Believing that a company awarded a nearly billion-dollar contract for the construction of a pump station at Belle Vue, West Bank Demerara, did not meet the bidding criteria, former Minister of Public Infrastructure David Patterson has written to the procurement commission asking for an investigation to be launched into the matter.
“A contract for the construction of a Pump Station at Belle Vue, West Bank Demerara, Region #3, was awarded to Tepui Group Inc. on August 14, 2023, the procuring entity was the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority, Ministry of Agriculture, I write seeking an investigation into the award of this contract on the basis that the Contractor was not eligible for the award,” Patterson said in a letter to the Public Procurement Commission (PPC), yesterday.
Submitted with the letter were the details of the $865,543,500 contract award and the fact that the company was only formed late last year. Also among the documents was the contract award letter from NPTAB to the company, dated August 14.
Patterson noted that of the 26 companies that bid, the company which won did not meet key bidding criteria, which stated that bidders had to have completed similar projects within the last three years.
“The technical requirements of the bid documents required the successful bidder to have successfully completed projects of a similar nature and size within the last three years. Tepui Group Inc. having been established in August 2022, do not meet these requirements, however, were still awarded the contract,”
“Please find attached, documents and articles that are in the public’s domain. I would be grateful, via the PPC, if an investigation can be conducted, and should the award prove defective, that the necessary actions be taken against the entities and individuals associated with this award,” he added.
The former minister pointed out that the company’s directors were, Winston Martindale, Paul Rodrigues, Michael Rodrigues known as ‘Guyanese Critic’, Sunnil Bhagwandin, and Francis Arokium.
Among the documents submitted to the PPC was a letter from the NPTAB to Dave Hicks, Chief Executive Officer (ag) of the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority dated August 14th signifying approval of the bid from Tepui Group.
The PPC has been accused of not acting on several complaints before it.
