False claim
[In October], the PWSA announced it was suing the company. According to a press release, Veolia "grossly mismanaged PWSA's operations, abused its positions of special trust and confidence, and misled and deceived PWSA as part of its efforts to maximize profits for itself to the unfair detriment of PWSA and its customers."Truth
During the partnership, Veolia helped PWSA realize at least $5.5 million in annually recurring revenue and efficiencies, institute financial controls that limited spending and increased accountability, and identify opportunities for operational efficiencies that have a direct impact on the utility’s bottom line. Over the past three years, the PWSA Board has:
- reviewed and approved every Veolia contractual initiative through a formal process,
- engaged, as standard protocol, a third party audit company to also verify the results of those initiatives,
- hired away key employees of Veolia, including Jim Good, who was hired by PWSA as their Executive Director,
- renewed on two occasions Veolia’s contract,
- complimented Veolia and its contributions repeatedly in public statements, and
- recognized millions of dollars in savings as a result of Veolia’s efforts.
Veolia met its obligations and fulfilled the requirements of our contract. We stand behind the work performed on behalf of PWSA. Recent attempts by the PWSA to put the blame on Veolia for its own problems are counter to the solid reviews the Authority gave Veolia over the past three years. The Board of the PWSA did not raise any of the claims in its filing until after Veolia finished its work and requested payment for services.