Puerto Rico Comptroller Carmen Vega Fournier reported Monday that the Puerto Rico Innovation and Technology Service (PRITS) is keeping an idle digital platform after spending $130,000 on it, and cited deficiencies in strategic planning, accountability, and cybersecurity oversight across government. According to Audit Report OC-27-04, PRITS developed the Electronic Eligibility Engine (E3), meant to let agencies share information and speed up evaluation of citizens applying for government economic aid.
The project’s first phase was contracted for $232,000, and the developer delivered a functional version in June 2023, for which PRITS paid $130,000. However, by the audit’s closing, the system was not available to agencies and had never been used for its intended purpose. The report also found PRITS still has not drafted the Strategic Innovation and Technology Plan required by Law 75-2019 to guide the government’s technology policy; although the agency said its strategy was spread across various internal documents, the Comptroller’s Office determined none of these substitute for the legally required plan.
Vega Fournier urged PRITS officials and employees to comply with applicable laws and regulations and promote effective, economical, efficient, and ethical use of government resources for the public’s benefit.