In an interview with Stabroek News last Monday, President Irfaan Ali defended the controversial $566.9m contract award to Kares Engineering Inc for the rebuilding of the North Ruimveldt Secondary School and evinced exasperation at the concerns that had been raised about the process.
The President said that all awards for government contracts follow the law which also has room for adjudication and that there was only so much government can do.
“This was a public tender. What are we to do? If you went out, if you go to public tender, a public process, people participate in the process, there’s a recommendation that goes to the tender board, the Board sends a recommendation to Cabinet, who can only have a response…what else is there to do?” the President questioned during the interview with this newspaper.