Project Manager for the New Demerara River Bridge Rawlston Adams has defended the restricted bidding process being used to select a contractor to finance, design and build the new crossing, saying that it is intended to find the best company for the job and avoid issues faced during the abortive initial efforts to select a firm to undertake the feasibility study for the project.
The Ministry of Public Infrastructure has said that contractors will be pre-qualified and three will be shortlisted and requested to submit designs and offer a fixed price lump sum bid for the design and construction of the bridge and approach roads, which has generated some concern, including from former Auditor General Anand Goolsarran, who has questioned the legality of the process.
“Procurement will be done in two (2) phases the current pre-qualification phase and the bidding phase. In the pre-qualification phase, three (3) contractors will be shortlisted and requested to submit designs and offer a fixed prime lump sum for the design and construction of the bridge and approach roads,” the ministry has said in an invitation to contractors for prequalification.