One week after the Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill named Trinidad and Tobago company, Kallco as a ‘non-performing contractor’ due to the manner in which several projects are being carried out, its principals are to meet with him and other officials here shortly.
This was confirmed by Edghill when contacted yesterday by Stabroek News. He said that the principals are expected to be in Guyana during this week and a meeting is likely.
When asked what might be on the agenda, Edghill said that it was to discuss the projects undertaken by the company. About a week ago, Edghill said that the Ministry is set to approach the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) on possibly blacklisting Kallco Guyana Inc from bidding for any further works in Guyana due to their history as a “non-performing contractor”.
He added: “Basically the end result will be that Kallco will have to be removed from these projects. We have to ensure we follow the terms and conditions of the contract and they will be deemed a non-performing contractor and we will have to say to the tender board that he is a nonperforming contractor and that he should not be given any work in Guyana”.
Stabroek News has been unable to speak to Kallco officials here on the project.
Kallco was contracted to complete a section of the East Coast Demerara Highway road project that is set to connect Dennis Street with the Conversation Tree corridor. It will also link to Sheriff Street from the Dennis Street corridor. The project was split into two lots. Lot 8 A of the project is being executed by S. Jagmohan Construction and General Supplies Inc., for $1,066, 358,738 while Lot 8 B was awarded to Kallco Guyana Inc., for $830,293,458. The project was awarded by NPTAB in 2022. Since then, 65 percent of the contract time has elapsed and only about 25 percent of the works have been completed. Coupled with that, residents have been complaining about stagnant water, which is breeding mosquitos and also access to their properties.
Due to the complaints and non-performance, the Ministry made a decision to have the company produce a proposal on how they intend to finish the project. This followed after officials from the company met with Edghill and other ministry officials to discuss the way forward. But just merely a week after, a letter of poor performance was issued to the company. A meeting was called and after the meeting, Edghill noted that a proposal is to be handed in within a few days. Edghill also explained that after the proposal is submitted a decision will be made.
A week after the proposal was received, Edghill said that the company did not have convincing details to show that they will be able to complete the work in time. He added that now his team will have to look for an alternative to finish the works, while also looking at the legal implications. When asked if the contract will go back to tender, Edghill explained that he cannot say at the moment, only after the clauses in the contract were looked at. Edghill said that as of now, the company has not been instructed to leave, but on the other hand, Kallco might also be losing the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) contract for the construction of office spaces since the company is also non-performing there. When Stabroek News visited the Georgetown worksite yesterday, workers from Guyanese company S. Jagmohan Construction and General Supplies Inc., could be seen in full action, while at Kallco’s site, little movement could be seen.
