The geotechnical works at the site for the planned US$18M specialty hospital have been completed and the contracting company is preparing to deliver the report to the firm awarded the contract for the construction, Surendra Engineering, which is due in Guyana shortly.
“We finish the soil works, so now it’s just to hand over the report to them so they can determine their foundation and so on,” the contractor Persaud (only name given) told Stabroek News at the site yesterday.
Further, he explained that the site office, which he is also responsible for building, was almost completed and will be ready for Surendra Engineering officials soon.
Persaud said that he has been able to meet his target for all works at the site and everything was “smooth so far.”
Efforts to contact Ministry of Health officials proved futile as Stabroek News was informed that both the Permanent Secretary Leslie Cadogan and Deputy Permanent Secretary Trevor Thomas would be out of office for the duration of yesterday.
The latter, this newspaper was told, is out of town and would not be back for a while.
Thomas had two weeks ago said that work will “pick up” within a month after a supervisory firm was hired to overlook the construction. Bids to supervise the construction have already been submitted and were being evaluated. It is unclear if anyone has been awarded that contract as yet.
The supervising consultancy will have to report and advise the ministry about key decision-making. “This is something new in the region, so we have to bring in technical people to examine, advise and recommend various things to us,” Thomas had pointed out.
