By Joseph Allen
Just two weeks after the Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill stated that he was planning to have Trinidad-based Kallco Guyana Inc dismissed from the Dennis Street project for non-performance, the company has been given the green light to resume work with a new deadline.
This was announced yesterday by the Ministry of Public Works (MoPW) following talks between Edghill and the engineers and principals of Kallco Company who flew into Guyana for the meeting.
It ended with the two sides agreeing to continue to work on the project but with new stipulations. One of them being that the project is now expected to be “substantially” completed by November 5.
Both sides reportedly have agreed that additional resources in the form of manpower and equipment will be added to the site to execute the road works, culvert construction, and drain construction. These resources, the contractor noted, will be sourced locally and from Trinidad.
In addition, the daily working hours will be extended to as late as 10.30 pm with work also being done on Sundays.
Meanwhile, the construction of the new bridge connecting Dennis Street and the revetment along Dennis Street will be executed by a capable local sub-contractor, which Kallco is currently making arrangements to finalise.
With this new deadline, MoPW has noted that they will also enhance monitoring of the project.
Just two weeks ago, Edghill had said that the ministry planned to approach the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) regarding blacklisting Kallco Guyana Inc, from doing works here due to their history of being a “non-performing contractor.”
Kallco was contracted to complete a section of the East Coast Demerara Highway road project that connects with Dennis Street. The project begins at the Conversation Tree corridor and is approximately 1.9 kilometres from the East Coast Demerara Highway and will connect to Dennis Street. It will also be linked to Sheriff Street from the Dennis Street corridor
The project was split into two lots. Lot 8A of the project is being executed by S Jagmohan Construc-tion and General Supplies Inc, to the tune of $$1,066, 358,738, while Lot 8B was awarded to Kallco Guyana Inc, to the tune of $830,293,458. The project was awarded by NPTAB last year.
Since then, some 65 per cent of the contract time has elapsed with only about 25 per cent of the work having been completed.
Coupled with that, residents have been complaining about stagnant water, which is breeding mosquitoes and lack of access to their properties.
Due to the complaints and non-performance, a decision was made to have Kallco submit a proposal to the MoPW detailing plans to finish the second leg of the Conversation Tree to Dennis Street project in Georgetown.
This came after executives from the company in Guyana met with Edghill and other officials to discuss the way forward just merely a week after a Letter of Poor Performance was issued to the company. After the meeting, Edghill disclosed that a proposal was to be handed in a few days later. Edghill also said that a decision would be made after the proposal was summited.
However, a week after the proposal was handed in, the minister told Stabroek News that the company did not provide convincing details to show that they would be able to complete the work in time. As such plans were made to have NPTAB blacklist Kallco. However, under the new arrangement, the company is back on the job.
