Officials from the Ministry of Public Infrastructure (MPI) yesterday met with local suppliers of stone and other items to facilitate a link between them and China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) for the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) Modernisation Project.
The meeting came after the disclosure last year that CHEC purchased US$7.5m worth of stone from Suriname for the airport project. CHEC would later say that price and capacity were the sole determinants in the purchase after concerns were voiced at the bypassing of local companies. A release from MPI said that mong the officials were Minister of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson; Minister within the Ministry, Annette Ferguson; Permanent Secretary, Geoffrey Vaughn; Project Manager, Carmichael Thorne; and officials from the Cheddi Jagan International Airport Company, including Chairman, Stephen Fraser, and Chief Executive Officer, Ramesh Ghir.
The officials met with suppliers from BK International Inc., Toolsie Persaud Ltd., and Metallica Commodities Corp to provide help with getting them involved with the CJIA Modernisation Project. The statement said that while these suppliers would have previously bid for the project, they were disqualified due to shortfalls in their submissions. According to Patterson, the meeting was facilitated to ensure that local businesses play a role in the realisation of the national project. He said that local suppliers should have adequate time and opportunity to supply the goods. However, he stressed the importance of meeting deadlines and said that delays will lead to severe repercussions. He added that the deadline for the project is November 30 and underlined that this completion date must not be jeopardised.
The local suppliers were also informed that they have to meet all specifications, including size and chemical analyses, in order to be considered. It was stated that they were not guaranteed the supply; rather, it was ultimately CHEC which makes the decision. Business Minister Dominic Gaskin who was also present at the meeting, urged the suppliers to be as competitive as possible in their pricing while keeping deadlines in mind at all times. The local suppliers are expected to resubmit their documents in the coming week.
