Public Works Minister, Bishop Juan Edghill has reiterated the government’s zero-tolerance policy for underperformance by contractors on developmental projects.
He made the statement during an onsite visit to ongoing works on El Dorado Road, Corentyne, Berbice. The contractor, N & S Contracting Services, was awarded the contract in early 2022 and given a $22 million mobilisation advance to construct one kilometre of road continuing along El Dorado Road, Moleson Creek.
Public Works Minister, Bishop Juan Edghill at the site
However, no work has been completed on the road, even after a letter of poor performance was issued. Consequentially, Minister Edghill has instructed that the contract be immediately terminated.“This has been more than seven months. There is no visible sign of any work being executed,” the minister said.
The incomplete road
Moreover, he has requested that the tender board be notified to remove the contractor from the system to avoid a repeat of the issue.
“We will get contractors engaged. The monies are available, the project has rolled over, and we will get the road delivered to the people. We’re not going to be in a mode of any contractor doing work when he feels like it. When contractors bid, even if they have another job, they have to show that they have the equipment, personnel, and financial wherewithal to execute that contract separately and apart from anything else they are doing.”
Extending a charge to the new contractors bidding for the project, the public works minister made it clear that there will be no hesitation to terminate the contract in instances of poor or underperformance.
“I will make sure that whoever is on the list to bid for this new work is a performing contractor that would have shown that they have the capacity to deliver,” he added. (Exracted from the Department of Public Information)
