By Moneth G. Deposa
Variety News Staff

AFTER serving more than three years as the Commonwealth Ports Authority’s in-house engineering consultant, SSFM International’s contract has been terminated.
CPA Executive Director Clyde K. Norita said the decision to terminate the contract was made on Dec. 3
CPA, he added, has started handing over SSFM’s workload to the agency’s own engineering staff.
CPA paid SSFM $30,000 monthly for its engineering and consultancy work.
“SSFM was hired as CPA’s in-house engineering consultant for about three years. We decided to terminate its contract which means $30,000 in savings every month for the agency,” Norta told Variety.
On Dec. 4, CPA’s legal counsel Douglas Cushnie resigned after he was offered a lower rate for his service.
Cushnie was paid $225 per hour service and got $430,000 during an 11-month period.
“We are looking at how we can save more in other areas of professional and consultant fees that we pay every year,” Norita said. “After studying the impact of the move, we made the decision on SSFM,” he added.
Norita said CPA is now working with engineers on a case-by-case basis.
“The workload is now being carried out by our own engineering staff. CPA is open to any engineer who wants to participate in the bidding of CPA projects as long as they meet the requirements,” he said.
CPA has 15 consultants.
It pays ASM, a U.K.-based airline consulting firm, $256,000 a year; financial consulting firm Ricondo & Associates Inc., $113,000; and former CPA Executive Director Carlos H. Salas, $79,200.
Among the projects performed by SSFM for CPA were the design and construction management of an automated security access control system and a video surveillance monitoring system for the Saipan airport.
This project involved the design and construction of architectural security barriers and a security access control and monitoring system in accordance with the newly upgraded federal regulations.
Norita said CPA is now reviewing its contract with Ricondo & Associates.