The Ministry of Public Infrastructure (MPI) says it will be meeting with a team from China Harbour Engineering Ltd. (CHEC) to discuss areas of concerns for the Cheddi Jagan International Airport Extension Project.
This meeting, a MPI release yesterday said, is expected to occur sometime in November, following a request from Project Manager, Carmichael Thorne. MPI says Thorne has already contacted CHEC’s management to have unsatisfactory areas rectified. Among these areas are:
• The final submission of the construction drawings of the new arrival terminal building
• The timely delivery of concrete onsite
• The Ministry’s proposed fast-tracking of the project via simultaneous works to the runway/new arrival terminal building and renovations of the existing terminal building
• The procurement schedule for equipment
• Progress of generator room and fire pump station
In relation to the fast-tracking of the project, the release says that MPI has proposed to CHEC that works on the new terminal be conducted in parallel with works on the existing building and runway. This proposal will require additional manpower and equipment to achieve the December 2017 deadline.
“We are progressing but we can do better,” Project Manager, Thorne, explained. “There are areas we can improve on and these are areas that the contractor can improve on by upping the efforts.”
CHEC has been asked to provide supporting documents detailing the designs, plans, schedules and assigned resources before the scheduled meeting, MPI said.
The airport expansion project which began under the previous PPP/C government has been a source of controversy with the Chinese contractor in several areas including the cost of the project, timeliness and procurement.
