For lack of documents, COA denies P12.7-M claim for janitorial services vs DOTr-MRT3
Due to insufficient documentation, the Commission on Audit (COA) has denied the P12.789 million claim of Front Runners Property Maintenance and General Services Corporation (FRPMGSC) against the Department of Transportation (DOTr)-Metro Rail Transit 3 (MRT3) for payment of janitorial services in 2022.
In its petition, FRPMGSC said it has been engaged by the DOTr-MRT3 to provide janitorial services for its various stations from North Avenue in Quezon City to Taft Avenue in Manila, and in its operation offices at its Depot in Metro Manila since September 2020.
It also said they have an existing one-year contract dated Sept. 16, 2020 that resulted from competitive bidding.
While anticipating the end of the contract, the DOTr-MRT3 informed FRPMGSC through a letter dated Aug. 9, 2021 that it is extending the contract on a month-to-month basis until a new notice to proceed is issued to a new service provider.
FRPMGSC continued to provide janitorial services from October 2021 to Nov. 16, 2022. It was paid for its services up to Sept. 30, 2022, but the company said that its services from Oct. 1, 2022 to Nov. 16, 2022 remain unpaid.
In its decision, the COA said that while FRPMGSC has sufficient basis for its claim, the documentary requirements to back up its claim are lacking.
"This Commission can only act on the matter if and when complete documentation accompanies the petition for money claim," the COA stressed.
The seven-page decision was signed by Chairperson Gamaliel A. Cordoba and Commissioners Roland Cafe Pondoc and Mario G. Lipana.