Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo has accused the APNU+AFC government of using recently approved contracts as a means to “siphon money” from the public treasury.
One such contract is that signed by the Ministry of Education for construction of the Yarrowkabra Secondary School on the Linden/Soesdyke Highway for a sum of $826.7m.
According to Jagdeo when he sees a contract for nearly a billion dollars for a school and sees who the central players are “I can put my head on a block” that there is something wrong.
“This is downright illegal. They are signing some of these contracts in the New Year… A lot of this is intended to bypass provisions so they can continue to disburse money [and] go all for broke in these last two months,” he claimed.
At his weekly press conference yesterday, Jagdeo shared two memorandums sent from Cabinet Secretary Edward Persico to the Chairman of the National Tender and Procurement Administration Board (NPTAB) in which he reports that the Cabinet Sub-Committee has “considered and noted” the award of a total of 54 contracts for various projects across ministries and agencies.
The first of these communications is dated December 23, 2019 and notes the award of 23 contracts including the Extension of the Indigenous Residence at Princes Street, Werk-en-Rust, the Procurement of one Caterpillar Hydraulic Track-Type Bulldozer for the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority, the Renovation and Functional Enhancement to the Call Centre Building at Kara Kara, Linden and the Procurement of Dietary Supplies for the Guyana Prison Service.
Under the Ministry of Finance the memo notes contracts for the Procurement of Computers for the Ministry, the Procurement of Two Body X-Ray Inspection System/Scanner for the Guyana Revenue Authority, the Upgrading of the Electrical Power Supply System and the Supply and Delivery of Computer Equipment and Devices.
The Ministry of the Presidency will according to the memo receive Consulting Services for a Petroleum Commission Needs Assessment at the Department Of Energy, Aircraft Spares for an Islander and two New Aluminium Trailers for the Guyana Defence Force (GDF).
The Ministry of Public Health will in turn receive an Electrocardiograph, Anaesthesia Machine, Operation Table, Ultrasound Machine, Vital Sign Monitoring and Sterilizer under one contract and Laboratory Reagents for the Medical Laboratory at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation on another. They will also receive Preventative Maintenance Services as well as be supplied with Medical Supplies and Medical Equipment at the GPHC under two separate contracts.
The Ministry of Education has procured Dietary Supplies (Fresh Ration) for the Essequibo Technical Institute Dormitory and Mathematics Manipulatives (Math Kits for the Piloting of the Revised Curriculum).
The Ministry of Public Infrastructure has in turn awarded contracts for Miscellaneous Roads, Region 6: Lots 56 & 59, For The Provision Of Supervision Consultancy Services For The East Coast Demerara Road Widening And Improvement Project- Better Hope To Belfield, for Hinterland Roads, Regions 1, 7, 9 & 10: Lots 14-18 and for The Rehabilitation Of Connecting End Post of the Demerara Harbour Bridge.
The final contract noted on December 20 was the contract for the construction of the Aranaputa NDC building awarded by the Ministry of Communities.
On December 30 another memo explained that a meeting held on that same day “considered and noted” contracts which included a contract for the procurement of food processing equipment for an industrial incubator at Belvedere, Berbice under the Ministry of Business and the procurement of vaccine and syringe for the Ministry of Public Health.
Emergency works
Under the Ministry of Agriculture the noted contracts include a contract for emergency works: construction of rip rap sea defence at Hope, East Coast Demerara by the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA), a contract for additional supply of fuel and lubricant to the NDIA the period February to December 2019, a contract for the procurement of hydraulic excavators for the NDIA and a contract for the procurement of geotextile tubes and scour aprons for the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute.
The Ministry of the Presidency accounts for two noted contracts namely a contract for the procurement of airport spares and accessories for the Guyana Defence Force and a contract for the construction of an arms and ammunition depot, Base Camp Seweyo for the Guyana Defence Force.
For the Ministry of Communities four contracts have been noted. They are a contract for the rehabilitation of a heavy-duty timber bridge, Konawaruk Sub-Region, Potaro-Siparuni Region, a contract for the rehabilitation of the access road to Haags Bosch Sanitary Landfill, a contract for consultancy services in the preparation of a National Civil Aviation Master Plan For Guyana under the Capacity Building For Local Government Reform Project and a contract for the construction of the Abram Zuil Secondary School on the Essequibo Coast.
The Ministry of Finance will purchase motor vehicles while the Ministry of Public Telecommunications will procure two 200KVA generators for the National Data Management Authority and the construction of a command centre at Liliendaal, East Coast Demerara for NDMA.
The Ministry of Public Security will procure services for the construction of a divisional headquarters at Mahdia, baggage scanners for the Guyana Police Force, rehabilitation of the special branch admin building on Camp Street and security equipment and accessories for the Guyana Prison Service.
Additionally a contract for a consultancy for the construction of two general secondary schools, the procurement of security service for schools in Georgetown, the procurement of Promethean Boards For The University Of Guyana, a contract for the procurement of micro science kits and chemicals and a contract for the supply of juices through The National School Feeding Programme 2020 have been noted for the Ministry of Education.
The final series of contracts were awarded under the Ministry of Public Infrastructure and provide for rehabilitation of the main access road at Hauraruni in region #4, rehabilitation of the main access road St. Cuthbert’s mission, rehabilitation of the main access road, Kuru Kururu, emergency works to rip rap sea defence at Blankenburg, West Coast Demerara, construction of a sea defence structure within regions no. 2, 3, 4 and 5, the supply and delivery of clay for emergency sea defence works along the Mahaicony shoreline, between Fairfield and Prospect Mahaicony, East Coast Demerara, supervision services for the extension of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport and the construction of a parking lot at CJIA, Timehri.
