Internal investigation of county cleaning contract

WILKES-BARRE, PA — An internal investigation into how the wife of a suspended court administrator began providing cleaning services for the county is being conducted, according to The Standard Speaker.

The county Children and Youth Services agency violated the county's purchasing policy in 2004 when the agency awarded a contract to Debra Sharkey’s Sweep It Up Cleaning without getting price quotes from competitors, the story stated.

To date, the county has paid Sweep It Up Cleaning $23,875 for cleaning the Children and Youth office in Hazleton, the story noted.

The agency recently sought new bids for cleaning services because the agency moved into a new Hazleton office with a new lease, the story added.

According to the story, county commissioners approved the current $7,200 contract with Sweep It Up Cleaning that was awarded through competitive bidding.