Angry in the Great White North

Casey Computing is looking like another Abotech:

Calls for a full public inquiry continued Tuesday after CTV News reported that an Ottawa computer consulting company received lucrative contracts from the RCMP for work on its pension plan -- despite serious concerns over their procurement.

Documents obtained by CTV News show that Casey Computing obtained six contracts worth more than $3.2 million. The work was meant to help the RCMP outsource the administration of their pensions.

On one, Casey Computing was the sole source, meaning it procured the contracts without competing with other potential suppliers.

Company owner Kim Casey added her husband to the contract at a cost of $675 per day -- a move that drove the contract's cost to the RCMP up by 25 per cent. Casey didn't have proper approval to add her husband.

Despite the problems, Casey was awarded another contract in 2005, which was worth $500,000.

It was cancelled in January after $383,000 was paid out, but that cancellation came years after several investigations had exposed serious problems.

As you might recall, David Smith's Abotech was given contracts without competition. The work consisted of moving cheques around without actually doing anything. The official classification of the work was "Other professional services not otherwise specified".

Check this out from Passport Canada:

2004-08-31
CASEY COMPUTING SOLUTIONS INC
0499 Other professional services not otherwise specified
7091783
$84,487.20

In August 2004, Pierre Pettigrew was the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Here are the details, such as they are, for the work Casey Computing did for the RCMP:

Vendor Name: Casey Computing Solutions Inc.
Reference Number: 7092173
Contract Date: 10/12/2005
Description of Work: 859 Other business services not elsewhere specified
Contract Period: 10/12/2005 to 4/1/2008
Delivery Date: 4/1/2008
Contract Value: $420,000.00

And like Abotech, Casey Computing Solutions is another "computer services" firm without a website. Like it doesn't need one to drum up business.

If the work Casey Computing did for the RCMP is questionable, what about the work it did for Passport Canada?

And if one contract with Passport Canada is questionable, why not others?

Mikholen Answerk is a computer firm without a need for a website, and the only references to it on the internet are a contract from Passport Canada, for just under $25,000, and another from the Canada School of Public Service (also below the $25,000 mark that triggers a competition) for "unspecified" services:

2005-04-05
MIKHOLEN ANSWERK
499 Other professional services not otherwise specifies
7102039
$24,877.50

Mikholen Answerk has no entry in any business database or phone directory as far as I can tell. Makes you wonder just how you would find out about Mikholen Answerk and what services they provide.

Tarajan Consultant is also a non-entity as far as the web is concerned, but earned $24,824.00 from Passport Canada for services not otherwise specified.

Hey, all the contracts might be on the up-and-up, but who can tell now?