The latest report of Guyana’s Audit Office has flagged Region Nine authorities for its award of contracts to Vevakanand Dalip Enterprise, a contractor who has been blacklisted since 2018 by the Public Procurement Commission. According to the report, such a practice constitutes a breach of procurement regulations.
The report states that the first contract was for “Repairs to Kwatamang Road, Kwatamang Village, North Rupununi, Region No.9,” totalling $13.9 million. Unfortunately, specific details regarding the tendering and award process for this contract were not provided.
The second contract involved the “Purchase of one 4×4 Vehicle” at a cost of $6,400,000, with details on the tendering and award process also undisclosed.
Similarly, in 2021, the same blacklisted contractor was awarded a total of eight contracts amounting to $106.830 million by the Regional Administration. These contracts encompassed various projects, including the construction of a bridge at Kabanawau Creek, Deep South Rupununi; repairs to a section of the road at Shiriri Village, South Central Rupununi; repairs to the road at Aranaputa, North Rupununi; repairs to a section of the road at Toka, North Rupununi; and the construction of a bridge at Yupukari, Central Rupununi. Additionally, repairs to a section of the road at Yupukari, upgrading to a section of the road at Yupukari, and upgrading to a section of the road at Kumu Village were awarded, with specific dates of award not specified in the provided information.
While the company was not named in the report, the PPC’s website site gave a full disclosure of the black list status mentioned in the AG report, noting that the contractor was blacklisted from February 20, 2018 and will only be removed from the black list until December 28, 2030.
Apart from the AG’s findings, this publication also found that the blacklisted contractor won a contract in 2020 from the Ministry of Housing and Water totalling $889 million for the execution of works at Lot 2 of the four-lane Eccles to Great Diamond highway, now known as the Heroes Highway. Despite the contractor’s blacklisted status, this significant contract was granted, adding another layer to the pattern of awarding contracts to V.Dalip Enterprise despite regulatory restrictions.
