Cabinet has greenlit a US$1 million contract for the construction of overhead pedestrian crossings at three locations along the East Bank Demerara Highway.
Minister of State Joseph Harmon, at a post-Cabinet press briefing yesterday, announced that a contract for US$1,034,326 (GY$2,111,990,239) has been awarded to B&J Civil Works for the construction of the crossings at Houston, Eccles and Peter’s Hall.
The National Procurement and Tender Administrative Board (NPTAB) opened the bidding for the construction of the crossing in January this year. B&J Civil Works was one of 16 companies that submitted bids for the project.
Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson, in May last year, announced government’s plan to construct the crossings, which are expected to significantly reduce accidents, save on travel time for those travelling from Diamond and enable a freer flow of traffic.
Meanwhile, Harmon announced that Cabinet has also given its no objection to the award of a $27.9 million contract to Digicel for the provision of a 911 business solution emergency service system for the Ministry of Public Security.
This comes months after the Private Sector Commission (PSC) and acting Police Commissioner David Ramnarine expressed concern over the quality of the 911 service being provided by the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GTT).
Last October, the PSC voiced its concern that the emergency system, which is essential for any citizen who is under threat to be able to request a police response, is not functioning.
“People are dying, people are being hurt… The 911 system, in my view, is a national emergency and everybody from the President right down should not go to bed at night if this 911 system is not working a,” PSC executive member Captain Gerry Gouveia had told a press conference, where the less than satisfactory operation of the service was mentioned multiple times.
A 2014 review of the 911 system recommended a range of reforms to improve its efficiency but problems persisted.
Several days later, Ramnarine said that the service remained problematic and he expressed hope that the requisite attention would be given to fix it.
Ramnarine said he was aware that 911 had been experiencing problems over the past few years. He recalled that the previous government had a consultant from abroad and had also engaged stakeholders, including Digicel, GTT, senior officers from Guyana Police Force and some other agencies, including members of the society who had deep concerns, and who still do, over the proper functioning of 911.
He said the problem persisted and under the proposal for the Safe City Smart Street project, there was to be an information command centre and the 911 system would again come under focus.
During the press conference yesterday, Harmon announced Cabinet’s no objection to more than a dozen other contracts.
He said that for the construction of Phase Four of the Brick Prison at the Camp Street penitentiary there was a variation, from $68,623,000 to $78,634, 000, for the contract, which was awarded to Aura Engineering Company.
For the construction of river and sea defences in regions Two, Three, Four, Five and Six, he said that contracts totalling $737,235,000 were awarded in lots. Lots one, two and ten in the sum of $177,590,000 were awarded to BK International Inc; lots three, thirteen and sixteen, in sum of $104,173,500 were awarded to Gupta Engineering Inc; lots four six and twelve totalling $155,383,000 were awarded to M and B Construction; lots five and seven, in the sum of $80,239,000 were awarded to Samaroo Investments; lots eight and nine for the sum of $110,832,000 were awarded to A and S General Contractors Inc; lot eleven for the sum of $64,857,340 was awarded to Colin Talbot Contracting Service; and lots fourteen and fifteen for the sum of $44,158,000 were awarded to Memorex Enterprises.
Harmon said that for the operating and servicing of the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority’s hydraulic excavators in Region Five from January 1 to December 31, 2017, a contract in the sum of $59,130,000 was awarded to Fiuz Hussain Contracting Inc.
For telephone utility relocation along Sheriff Street/Mandela Avenue Road, a contract for $27,841,000 was awarded to GTT, he said, before adding that for the electricity/utility relocation along Sheriff Street/Mandela Avenue Road, a contract in the sum of $22,254,649 was awarded to Guyana Power and Light Inc (GPL).
Harmon announced that no objections were given to a contract for management and consultancy services in respect of oil and gas policies in the Ministry of Natural Resources, in the sum of $24 million, which was awarded to Jacqueline Cohen.
No objections were also given to contracts for the supply of crash cushions and barriers on the East Bank four-lane road extension programme, in the sum of $20,155,000, awarded to Dax Constructing Services; for the procurement of mathematics texts, for national distribution by the Ministry of Education, a contract in the sum of US$306,345 ($62,552,578) was awarded to Mohamed Book Store Associates Limited; for the procurement of vaccines and syringes for the Ministry of Public Health, a contract in the sum of US$283,947 ($57,979,131) was awarded to the Pan American Health Organization; and for the procurement of medical oxygen for the Ministry of Public Health, a contract in the sum of $17,578,000 was awarded to Massy Gas Products Guyana Limited.