Cabinet has given its no objection to almost $150 million in contracts for the rehabilitation of ferry stellings, including the one at Supenaam, Region Two, Minister of State Joseph Harmon said yesterday.
During a post-Cabinet press briefing, Harmon announced that a $120.5 million contract has been awarded to S. Maraj Contracting Services for works to be done on the Supenaam Stelling. Another contract for $27.9 million has been awarded to M. Sukhai Contracting Services for rehabilitation works to the Morawhanna Stelling, located in Region One.
These contracts were among the 27 multi-million dollar contracts awarded by the procurement entities and the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board for infrastructural development, procurement, installation, construction, consultancy, supply and delivery, which were noted by Cabinet at its meeting on Tuesday.
In March of this year, it was announced that the Ministry of Public Infrastructure would do some remedial works to the Supenaam Stelling due to its deplorable state.
Minister of Public Infrastructure David Patterson and Minister within the Ministry of Public Infrastructure Annette Ferguson visited the location and conducted an inspection.
“Some millions were spent on the Supenaam Stelling under the previous Administration and in less than ten years of its existence, the state of the wharf is one that is troubling, and so we did the assessment, and I want to assure the citizens of Essequibo that corrective works will be done,” Ferguson had told the Government Information Agency (GINA).
When it was completed in 2010 for around $431 million, there were major complaints about the stelling and more money had to be spent to rectify problems. In subsequent years, a number of malfunctions occurred at the stelling. There was a long-running row between the then Ministry of Public Works and the contractor, BK International, over who was to blame for the problems.
Harmon said yesterday that government has to ensure that residents of the region have a proper stelling, which will ensure reliable transportation of goods and services. “It is part of our responsibility to ensure that the citizens of every region of this country… is provided with a reliable form of transportation for their goods and services,” he said, while adding that this is why money has to be spent on these types of facilities.
Additionally, a $42 million contract has been awarded to Annirud Ramcharitar Construction Firm for the upgrade of river defence at Scottsburg, Corentyne, Berbice. A contract valued at $291.4 million has been awarded to Brenco Shipping and Trading Company Limited for the acquisition and installation of a propulsion system for the MB Sandaka.
According to Harmon, a contract worth $43.5 million was awarded to S. Maraj Contracting for the rehabilitation of the Mazaruni Wharf and Dockyard; $15.3 million to Mohammad Fawaaz Bacchus Construction, and $14.2 million to Mohammed Ramzanalli Khan Construction for rehabilitation/construction of urban roads at Side Line Road, Ponoma Housing Scheme, and Farouk Street and Old Road, Maria’s Lodge, respectively; $150.6 million to GuyAmerica Construction Incorporated for the construction of roads, drains, structures and installation of pure water distribution network at Lust-en-Rust, West Bank Demerara, Essequibo Islands – West Demerara (Region Three); $15.9 million to S.K.I. Construction for the upgrading of Third Street to Backroad, Covent Garden, East Bank Demerara, Demerara-Mahaica (Region Four); and $22.9 million to Associated Construction Services for the rehabilitation of Icy Road, Block 22, Upper Demerara-Berbice (Region Ten).
Additionally, he said a contract in the sum of $3.9 billion has been awarded to Sinohydro Limited (China) for the procurement of plant design, supply and installation of water treatment facilities and upgrade of the reticulation at Uitvlugt, Diamond and Sheet Anchor.
The other contracts awarded are US$142,112.50 to Royards Publishing Company, Macmillan Distribution Bookpoint Limited for the procurement of textbooks for national distribution; $40.5 million to RW Electrical Company and Building Contractors for the supply and installation of electrical wiring for standby generator power supply; $243 million to Banks DIH Limited for the procurement of fortified sweetened biscuits under the National School Feeding Programme – April 2017 to March 2018; $35 million to Meditron Incorporated for the installation of uninterrupted power supply (UPS) for the scanner at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation; $31 million to Brenco Shipping and Trading Company Limited for procurement of a side scan sonar for Maritime Administration Department; $40 million to Ivor Allen for the construction of Golden Beach Boulevard, Bartica, Cuyuni-Mazaruni (Region Seven); $24 million to Kaizen Environmental Services (Trinidad) Limited for the supply and delivery of one oil containment boom, and US$381,725 (an increase of US$60, 000) to Small Business Bureau for consultancy services to facilitate the implementation and institutionalisation of an entrepreneurship skills training programme for at-risk youth.
