion on the fiscal operations of the Puerto Rico Innovation and Technology Service. A qualified opinion is issued when the noncompliances, individually or together, are significant but not pervasive.
The Report reveals that the then chief executive of Innovation and Information of the Government, and the chief attorney of the Puerto Rico Innovation and Technology Service (PRITS), did not ensure that the person contracted to perform tasks consistent with the public relations profession had the required license. The contractor, who billed $63,697 in 2021, rendered her services as a limited liability company that requires its officers to have the corresponding professional licenses.
This situation was notified to the President of the Regulatory Board of Professional Public Relations Specialists of Puerto Rico on October 1, 2024 to take the appropriate measures.
In turn, this company obtained 101 contracts with 19 entities from 2015 to 2023 with billing of $4.5 million, all related to the provision of public relations services. In this regard, the directors and officers of the company are obligated to comply with the General Corporations Act and have the required licenses.
On the other hand, the audit, with two findings, notes that PRITS did not validate the services rendered by a contractor whose invoice included work meetings with employees on weekends that did not take place. This caused improper payments of $1,000.
In addition, six contractors were not required, with their last invoice, to provide the Debt Certification and the IVU Debt Certification, as required by the contract. PRITS paid $271,665 without ensuring that these contractors did not have outstanding debts with the Department of the Treasury.
The Report comments that PRITS contracted the services of legal, governmental labor and administrative advising, to a limited liability corporation whose contractor in turn had contracts with seven other entities; among which are the Planning Board, the Department of Correction and Rehabilitation, the Department of Education and the Municipality of Utuado.
The evaluation of the services billed to the seven entities between May and June 2022 revealed that the contractor billed a total of 21 to 30 hours daily on 17 occasions. The testimonial evidence validates that, at that date, the corporation did not have employees or professionals to assist it
This situation of possible violation of the Penal Code and the Code of Ethics of the Legal Profession was referred to the Department of Justice on June 24, 2024 and to the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico on September 10, 2024.
The audit comments that on May 10, 2024, a matter that could constitute possible violations was referred to the Office of Government Ethics. In addition, the auditors identified contractual clauses that, as drafted, may invalidate the contracts examined in the audit findings.
The Report found that, as of May 26, 2023, some 32 entities did not use the pr.gov domain. Every government portal must reside in the official designated domain, pr.gov, as instructed by Circular Letter Num. 2021-004.
PRITS's budget from 2020 to 2024 was $249.8 million and made disbursements of $180.8 million. This report covers the period from January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2023.
The Audit Report OC-25-70 can be obtained on our website: www.ocpr.gov.p
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